Amazon is putting free Alexa Guard security features behind a paywall. Many of the once-free features of the Guard will not require users a $6 monthly subscription for Emergency Assist as well as Amazon Prime membership starting in the coming year.
Amazon Free Alexa Guard Security Features
Amazon has just announced that it is shutting down Alexa Guard. Alexa Guard is a DIY security feature for Echo devices that reportedly listens for intruders or household alarms when it is that you are away from home. The free version of Alexa Guard that listens for household disturbances as you should know was initially included as a standard feature on Amazon Echo devices.
In a recent email sent to customers, Amazon revealed that some of the features of Guard such as smoke and CO alarm detection will instead be reportedly moved to its new Emergency Assist service, which in question is available for $5.99 per month or $59 per year.
Guard Features That Will Still Be Available As Free
The Guard features such as Home and Away modes (which are meant to arm and disarm your Ring Alarm) and Away Lighting (which reportedly switches on your lights to make it look like you are at home) will however still be available for free as part of the standard Alexa experience. Other features such as glass break sound detection on the other hand will require an Emergency Assist subscription “starting soon.”
And according to Amazon, customers of Ring Protect Pro who reportedly linked their Ring and Alexa accounts as of September 20, 2023, will get Alexa Emergency Assist for free until October 31, 2024.
The Emergency Assist New Price
And in a bid to really turn the screws on Alexa Guard users, the Emergency Assist signup page also notes the $5.99 subscription for Emergency Assist is just an introductory price that will eventually expire on January 8th, 2024. And that after this, the $5.99 subscription will only be available for people who get to subscribe to Amazon Prime (which kicks off at $14.99 per month). Amazon spokesperson Deanna Kugler in a statement to The Verge, stated that pricing for non-Prime subscribers will be confirmed “later this year.”
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