How to Change Alexa's Voice and Personality: 8 Voices and 5 Personality Styles

Amazon has expanded customization features for its voice assistant Alexa. The update is for Alexa+ or Amazon Prime members, who can now choose from up to eight voice types and multiple personality styles. It is an effort to provide a more flexible experience beyond the traditional default voice and Whisper Mode.

According to reporting by Engadget’s staff@engadget.com (Thomas Godwin), the new feature was available to eligible users as of September 12, 2026. The number of available voices varies by region and country, but the aim is to redefine Alexa’s role in the home by broadening its range of personalities.

Alexa’s personality styles let you change the way Alexa answers without changing what it’s able to do.

As this sentence shows, even if the impression and speaking style change, what Alexa can do remains the same. There is no difference in accuracy or capability; it is positioned purely as a feature to adjust the feel of conversations.

New Features for Alexa+ and Prime Members

This expansion has not been opened uniformly to all Echo users. According to Engadget, it is limited to Alexa+ or Amazon Prime members. Amazon positions Alexa+ as its next-generation conversational assistant, and is enhancing customizability as added value for paid members.

Up to eight voice types are offered depending on region and country. The number and content of options may differ in each country, including Japan. The same applies to personality styles, which is best viewed as a phased rollout depending on the usage environment.

Importantly, these settings are not applied collectively via the cloud. As described below, voice and personality settings are stored per device. If you have multiple Echo devices at home, you need to configure each one individually.

This specification allows for different uses, such as calm responses in the living room and a friendly voice in a child’s room. On the other hand, if you want a unified experience throughout the house, you will need to repeat the same operation on all devices.

Detailed Steps to Change the Voice Type

The easiest way to change the voice is by voice command. Say “Alexa, change your voice” to the device, and Alexa will present the currently available options. You can listen to candidates and decide in a conversational format, so no screen operation is needed.

You can also use the Alexa app on your smartphone. Open the app and go to Devices > Your Device > Device Settings > Alexa’s Voice. Select your preferred voice from the list there. The advantage of using the app is that you can compare options visually.

With either method, the change applies only to the device you operated. Engadget’s article also emphasizes this device-specific behavior. For example, if you change the voice on the Echo Dot in the bedroom, the voice on the Echo Show in the kitchen will not change.

This design is reasonable from the perspective of privacy and personalization. Each family member can choose their preferred voice in their own space. On the other hand, some may point out the complexity of management. Especially in households with many devices, there will be situations where a sync feature for settings is desired.

Note that changing the voice type does not affect functional accuracy. Amazon clearly states that differences in voice do not affect answer accuracy. It is purely a stylistic choice, and the underlying AI model behaves the same.

5 Personality Styles and Their Characteristics

Personality styles are a feature that changes Alexa’s speaking style and response tone. Amazon currently offers five types: Brief, Chill, Sweet, Sassy, and Original. Each has a different conversational feel.

Brief is a style that emphasizes conciseness. It omits unnecessary preambles and conveys key points briefly. It is suitable for busy times or when you want information quickly.

Chill is a casual, conversational style. It removes stiffness and sounds natural, like talking with a friend. It adds friendliness to everyday chats and interactions during music playback.

Sweet is a warmer style with encouraging elements. It features more positive expressions and supportive responses. It can be expected to soften the atmosphere at home.

Sassy is a playful and witty style. It lightly teases questions or mixes in colorful sarcasm. When selected, an adult-oriented warning is displayed and must be tapped to approve. Since it may include expressions not entirely child-friendly, caution is needed about where it is used.

Original is Alexa’s traditional default personality. If you want to revert after making changes, select this style. You can switch at any time, and it is designed with trial and error in mind.

There are two ways to change it, just like with voice types. With a voice command, say “Alexa, change your personality style.” Alexa will present the options in order, and you follow the guide to decide. In the app, go to Devices > Your Device > Device Settings > Alexa’s Personality Style and swipe left or right to select.

This is also a device-specific setting. If you want to keep the same personality on all Echos, you need to set each one individually. In the smart speaker market, products that emphasize a unified experience across multiple devices are increasing, such as Sonos 27 Announced: Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra Debut, so Alexa’s philosophy of individual management can be seen as contrasting.

End of Celebrity Voices and Differences from

Current Specifications

For long-time Echo users, celebrity voices remain memorable. There was a time when you could apply the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa McCarthy, and Shaquille O’Neal to Alexa. Old instructions online still describe how to enable these celebrity voices.

However, these celebrity voices have now been discontinued. They are separate from the current eight voice types and five personality styles. Caution is needed when referring to old information to avoid confusion.

Celebrity voices were offered under limited-time licenses, in a format where celebrities dubbed only specific phrases. In contrast, the current voice types and personality styles combine AI-generated voices with control of response style. The major difference is that they are applied consistently to all utterances.

This shift can be seen as reflecting advances in generative AI. Covering everything with generic voice models and style control is more advantageous in terms of maintenance and multilingual expansion than partially casting specific individuals’ voices. It is also consistent with the natural conversation Amazon aims for with Alexa+.

Note that Engadget’s article does not go into detail about support for users who previously purchased celebrity voices. In some regions, refunds or alternative measures were taken, but there is no direct continuity with the current customization features.

Kids’ Voices and Device-Specific Settings

For children’s use, a separate option is provided. Amazon offers animal voices on Alexa devices that support kids mode. The aim is to add friendly character and lower the barrier to use at home.

These kids’ voices are offered under a different framework from the regular eight voice types. Use requires enabling Kids Mode and a compatible device. By combining with parental controls, you can design age-appropriate experiences.

The principle of device-specific settings applies equally to kids’ voices. You can set different voices on a shared device in the living room and a device in a child’s room, allowing separation according to usage scenarios.

On the other hand, challenges remain in terms of managing the smart home as a whole. For example, as Nothing Cancels New CMF Phone Models Due to Soaring RAM Prices shows, hardware costs and supply fluctuate. For households with multiple Echo devices, you need to consider not only the hassle of setup but also reconfiguration when replacing or adding devices.

In enterprise management, the importance of centralized management is increasing, as seen with Rippling Announces AI Spend Tracking Tool ‘AI Spend Console’. At home as well, there may be future demand for a feature in the Alexa app to manage the voices and personalities of all devices at once. At present, manual setup one device at a time is assumed, and operational efficiency can be considered a future area for improvement.

Editorial Opinion

In the short term, we see the limited offering to Alexa+ and Prime members as strengthening the membership base. Voice and personality customization is more emotional added value than functional differentiation, and could contribute to preventing cancellations and promoting migration to Alexa+. In particular, a playful style like Sassy is likely to attract new users through buzz on social media. The hassle of device-specific settings will cause friction for owners of multiple devices, but we assess that short-term dissatisfaction can be contained if it is promoted as freedom for individual optimization.

In the long term, the personality of voice assistants could become central to the brand experience. As generative AI spreads and it becomes harder to differentiate answer content, style such as speaking manner and tone will become a reason for choice. If different Alexa personalities for each person take hold in the home, its positioning will strengthen from a mere device to a cohabiting presence. On the other hand, we believe continued verification will be needed regarding the impact of styles containing sarcasm, such as Sassy, on children and the elderly.

The question we as editors want to ask is whether diversification of personalities will lead to fragmentation among users.

References

• “How to change Amazon Alexa’s voice and personality”, by staff@engadget.com (Thomas Godwin) — Engadget, 2026-09-12T22:00:00.000Z (ARR)
• Source URL: https://www.engadget.com/2252800/how-to-change-alexa-voice-personality/