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Amazon PhotosPlus Discontinuation: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 16:13, 18 January 2025
Amazon PhotosPlus was a subscription-based service that offered users the ability to display their chosen photos on their devices as the "primary content". Additionally, it provided 25GB of Amazon Photos storage, and cost $2 per month. Announced[1] in October 2023, Amazon sent an email informing its users that they were discontinuing[2] the service, cancelling it on September 12, 2024. This event, when discussed, has been described as having features which match the definition of a retroactively amended purchase[3].
Product History
The Amazon Echo Show 8 was a Digital Frame, launched at $149.99. For $10 more, you could get the Amazon Echo Show 8 Photos Edition, which included 6 months of PhotosPlus and the ability to display your photos as the "primary" content. Amazon spokesperson Courtney Ramirez[3] confirmed that "Occasionally, Alexa will provide content suggestions based on a customer's interest. However, photos will remain the primary content."
Features
The Photos Edition with PhotosPlus subscription offered several specific features that made it stand out:
- Photos would rotate every 30 seconds indefinitely
- Photos remained primary content without switching to advertisements
- 25GB of Amazon Photos storage included w/ subscription
- Ability to remotely add new photos to the device
Discontinuation
In March 2024, Amazon discontinued the sale of the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition hardware[4]. Five months later, in August 2024, Amazon announced the end of the PhotosPlus subscription service. After they cancelled PhotosPlus Service, the Amazon Echo Show 8 Photos Edition became functionally identical[5] to the standard Amazon Echo Show 8, with users forced to view advertisements and promotional content after three hours of photo display.
Impact
Customer Response
The discontinuation caused substantial customer backlash[6], particularly because:
- Customers paid a premium ($10) for hardware that would lose its primary distinguishing feature of avoiding ads
- The product lifecycle was less than one year
- No refunds or compensation were offered for the hardware premium
- No alternative was provided for viewers wanting to avoid ads on their photo display
Workarounds
After discontinuation, Amazon suggested two alternatives for photo display, neither of which replicated the original functionality:
- Using the standard photo frame feature by saying "Alexa, start Photo Frame"
- Accessing photos through Settings > Clock & Photo Display
While users kept access to their 25GB of Amazon Photos storage, the devices defaulted to showing ads & promotions after three hours of photo display, which removed the primary reason customers chose the Photos Edition variant.
References
- ↑ What is Amazon PhotosPlus
- ↑ Email sent to all PhotosPlus users informing them of the cancellation of the service
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Amazon Echo Show 8
- ↑ The Verge: Amazon cancels the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition's main feature
- ↑ Effects of cancellation of the PhotosPlus Service on Amazon Echo Show 8 Photos Edition customers
- ↑ Reddit discussion of PhotosPlus discontinuation
