Alexa reads an announcement before my Alexa Skill starts
There is no setting, phrase or update that removes this announcement today. It is added by Amazon on Alexa+ itself, before your Alexa Skill starts, and the Alexa Skill's developer cannot switch it off. Amazon said on February 12, 2026 that a solution exists and is being evaluated.
Sound familiar?
- You say “Alexa, open Sleep Sounds”. Before your sounds begin, Alexa announces: “Here's Sleep Sounds. Say Alexa, exit, to get back to Alexa+.” The room was dark and someone was already half asleep.
- You say “Alexa, ask Big Sky for the weather”. The announcement plays, the forecast is read, and the Alexa Skill ends by itself. There was never anything to exit from.
What to try now
There is nothing you can say or change in settings to remove this announcement, and the Alexa Skill's developer cannot remove it either: Alexa+ adds it before the Alexa Skill starts, so it plays regardless of what is inside. The one thing worth knowing is that your Alexa Skill has not changed. The announcement is the platform's, and everything after it works the way it always did. If it bothers you, saying “Alexa, feedback” right after a launch sends that directly to Amazon.
One side note for completeness: the announcement does not exist on the previous Alexa, so rolling back from Alexa+ is the only thing that reliably removes it today. That is a statement of fact rather than a suggestion. It means giving up everything else Alexa+ added, and the announcement is Amazon's to remove.
Why is this happening?
Every Alexa Skill launch in Alexa+ is preceded by the same platform announcement, however often you have used that Alexa Skill. It plays even when an Alexa Skill answers once and closes by itself, where the exit instruction describes a step that never needs to happen.
Amazon acknowledged this on February 12, 2026 and described a solution as already existing and under evaluation. As of September 5, 2026 the announcement still plays on every launch.
When will it be fixed?
No timeframe has been shared as of September 8, 2026. Progress on this issue is tracked publicly in the community issue tracker.