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Amazon Pulls Alexa Voice Control From the Line-In Port on Older Echo Speakers

Amazon has confirmed that Alexa can no longer play or pause audio routed through the 3.5mm aux input on older Echo speakers. The port still works, but voice control of it does not.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-07 05:11

Ars Technica pointed to a Reddit poster who said they received a message from Amazon about the change. The outlet also reported that an unnamed Amazon spokesperson confirmed it. Amazon did not provide an on-the-record statement when contacted by The Verge.

The 3.5mm port itself has not been disabled. Users can still run a wired connection into an older Echo and hear the audio through the speaker. What no longer works is voice control of that source: asking Alexa to start or stop playback from line in has stopped functioning.

The message Amazon sent to at least one user offers no explanation for why the feature was removed. It also does not describe any change to audio output functions, such as connecting an external speaker to an Echo Dot. Control of the aux port from within the settings menu of the Alexa app appears to still work, according to Ars Technica.

The change affects a shrinking set of devices. It has been years since Amazon released an Echo speaker with a 3.5mm aux port, and the company has been trimming older Echo capabilities. Last year Amazon removed an Echo feature that allowed users to opt out of sending their voice recordings to the cloud.