People quickly grow tired of Alexa, report claims — and I'm not surprised

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Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, has a retention problem, according to a new study from Bloomberg.

The site claims to have seen internal information and reports that express business organization about user retention across core functionality, with 1 2019 document observing that new users detect half the features they'll ever use within three hours of activation. More damningly, in some years, fifteen% to 25% of new Alexa inductees were not using the virtual assistant in the second week, the site adds.

It'south important to note that Amazon responded to the report by stating that the documents in question were either outdated or inaccurate. "The exclamation that Alexa growth is slowing is not authentic," Amazon's Kinley Pearsall told Bloomberg. "The fact is that Alexa continues to grow—we meet increases in customer usage, and Alexa is used in more households around the earth than ever earlier."

Even so, every bit a long-fourth dimension Amazon Repeat user who besides knows others in the Alexa ecosystem, I remember the criticism rings true. I'thou but not sure how much it matters.

Alexa limitations

To set the scene a little, I accept Echo devices in most rooms of my firm, with a few unplugged and boxed abroad. That'southward not (just) downward to poor planning on my part, but a consequence of the fact that I keep reviewing new models when they sally.

Anyhow, the point is that I am very much plugged into the ecosystem, and love the core functionality that Alexa brings to my life. Setting timers, putting on soothing sleep sounds when indisposition strikes, playing music, reading audiobooks and turning off lights — these are all areas that Alexa excels in, and the last of these can't exist overstated given the distance from my bed to the nearest light switch. Non banging my knee on the bed frame is worth the cost of admission alone. (Our look at the best Alexa skills shows exactly what the digital assistant can do for you.)

But it'south undeniably true that Alexa can prove underwhelming. This was obvious to me from the first fourth dimension I showed my original Echo to guests: afterward I'd demonstrated the concept with a few test questions, they'd excitedly enquire their ain things. Only they wouldn't know the exact way to phrase things to elicit a useful response. You lot can just hear the words "Hmmm, I don't know that one" and so many times before losing interest.

Just even if you are fluent in the specific syntax that Alexa understands, the results can still be a disappointment. Alexa frequently mishears or misinterprets. A case in point, my Alexa shopping list — a part I never use — has two things on it: "Tidy upwards" and "Dog bosch" which isn't something I suspect Amazon could help with. My to-do listing, meanwhile, has two instructions: "five huxley cream" and "put the laundry light on in America." Useful.

Amazon keeps trying to get me to try something new, with its weekly "new to Alexa" email, merely I can't say I've ever been tempted. Information technology's even started ill-advisedly advertisement its other functions to users. "Almost every twenty-four hour period after I enquire quick things, I get, 'By the mode, I tin can recommend birthday gift ideas so you lot tin can buy more things from Amazon! Wouldn't y'all love to hear that??'", complains i Redditor, quoted by Bloomberg.

Alexa's cadre strengths

But ultimately, for me, none of this matters that much. The fact is that the Echo is one of the best smart speakers — a good quality, reasonably priced speaker that can play anything from the world of music but by me saying the words. Ten-twelvemonth-quondam me would be blown away by that, without me needing to demonstrate whatsoever other functionality in this implausible fourth dimension-travel scenario.

The point is that the core functionality is fine, and it doesn't thing if Alexa never gets any smarter or learns whatever new party tricks. For me, it'southward an integral part of my smart home and I'm extremely happy with it — virtual warts and all.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing near tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine also. When not weighing upwardly the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, y'all'll probably discover him tackling his ever-growing games excess. Or, more than probable, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.