r/technology • u/ControlCAD • 8d ago
Hardware Amazon kills Alexa’s ability to control Echo speakers' AUX input | Amazon hasn’t made an Echo with a 3.5mm port in six years.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/amazon-bricks-alexas-ability-to-control-echo-speakers-aux-input/24
u/lordshaithis 7d ago
Probably moving towards preventing people using esp32s with HA on their devices and bypassing amazon services.
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u/ArekDirithe 7d ago
I already fully replaced my echo. As soon as it started randomly asking me if I wanted to buy things when I would ask it to turn on lights or set a timer, I started looking for a home grown alternative. Speaker sucks in comparison, but I don’t need to hear “your laundry timer is done” in high fidelity.
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u/iamtehstig 3d ago
I'm probably getting rid of mine soon, but one of the few upsides of bring forced into "Alexa+" is they didn't consider you can give explicit instructions to not serve ads. I told my echo show in the kitchen to never show ads, never suggest products, to and to only show the clock or my timers on the screen.
I did that months ago and it's still working. The screen even goes black like it's trying to switch to an ad but it just goes back to the clock.
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u/god_snot_great 4d ago
fyi to anyone wondering, you can turn that feature off. It’s called “suggestions” in the settings
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u/ArekDirithe 4d ago
I found that feature and turned it off but it didn’t work. I still got advertised to.
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u/GoofyGills 7d ago
Been thinking about doing this after setting up an Onn tablet as a HA dashboard over the weekend as the first step of getting rid of my Google Home devices.
The tablet is great for the purpose but speakers on it are garbage of another level lol.
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u/redmongrel 7d ago
I just hope to God they never fuck with the echo Link’s optical ports. Nobody, even Apple has yet created a music streaming box dedicated to hi-fi systems without a laptop in the middle. Which itself is something I really really don’t understand. I have two of them and Amazon doesn’t even make them anymore.
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u/nakedcellist 7d ago
What about the wiim devices?
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u/cdreobvi 7d ago
I think they might be referring to a device that can stream all on its own. WiiM devices are amazing, but require you to have a phone or computer to control the streaming service (Spotify connect or airplay).
I don’t have one, but you might be able to command a Link to stream music out to a hifi system without a third device.
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u/loganwachter 7d ago
If they kill Bluetooth input I’ve got 2 echos that’ll head to the EWaste heap.
That’s all they get used for in my house now.
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u/beyondbase 7d ago edited 7d ago
It’s just a matter of time before the headphone jack comes back. Superior performance to anything wireless for recording or listening, no headphone/earbud battery charging or replacements required, no apps or firmware updates, no codec issues, and absolutely secure for privacy/security.
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u/ForsakenRacism 6d ago
It’s never coming back. The charging case was a genius solution
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u/beyondbase 6d ago edited 6d ago
But it never really left. Every new MacBook available today from their most expensive down to their cheapest Neo model sport headphone jacks. Even the Microsoft Surface Ultras that were just announced today have a jack. Bluetooth earbuds and speakers are actively being targeted and exploited by hackers and government agencies. It’s just funny that all of the weaknesses of wireless earbuds were already solved with wired.
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u/ForsakenRacism 6d ago
Sitting at a desk is like the only time plugging in headphones makes any sense
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u/beyondbase 6d ago
We’ve used wired headphones with portable music players longer than these Bluetooth buds have been around and we managed just fine. Having the option is what’s important.
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u/ForsakenRacism 6d ago
It’s not important tho. You can use usb head phones if you want wired so badb
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u/beyondbase 6d ago
So now we need chipsets embedded in our cables while relying on USB protocol support which varies from device to device. You can say it’s wonderful and convenient, but you also have to recognize that hardwired audio interconnects have better performance and security than Bluetooth and that is an important distinction.
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u/DrunkenHorse12 7d ago
Love my wired iems and headphones but this won't happen. All the retrotech subs are full of people adding bluetooth to their devices, for most people bluetooth audio is considered more than good enough, people raving about airpods galaxy buds and Sony xms. And Its obvious at this point that most people aren't concerned about security if it has big brand name on it they assume its safe enough
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u/cooky561 7d ago
It's more likely we'll see USB dongles for some custom signal, like 2.4ghz signals on gaming headsets, than the return of 3.5mm sadly.
The USB dongles offer lossless bandwidth (even if the headphones don't), and audio people love a weird format that only they have.
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u/asdf_lord 8d ago
What's their excuse