Amazon has quietly withdrawn the spoken shortcut that let owners of four older Echo speakers switch to a wired line input, leaving the cable itself untouched. The change arrived by email and was confirmed by a spokesperson, who described the affected group as a very small number of customers. No reason has been given, so the moment stands as one more reminder that the devices in our homes are only as durable as the software that a company chooses to keep updating.
Amazon Disables Alexa Voice Control for AUX Input on Four Older Echo Models
The connection is unchanged, even if Alexa is now less cooperative about it.
Mark
So what actually changed here? The speakers still work, right?
Mimi
They do. The cable input works and the app can still switch it. What's gone is saying "Alexa, play from line in" out loud on four older Echo models.
Mark
Which models?
Mimi
The second-generation Echo Plus, the third- and fourth-generation Echo, and the original Echo Studio.
Luke
And why did Amazon do it? Because I don't see a reason in the reporting.
Mimi
There isn't one. Amazon confirmed the removal but didn't explain it.
Luke
Then "very small number of customers" is Amazon's own characterization. We have no figure to check it against.
Mark
Fair. Is there a real-world use that makes this matter?
Mimi
The example given is an early-2000s Sony CD changer connected to an Echo Studio with an RCA-to-3.5mm cable. Voice switching is gone, but the setup still plays.
Mark
And the bigger worry is the newer hardware?
Luke
Careful there. The source says upgrading will likely mean losing the feature, such as moving to the 2025 Echo Studio. It's a likelihood, not something we've seen documented model by model, and the fifth-generation Dot is the only confirmed case of a dropped jack.
Le Pouls
- A voice command that people relied on to move from streaming to a wired source has gone silent on four older Echo models.
- Owners who discovered the change found that phrases like "Alexa, play from line in" now do nothing, with no explanation offered.
- The 3.5mm jack still works in either direction, and the Alexa app can toggle AUX input, so the fix is a few taps rather than a new device.
- The real pressure point is upgrading: buyers moving to the 2025 Echo Studio may find the wired input gone for good.
Amazon has quietly withdrawn the spoken shortcut that let owners of four older Echo speakers switch to a wired line input, leaving the cable itself untouched. The change arrived by email and was confirmed by a spokesperson, who described the affected group as a very small number of customers. No reason has been given, so the moment stands as one more reminder that the devices in our homes are only as durable as the software that a company chooses to keep updating.
Amazon has switched off a small piece of Alexa's voice control on four older Echo speakers. Phrases such as "Alexa, play from line in" and "Alexa, set AUX input" no longer work, according to an Amazon email that a customer shared. Amazon confirmed the removal, telling The Verge it had notified "the very small number of customers" who used voice requests for AUX playback. It did not say why.
The wired connection itself is intact. Owners can still play audio through a cable, and the Alexa app can still enable or disable AUX input on supported models. What has disappeared is the ability to switch that input by speaking, which mattered most to people who used a single command to move from streaming to a cable.
The affected models are the second-generation Echo Plus, the third- and fourth-generation Echo, and the original Echo Studio. The 3.5mm jack does different work depending on the device: it can receive sound from a phone or computer, or send Alexa's audio to another speaker or amplifier. Some models handle both directions, while others manage only one.
The older hardware still has practical uses. An early-2000s CD changer, for example, can feed an original Echo Studio through an RCA-to-3.5mm cable, letting discs play without Bluetooth or a new player. Setup takes a few steps in the Alexa app, under the speaker's AUX Audio settings. Playback is then controlled on the source device, as it always was.
For most people, nothing needs replacing. The real risk comes at upgrade time, since moving to the redesigned 2025 Echo Studio will likely mean losing the 3.5mm input altogether. Amazon has offered no explanation.
Amazon has switched off a small piece of Alexa's voice control on four older Echo speakers. Phrases such as "Alexa, play from line in" and "Alexa, set AUX input" no longer do anything, according to an Amazon email that a customer shared and Ars Technica reported.
The affected models are the second-generation Echo Plus (2018), the third-generation Echo (2019), the original Echo Studio (2019) and the fourth-generation Echo (2020). Amazon confirmed the removal. A spokesperson told The Verge that the company had notified "the very small number of customers" who use voice requests for AUX playback. Amazon did not say why it took the feature away.
The wired connection itself is untouched. Owners can still play audio through a cable, and the Alexa app can still enable or disable AUX input on supported models. What is gone is the ability to flip that input by voice, which matters mostly to people who used to say a command to move from streaming to a wired source.
The 3.5mm jack on these speakers does one of two jobs depending on the model. As an input, it lets the Echo play sound from an outside device such as a phone or computer. As an output, it sends Alexa's audio to another speaker or amplifier. It is the same physical port working in opposite directions.
Support varies. The third- and fourth-generation Echo and the second-generation Echo Plus handle both input and output. The original Echo Studio supports input only. The third- and fourth-generation Echo Dots have jacks that support output only, and the fifth-generation Dot dropped the 3.5mm connection entirely.
There is still a practical case for keeping older hardware. One example in the reporting is an early-2000s Sony CD changer, which can feed an original Echo Studio through an RCA-to-3.5mm cable. The CDs play through the Echo without a Bluetooth transmitter and without replacing the player.
To set it up, connect the gear with a 3.5mm cable, open the Alexa app, select the speaker under Devices and find AUX Audio in its settings. Depending on the app version, the setting may sit under General. Choose Line In to play an external source through the Echo. On models that support both directions, Line Out sends the Echo's audio to a wired speaker or receiver. Once connected, playback and track skipping have to be handled on the source device itself. The retired voice commands only managed the Echo's input, never the connected equipment.
The practical upshot is that nobody needs to replace an Echo just to keep using its AUX port, where one exists. The loss is more likely to arrive with an upgrade. Moving from the first-generation Echo Studio to the redesigned 2025 Echo Studio, for instance, will likely mean giving up the 3.5mm input. Amazon has offered no explanation for the change.
Citations marquantes
Amazon had notified "the very small number of customers" who use voice requests for AUX playback.— Amazon spokesperson, via The Verge
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