I have used Alexa+ for months and absolutely love how it keeps my chaotic family of five organized, scheduled and entertained. But as an AI editor eager to test the limits of AI, I did something a little nerdy: I added Google Gemini to Alexa+.
Let me be clear, this is not some kind of illegal jailbreak or backend tech hack. Honestly, I wouldn’t change what Amazon has done with its updated assistant, not just because it’s impossible to do, but because I genuinely appreciate the assistant.
But by creating a custom Alexa skill that quietly hands certain questions off to Gemini instead, Alexa is even more informative, almost like a second personality. And it turns out, this is one of the easiest ways to get way more out of Alexa+ right now.
You can’t swap Alexa+ — but you can extend it
There’s no official way to completely swap Alexa+’s underlying AI with Gemini, ChatGPT or anything else. Amazon controls the core assistant — and honestly, that’s fine. Alexa+ supports home automation in numerous ways and is good at:
- smart home control
- reminders and routines
- quick answers
- family logistics
But Alexa has always been modular. And that’s where custom skills come in. With a custom skill, Alexa can:
- send a request to your own backend
- process it however you want
- speak the response like it’s native
In my setup, Alexa hands certain questions to Gemini, then reads Gemini’s response aloud. With this custom skill or hack, the only difference is the invocation:
“Alexa, open Gemini Helper.”
From that point on, Alexa becomes Gemini-powered — at least for that conversation.
Why Gemini works so well inside Alexa
I’ve tested nearly every major chatbot, and Gemini is particularly well suited for voice-based use:
- Stronger reasoning for open-ended questions
- Better follow-ups, which matter when you’re talking
- More flexible tone, especially for creative or exploratory prompts
Now, when I ask Alexa+ for a fact, it’s fast and reliable. Having Gemini-powered Alexa is also great for brainstorming help — from meals to story ideas, deeper explanations (for the kids' homework or my own research), comparisons or “talk this through with me” answers.
Gemini consistently gives better results. Sure, I could use Gemini Live on my phone, but with Alexa+ right there on my countertop, it just makes sense. Once the skill is live, Alexa becomes a very different kind of assistant. It’s a level of flexibility Alexa simply doesn’t offer natively — at least not yet.
How to add Gemini to Alexa+
You don’t need special access, insider permissions or developer experience. I'm a pop science nerd, not a developer, so if I can do it, you can do it. All you need is an Amazon Account and a Google account along with a device that runs Alexa+ (Echo and Echo Dot models from 2nd generation onward).
Step 1: Get a Gemini API key
You’ll need access to Gemini’s API, which Google provides through Google AI Studio. Sign in with your Google account. Create an API Key, Make sure Gemini is enabled (e.g., gemini-pro) is enabled. This key lets your Alexa skill send questions to Gemini.
Step 2. Create a Custom Alexa Skill
You do this through the Alexa Developer Console. Simply choose: "Custom Skill" and Alexa-hosted. Choose Node.js or Python as the backend. This creates a skill that runs in Amazon’s cloud but can call outside services like Gemini.
Step 3. Set an invocation name
This is what you say to Alexa to activate the skill. In my case, I say, "Alexa, open Gemini Helper." It's important to note that Amazon’s naming rules apply (no trademarked terms, must sound natural).
Step 4. Add one intent using AMAZON.SearchQuery
Now, instead of defining dozens of intents, you can use Amazon’s free-form query intent, which captures anything the user says after opening the skill. This lets Alexa pass the full spoken question to Gemini without heavy intent design.
Step 5. Route the question to Gemini’s "generateContent" API
This screen is misleading, but stay with me. Scroll down to "General," click the arrow and scroll until you see
Select it. Important: do not pick: local search, books, music, weather etc. Those are domain-specific and will break the Gemini handoff.
From there, click enter and return the response as Alexa speech. You'll know it's working when it works in the Alexa Test Console. If it works in the Alexa Test Console, it will work on your Echo devices automatically.
Bottom line
This looks like a lot of steps, but in practice it’s straightforward. This cusom skill gives Alexa+ a Gemini boost while keeping Alexa+ fast and practical. With this hack, Gemini steps in when you want depth, context or real reasoning — and that balance is what makes this setup worth it.
Custom skills are there to tailor Alexa+ to you and your needs, and the result is an assistant that thinks and reasons before it speaks. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments.
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