If you use an Echo as a speaker for your TV or CD player, something has changed. From 5 October 2026, Amazon has switched off voice control of the AUX (line-in) input on several Echo models. Phrases such as “Alexa, play from Line-In” no longer work.
The news comes from the German press, which reports an email sent to the users affected. Amazon has not given a public explanation so far, and we have no specific communication for Italy: if you own one of the Echo models listed below, it is worth checking your inbox and the Alexa app.
What changes in practice
The cable does not become useless. If you connect a television, a CD player or another device to the Echo’s audio input, the sound still comes out of the device’s speakers, just as before.
What disappears are the voice commands: you can no longer tell Alexa to switch to the AUX input, or to start or stop listening to the external source by voice. Amazon sums up the situation like this: the connection stays, the way you use it changes.
In practice, control now goes down two routes:
- On the source: play, pause and volume are adjusted directly on the connected device (the TV remote, the buttons on the player).
- In the Alexa app: you can still select the input from there.
Amazon also recommends switching to Bluetooth, if the source supports it.
Which models are affected
According to the outlets that picked up the story, the change affects Echo devices with an audio input:
- Echo (3rd and 4th generation)
- Echo Plus (2nd generation)
- Echo Studio (the sources mention the 1st and 2nd generation)
- the Echo Link variants
The outlets do not all list exactly the same models: the 2nd-generation Studio and the Echo Link do not appear in every article. The safest check is Amazon’s email or your device’s page in the app.
Who it is a problem for
Most users will not notice. The inconvenience falls on those who had built a small setup around the Echo: the turntable with a preamp, the CD player in the living room, the TV connected by cable for better sound than the built-in speakers.
For these people, the convenience of saying “Alexa, stop everything” has gone. If the source is far from the sofa, you have to get up again or use a remote. And anyone with smart home routines and scenes that called up the AUX input by voice will need to revisit them, because that step is no longer available.
What to do now
- Check in the Alexa app whether your Echo is one of the models affected.
- See whether the source has Bluetooth: if so, pairing replaces the cable and lets you control playback by voice too, as with any other paired device.
- If the cable remains the best choice, for example for sound quality or for latency with the TV, update your habits: remote in hand, and input selection from the app.
- Look again at any routines and automations that mentioned the AUX input.
What we think
Taking away a feature that was sold with the product is always a weighty decision. Here the practical damage is limited: wired audio works and alternatives exist. But the signal is clear: a feature of a device you have already bought can change after the purchase.
Amazon’s silence on the reasons does not help. A public note with an explanation, however brief, would head off speculation. For now the only certainties are the date, 5 October, and the list of commands that no longer respond.
The practical advice is simple: if your Echo is the heart of a wired audio setup, do not take for granted anything that depends on the cloud. A physical input feels independent of the internet, but the “smart” part stays in the manufacturer’s hands. For truly stable listening it is always worth keeping a simple alternative, such as a remote or an amplifier with its own controls.
If you are considering a new smart speaker, bear this in mind too: look at which features you really need and ask yourself how far they depend on the service rather than the hardware.
Written by the SpazioiTech newsroom with the help of AI tools, from facts verified across at least two independent outlets, and checked before publication. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian
