Amazon Made The AUX Input On Older Alexa Devices Less Useful

Amazon has disabled Alexa voice commands for the AUX input on several older Echo speakers, including the second-generation Echo Plus (2018), third-generation Echo (2019), original Echo Studio (2019), and fourth-generation Echo (2020), according to an Amazon email reported by Ars Technica and confirmed by The Verge. Commands such as "Alexa, play from line in" and "Alexa, set AUX input" no longer function, though Amazon characterized the affected group as a "very small number of customers" and did not explain the removal. The physical AUX connection still works, and users can toggle the input via the Alexa app, limiting the practical impact. The change signals Amazon's continued pruning of legacy features on older hardware as it refocuses Alexa, potentially factoring into device upgrade decisions and perceptions of long-term support for its smart-speaker lineup. Watch for whether Amazon discloses a rationale or extends similar deprecations to other voice-controlled functions on aging Echo models.