On October 9th, 2026, David Pierce hosted The Verge Cast, the flagship podcast of the Alexa Plus Shopping List, dedicating the episode to the smart home, particularly Alexa Plus and Amazon's recent hardware announcements.
Pierce began by apologizing for potential device activations caused by the podcast and introduced the main topic: Amazon's slew of hardware launches, including new Ring and Kindle products, and a "most surprising new Amazon device": a new Alexa tablet. He noted that all these developments revolve around integrating "Alexa Plus deeper and deeper into your life." Jen Toohey from The Verge team, who had spent the last year testing Alexa Plus, was on the show to share her insights.
Before the main discussion, Pierce presented "90 Seconds on The Verge" for Thursday, October 8th, 2026. He reported big news in domain names: ICANN released 1,600 applications for new top-level domains (TLDs), predominantly focused on AI. Companies like Meta and OpenAI are vying for .agent and .agi, while many others, including .Facebook, .ChatGPT, and .AppleBees, are attempting to turn their brands into TLDs. Next, he announced that Grand Theft Auto VI was weeks away, mentioning recent leaks, in-game radio stations, and fictional podcasts. Finally, Joe Rogan and Spotify reportedly made a new deal worth around $250 million to keep The Joe Rogan Experience on the platform.
Jen Toohey then joined the discussion. Pierce shared his recent experience re-routining smart devices in his home during parental leave, describing it as "insane" but ultimately cathartic. Toohey related, calling the Alexa app "awful" for managing devices.
Turning to Alexa Plus, Pierce outlined its ambitions: more conversational use, less rigid syntax, and enabling complex routines via voice. Jen Toohey confirmed these goals, noting that Amazon aims for Alexa Plus to be a "personal AI agent" akin to ChatGPT or Claude. However, Toohey found Alexa Plus’s attempts to break out of its smart home mold frustrating. Tasks like ordering from Uber Eats or booking trips often hit "roadblocks," leading her back to her phone.
As a *smart home assistant*, however, Toohey reported significant improvements. Voice-activated routine setup, like scheduling lights or locking doors, was a "game changer." She appreciated the ability to say, "turn all the lights in my office purple" and have it work. Yet, deeper device integration was still missing; she couldn't set her washing machine to a "delicate cycle" via Alexa. Toohey advocated for Alexa Plus to remain primarily a smart home agent, perhaps working with other AI agents for personal tasks, citing Google Home's ability to use Claude.
Toohey highlighted Alexa Plus's improved "agentic elements," such as sending it a school schedule to add to a calendar or uploading a recipe to a cooking library. She also mentioned an advanced Ring integration: "Hey, Alexa, when did the package get delivered?" would show video of the last delivery and even identify Amazon package contents. Pierce found this "creepy" but acknowledged its utility. He noted Amazon's long-standing dream of shrinking the gap between a need and a purchase.
Toohey expressed disappointment that many promised integrations with external services like Expedia had not materialized. She criticized Amazon for "locking in on its own," suggesting Alexa, originally an open smart home platform, needed to lean back into that openness.
The discussion then moved to Amazon's new Alexa tablet, a $500 Android device positioned as an iPad competitor. Pierce saw this as Amazon's move to capture more "context" beyond the home. Toohey agreed the tablet could provide personal context, allowing Alexa Plus to read screens with permission, essentially making it function like Siri or Gemini across an operating system. She questioned its place in a typical workflow, considering it a companion device, but acknowledged it was a step towards an "ambient assistant" that's "on the go." Pierce noted Amazon's history of early hardware trends (rings, glasses) and the potential for these to resurface with improved tech.
Looking ahead, the conversation shifted to Apple's anticipated smart home announcements on October 13th, 2026. Toohey expressed hope that Apple would differentiate itself with a powerful "Siri AI for the home," deeply embedded and truly understanding home control, rather than just another smart display. She cited recent Apple intelligence features like video descriptions in HomeKit Secure Video as examples of context-gathering data.
Both hosts discussed the privacy challenge, especially with cameras. Toohey acknowledged the "cost-benefit ratio" of sharing data for smart home utility, contrasting it with Gmail's trade-offs. She hoped for local-only AI processing in the future but recognized the current value of cloud connectivity. Pierce pointed out the increasing uphill battle for tech companies to earn user trust, especially given the current "tech industry" climate.
The episode concluded with Pierce encouraging listeners to send feedback to vergecast@verge.com or call 866-VERGE-11, and to subscribe to The Verge for ad-free podcasts and newsletters at theverge.com/subscribe. The show was produced by Josh Cajas, Eric Gomez, Brandon Kiefer, and Travis Larchuk.