Amazon Removes Alexa Voice Control for Echo Aux Input on Select Devices

Amazon has quietly removed the ability to use Alexa voice commands to control audio playback through the 3.5mm aux input on select older Echo devices, the company confirmed in October 2026.

According to Amazon spokesperson Claudia Chavira Velez, “We recently notified the very small number of customers using voice requests to play or pause audio from the aux audio input on select Echo devices that this functionality will no longer be supported.” The affected devices include the Echo Plus (2nd gen), Echo (3rd gen), Echo (4th gen), and Echo Studio (1st gen).

The change was first surfaced by a Reddit user who shared a message they claimed to have received from Amazon, which Ars Technica subsequently reported on. Amazon confirmed the change to The Verge.

Amazon provided no explanation for why the feature was removed. Importantly, the physical aux port itself remains functional on supported devices — owners can still route audio through the 3.5mm connection. Playback control is still available through the Alexa app, and users can also pair Bluetooth speakers. The change applies only to voice-based control of the aux line-in functionality.

The removal also does not affect audio output features, such as connecting an external speaker to an Echo Dot.

For affected users, this may require a shift in how they interact with their setup, as voice commands had offered a hands-free way to manage aux audio. Amazon has not released an Echo speaker with a 3.5mm aux port in several years. The company also removed a separate Echo feature last year that had allowed users to opt out of sending voice recordings to the cloud.