Alexa's new high-pitched confirmation tone irritating for some users

Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, has undergone a subtle yet significant change that has not gone unnoticed by its users. The familiar, low-frequency confirmation chime accompanying successful Alexa commands has been replaced with a new, high-pitched tone. This seemingly minor alteration has sparked a wave of complaints and frustration among Alexa users, who find the new chime to be jarring, disruptive, and even sleep-disrupting.

Users have been vocal in their dissatisfaction across Reddit, social media platforms, and Amazon’s community forum. The new chime has been described as “shrill,” “piercing,” “godawful,” and even “like nails on a chalkboard.” Some users say the chime is so loud and startling that it wakes their children or frightens their pets.

One user on the Alexa subreddit lamented, “The new confirmation tone is awful, how do I change it back? It went from a soft muted ‘Wap Wap’ to an awful sharp ‘Ba Bing’.” Another user expressed concern for their child’s sleep, stating, “The new acknowledgment sound seems louder and stirs my 5-month-old.”

The issue isn’t limited to just a few disgruntled users. A quick search on Reddit, Amazon forums, and X reveals a growing chorus of complaints. Users have been sharing their experiences and frustrations, seeking solutions, and venting their exasperation at the unexpected change.

What’s particularly frustrating for users is the lack of an official solution or explanation from Amazon. Many have attempted to disable the chime in their Alexa settings but to no avail.  Even Amazon staff on forums seems unaware of the issue, offering generic troubleshooting tips or suggesting users contact support to escalate the problem.

The intermittent nature of the new chime has further added to the confusion. Some users report hearing it only for specific commands or at certain times of day. While it could be a bug that will likely be fixed soon, it could also be a deliberate attempt by Amazon to make Alexa more “conversational” or audible in noisy environments. One user even jokingly suggested that Amazon’s engineers might be secretly testing the limits of human tolerance for high-pitched sounds.

Whatever the reason behind the change, it’s clear that the new confirmation tone has not resonated well with Alexa users. Many are pleading with Amazon to bring back the old chime or at least provide an option to customize the sound. Some have even threatened to switch to competing smart home platforms if the issue isn’t addressed.

As the backlash continues to grow, Amazon has yet to officially acknowledge the problem or offer any solutions. But some users suggest changing language from US to UK English, although turning off Brief mode seems like the more popular workaround since this change is specific to this mode. From the reports, I can confirm this trick worked for more than three people, so you might want to try it. The downside is you’ll have to deal with the equally irritating “Okay” response.

Yes, it’s for Brief Mode: previously there was a subtle ‘da-dum’ acknowledgement. This changed yesterday to a loud much higher pitched ‘BA-BING’ which many users are finding intrusive.

The situation highlights the importance of user feedback and the potential impact of even the smallest design decisions, so be sure to share yours with the Alexa team regarding this acknowledgment tone change. If anything, what might have seemed like a minor tweak to Amazon’s engineers has turned into a major annoyance for a significant portion of its user base, and it’s obvious something needs to be done about it. Your voice will go a long way towards ensuring the new Alexa tone goes away soon.

Still, it remains to be seen how Amazon will respond to this chorus of discontent, but it’s clear that Alexa users are not happy with the new chime, and they’re making their voices heard.