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Amazon made the AUX input on older Alexa devices less useful

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Amazon made the AUX input on older Alexa devices less useful

The AUX jack survives on older Echo speakers. The voice commands that made it convenient don't.

Amazon has disabled Alexa voice controls for the AUX input on several older Echo speakers. An Amazon email shared by a customer and reported by Ars Technica says that commands such as "Alexa, play from line in" and "Alexa, set AUX input" have stopped working. The change may seem minor, but it is frustrating for anyone who used those commands to switch to a wired audio source.

The affected devices are the second-generation Echo Plus (2018), third-generation Echo (2019), original Echo Studio (2019) and fourth-generation Echo (2020). Amazon confirmed the removal, and a spokesperson told The Verge that it had notified "the very small number of customers" who use voice requests for AUX playback. The company did not say why it removed the feature, though.

Fortunately, the physical AUX connection continues to work in more ways than one. Owners can still play audio through a cable and use the Alexa app to enable or disable AUX input on supported models.

That small 3.5mm AUX jack on supported Echo speakers can serve two purposes, depending on the model. When used as an input, it allows the speaker to play audio from an external source, such as a phone or computer. As an output, it routes Alexa's audio to another speaker or amplifier. It's the same physical connection, simply operating in the opposite direction.

The third-generation Echo , fourth-generation Echo and second-generation Echo Plus support both input and output, while the original Echo Studio supports input only.


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