Amazon’s giant ads ruined the Echo Show

Last week, Amazon launched a major update to its line of Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers and displays. The redesign — led by former Microsoft design chief Ralf Groene, who Panos Panay, Amazon’s director of devices and services, brought out of retirement — included two new Echo Show smart displays. According to Panay, these new designs are the first step toward creating “products that customers love.”

But there’s one major obstacle preventing customers from loving their Echo shows: ads.

In recent months, full-screen ads with the “sponsored” tag have been appearing on current Echo shows, and users are not happy. These ads are new and very intrusive, appearing between photos when the Show is set to Photo Frame mode or between content if it is set to show different categories (such as music, recipes, news).

As I write, the latest-generation Echo Show 8 on my desk just showed an ad for an herbal supplement between a snapshot of my daughter dancing at her aunt’s wedding and a baby photo of my son. The ad reappeared two photos later, then again. And again.

While advertising has been a part of Alexa on Echo devices for some time, in the form of Alexa’s “About” feature, the show’s Shopping category (which you can turn off), and occasional product ads, it’s never been more blatant.

As these new “sponsored” ads become more prevalent, it feels like a bait and switch. There was no indication on the packaging that you were purchasing an ad-supported product. There is no discount for purchasing an Echo Show with ads, as there is with Kindles. And because these ads are present almost constantly, they are more intrusive than the voice assistant suggesting a service or product you might want after simply interacting with it. (Don’t get me wrong, it’s boring, but this is worse.)

Additionally, Alexa Plus, the company’s big voice assistant update, is now available. Also launch full-screen advertisements for its own services. The Echo Show has become a rotating billboard in my office.

Although currently the ad programming seems limited – they haven’t appeared on any other Show devices I own, and some Reddit users report that they don’t see them at all – it’s clear that they’re coming. I first heard about full-screen ads appearing in the wild several months ago from a reader who sent me photos of their Show 15 displaying one. Then, last month, the Alexa subreddit exploded with complaints about them. Many report pulling the plug on their shows, and some claim to have successfully received refunds from Amazon based on this.

At Amazon’s hardware event last month, I asked Panay how the ads fit into its mission to create products that customers love. He said that if it’s relevant, it’s not an ad, “it’s an add-on.” “There are times on the product where the ads aren’t always bad,” he told me, explaining that if the customer is looking for something specific and the ad gets them there faster, that can be a good thing. However, he admitted that some of the “randomness” of current advertising experiences is not much. “It’s about how you elegantly ensure that you elevate the information that a customer needs.”

In my experience with these ads, this is not an “add-on”. They are intrusive and annoying, showing me products that I don’t even care about, such as elderberry herbal supplements, Quest sports chips, and tabletop picture frames. (Well, the latter might be an option if I delete the show from my desktop.) And, unlike some of the previous ad experiences on the show, they can’t be turned off.

I asked Amazon if they could be turned off, and spokesperson Lauren Raemhild responded via email saying, “Advertising is a small part of the experience and it helps customers discover new content and products that might be of interest to them.” If customers don’t like a suggestion, they can swipe to move to the next screen card, or directly provide feedback by tapping the information icon or tapping the screen.

I tried this, selected “irrelevant ad” from the list of suggested comments and received a message that the ad had been “suspended”. But that didn’t stop another ad from popping up. Echo Show users have tried all kinds of workarounds, from switching to Canadian English (the ads aren’t in Canada yet) to enabling Kids Mode. But ultimately, if you have to hamper a device to make it usable, why use it?

I think the smart home has a lot of potential, but the current landscape looks more and more like a set of compromises. Amazon has a very good voice assistant, but can’t stop trying to sell you products. Google sometimes reminds itself that it has a smart home division, but my confidence in its sustainability is slim. Apple Home is the best experience, but it’s expensive, locked, and, well, Siri. Yes, there are other solutions available – Home Assistant, SmartThings – but those require more work than most people are willing to put in, and their voice control options are limited compared to the competition.

With Alexa Plus and the long-promised ambient smart home finally within reach, it’s time for Amazon to focus on providing real value and stop trying to sell to us.