Owners of four Echo models can still use the AUX port, but must switch inputs through the Alexa app or use Bluetooth.
Amazon has quietly removed Alexa voice commands for controlling the AUX input on a small group of older Echo speakers, cutting off a niche feature that let users switch to wired playback by voice. According to reports from Ars Technica and The Verge, commands such as “Alexa, play from line in” and “Alexa, set AUX input” no longer work on affected models, even though the physical connection itself remains intact.
The change applies to the second-generation Echo Plus, third-generation Echo, first-generation Echo Studio and fourth-generation Echo, according to the reports. Amazon confirmed the removal to The Verge and said it had notified “the very small number of customers” who used voice requests for AUX playback, but it did not explain why the function had been withdrawn. Ars Technica reported that Amazon did not disclose how many users were affected.
The loss is limited to voice control, not the wired input itself. Owners can still connect an external source through the 3.5mm port, and the Alexa app can still be used to enable or disable AUX input on supported devices. Ars Technica also noted that Bluetooth remains available as another way to feed audio into the speakers, which means the change mainly affects convenience rather than basic functionality.
In practice, the update narrows how users interact with a feature that had been useful for switching between streaming and physical audio sources without reaching for the phone. An Amazon forum discussion about the fourth-generation Echo shows that app-based line-in configuration has long been part of the setup process, which underlines the distinction between the hardware connection and the voice shortcut that has now disappeared. For owners who relied on the command-based workflow, the removal may be small in technical terms, but it makes the feature less seamless than before.
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