As we see with artificial intelligence, when a new technology becomes the subject of excitement, companies are willing to do anything to incorporate it into their products. However, trends fade and corporate priorities change, leading to gadgets that ultimately fail to satisfy and create buyer's remorse.
This has happened to some who bought Oral-B toothbrushes with Amazon Alexa. Oral-B released the Guide in August 2020, priced at $230, but restricted the ability to install or reconfigure Alexa on this product last February. As of this writing, the Guide is still available through a third-party seller on Amazon.
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The Guide toothbrush charging base had the ability to connect to the Internet and act as an Alexa speaker, allowing users to communicate with Alexa. Owners could ask it to play music, listen to the news, check the weather, manage smart home devices and even order more brush heads by saying, “Alexa, order Oral-B brush head replacements,” according to Procter & Gamble’s 2020 announcement.
Oral-B has discontinued support for the Alexa app
On February 15, Oral-B limited users’ ability to set up Alexa, discontinuing the Oral-B Connect app required for the process. Owners of the devices can still use the Oral-B app for other functions. However, the ability to use the charging base as an Alexa smart speaker – a major benefit touted when the product was announced – is now limited.
The device will continue to work with Alexa as long as users have set it up before closing Oral-B Connect. However, setting up a new Wi-Fi or restoring a lost connection is not possible without Oral-B Connect.
This is a problem for Patrick Hubley, who discovered that his Oral-B lost connection when his base accidentally disconnected from Wi-Fi and tried to use Connect to fix it. He told Ars Technica that whenever he tries to use the Alexa wake word, the speaker says, “I’m having trouble connecting to the Internet. For assistance, please open your device’s companion app.”
Hubley tried but failed to get a refund or brush replacement through Oral-B's support channels. He says he will not purchase Oral-B or Alexa products again.
The link no longer works on devices where it’s already installed. Some users have also reported to Amazon that they can no longer set up the Guide to use Alexa. However, at the time of this writing, the Guide is still available on Amazon. The box images show “Alexa built-in,” while the product title says “Alexa Built-In” and “Amazon Dash Replenishment Enabled.” Although the listing comes from a third-party seller, since Oral-B released the Guide exclusively through Amazon, shoppers might not have realized that the Alexa setup was no longer available.
Oral-B's answer
See also: Alexa: Will there be charges for upgrades?
Oral-B discontinued Guide about two years ago and now offers only one mobile app, Oral-B. For a toothbrush brand, an app seems like the most logical choice. However, it's unclear why Alexa's capabilities weren't integrated into the existing Oral-B app.
Recently, Spotify, the popular streaming , announced that it will be discontinuing its unique hardware in December. Spotify’s Car Thing, which was released to the general public in February 2022, originally cost $90. Even companies that specialize solely in smart home products can experience sharp declines. If a company suffers from poor communication skills, customers can be left in the dark.
Amazon declined to comment on whether it would partner with Oral-B on future devices or whether it would reduce Alexa support on other third-party devices. I’m particularly curious about the latter, since Alexa has come at a significant cost. Amazon is expected to release an AI-powered version of Alexa this year that will require a subscription. The company will likely try to steer users toward this AI assistant, which could generate more revenue than, say, ordering replacement heads for Oral-B toothbrushes. Amazon has already begun to discourage the development of traditional Alexa skills.
Meanwhile, Oral-B is promoting its latest toothbrush, taking advantage of the latest trend in artificial intelligence (AI). While no specific details were provided, Oral-B claims that its new $400 toothbrush features “AI Position Detection” that tracks where you’re brushing on all three surfaces of your teeth. Like many, I’m wary of actually incorporating AI into a toothbrush. Furthermore, P&G declined to comment to the Washington Post on what exactly makes the toothbrush “AI.”
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A P&G spokesperson declined to answer Ars' question about concerns that Oral-B might not support the toothbrush's expensive features in the long term.
Source: arstechnica
