Alexa+ can now answer your door and shoo away salespeople

Amazon just turned its video doorbells into front-porch receptionists.

Amazon launched Alexa+ Greetings, a new feature for Ring doorbells that uses conversational AI to screen visitors, handle package deliveries, and turn away unwanted salespeople without you having to touch your phone.

Visual context meets conversational AI

Instead of just pinging your phone when motion is detected, the system combines Ring Video Descriptions with Alexa's conversational model. The camera evaluates what visitors are wearing, what they are holding, and what they are doing to determine their purpose.

If the camera spots a person in a logistics uniform carrying a box, it recognizes them as a courier. If someone walks up empty-handed with a clipboard, it treats them as a sales rep or casual visitor. Alexa then uses that visual context, paired with your instructions, to carry on a live back-and-forth conversation.

You configure the feature using natural voice commands across Alexa devices or the app. You can tell Alexa, "If I get any deliveries during the weekend, tell them to leave it by the back door," or direct delivery drivers to drinks left out on the porch.

It also handles situational questions. If a driver notes that a signature is required, Alexa can ask when they might return and relay the note to your app. For unsolicited solicitors, an instruction like "politely let them know we are not interested" lets the doorbell handle the brush-off while you stay focused on work.

Premium requirements and awkward edge cases

The concierge service comes with significant restrictions. Alexa+ Greetings is currently rolling out exclusively in English to Alexa+ Early Access customers in the U.S. and Canada.

Hardware support is limited to two specific wired models: the Ring Wired Doorbell Pro (3rd Gen) and Ring Wired Doorbell Plus (2nd Gen). On top of that, you must subscribe to a Ring Premium Plan and enable Video Descriptions. Due to state regulations, Illinois users face limitations on video search features.

There is also the inevitable awkwardness of computer vision errors. As TechCrunch pointed out, if a friend who works as a delivery driver stops by your house after work while still wearing their uniform, Alexa might mistake them for a courier and tell them to leave the package behind the gate instead of asking for a message.

Amazon notes that the system relies on situational scene descriptions rather than facial recognition to pick conversational responses, and that interactions are designed to avoid tipping off visitors about whether you are actually home.

Why it matters

For years, smart doorbells have mostly been digital peepholes that spam your phone with motion alerts. Alexa+ Greetings shifts the paradigm from passive monitoring to actual delegation. It turns the doorbell into a buffer that manages trivial real-world friction so you do not have to abandon a work meeting just to tell a delivery driver where to drop a box.

That said, we do not think most homeowners should rush out to upgrade hardware just for this feature today. The upfront hardware cost combined with an ongoing Ring Premium subscription makes it a pricey luxury, especially while visual AI still runs the risk of misidentifying friends in work clothes.

Strategically, this is classic Amazon ecosystem leverage. By locking the feature behind Alexa+, compatible wired Ring doorbells, and recurring service plans, Amazon is turning generative AI into an upsell engine for hardware and subscriptions. It raises the bar for smart home utility, putting immediate pressure on Google Nest to show whether its own cameras can actually hold a conversation.