How to Text Alexa for Shopping: Who Can Use It, How to Sign Up and How to Spot Scams

Amazon now lets some U.S. shoppers text Alexa for Shopping like a contact in their phone. Since November 6, 2026, an invite-only group can send a message to a thread called “Alexa Shopping” to find products, build a cart, reorder, track packages and set price alerts. Everyone else can join a waitlist at amazon.com/text-alexa-shopping, and Amazon says the option will reach “millions more customers in the coming weeks.” Below is who can use it, how to sign up step by step, what it can do, and how to tell a real Alexa Shopping text from a scam.

What is texting Alexa for Shopping?

Alexa for Shopping is Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, already built into the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon.com and Alexa devices. The new part is that you can now reach it through your phone’s normal messaging app. In its announcement on November 6, Amazon said the assistant “doesn’t just answer questions” but takes action for you: it searches, compares options, texts back suggestions, and can add items to your cart and complete the purchase once you approve.

Amazon says more than 400 million customers have used Alexa for Shopping in the last 12 months, and that the number using its “agentic” features, the ones that act on your behalf, has grown more than eight times since the start of 2026. Texting is meant to make that assistant as easy to reach as a friend in your group chat.

Who can text Alexa for Shopping right now?

Very few people, for now. According to Amazon’s sign-up page, you need all of the following:

• An invitation. Texting is invite-only at launch. Amazon is texting invitations to a subset of U.S. customers first.
• A U.S. account. The feature is only available in the United States.
• A personal Amazon account with a verified mobile number. Business accounts aren’t mentioned as eligible.
• RCS chats turned on. Amazon says most Android phones using Google Messages and iPhones on iOS 18 or later support RCS, as long as the carrier does too. Google Fi on iPhone “isn’t supported yet.”

How to sign up for Alexa Shopping texts, step by step

1. Turn on RCS. On an iPhone running iOS 18 or later, check that RCS messaging is enabled in your Messages settings. On Android, open Google Messages and check that RCS chats are on. 9to5Amazon’s walkthrough lists the exact menus for each phone.
2. Verify your mobile number on Amazon. Your account needs a confirmed phone number in its login and security settings.
3. Visit the sign-up page. Go to amazon.com/text-alexa-shopping and sign in.
4. Accept the terms if you’re eligible. Amazon says invited customers “simply accept the terms, link your phone number, and start shopping.” If you aren’t eligible yet, sign up to be notified when more invites go out.
5. Look for the “Alexa Shopping” contact. Once you’re in, the thread appears in your phone under that name, and you can start texting.

A sensible first test is something low-risk, like asking where your latest order is, before you let the assistant reorder or buy anything.

What can you do by text?

Amazon’s examples cover most everyday shopping chores:

• Hand off a to-do list. Text “I’m out of dog food, need a birthday gift for my sister, and we’re low on paper towels,” and it works on all three.
• Groceries. Set up a weekly grocery order, text a photo of a recipe to add the ingredients to your cart, or add an item to your last order.
• Reorders. Ask it to reorder the detergent you bought last month, and it buys it with your approval.
• Photo search. Send a picture of something you spotted and it finds similar products on Amazon.
• Price tracking and history. Ask it to tell you when AirPods go on sale, or check up to a full year of price history on an item.
• Order updates. Ask “where’s my package?” without opening the app.
• Other stores. Through Amazon’s Shop Direct feature, it can surface products from other retailers’ sites.

Conversations carry over: Amazon says a request started by text can be picked up in the Amazon Shopping app, on Amazon.com or on an Alexa device, and vice versa. Over time, the same thread will also hold your order updates, delivery notifications and deals.

The price-tracking side could be handy ahead of the holiday rush. If you’re planning around the big sale weekend, our guide to Black Friday 2026 sale dates at Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Amazon shows when each retailer’s deals start.

Auto-buy and ads in the thread

Two details are worth knowing before you hand over the keys. First, you can tell the assistant to “add items to my cart automatically,” and Amazon also offers auto-buy, which completes a purchase when an item hits your target price. That is convenient, but it means purchases can happen without a final tap from you, so set price limits carefully.

Second, Digiday reports that Sponsored Products ads are set to appear inside these text conversations, free to advertisers for the time being, while purchases the agent completes on its own stay ad-free. In other words, some of the suggestions you see may be paid placements, just as they are in Amazon search results.

How to tell a real Alexa Shopping text from a scam

Any brand-new “text from Amazon” is an open door for scammers, so expect fake versions to circulate. Based on how Amazon describes the real thing, here’s how to stay safe:

• You start it, not a stranger. The real thread begins after you opt in on Amazon’s site or accept an invitation and Amazon’s terms. Be wary of an unexpected message saying you’ve “won” access or must “verify” right away.
• Check the name and the format. The genuine contact shows up as “Alexa Shopping” in an RCS chat. A plain text from a random number with a shortened link is a red flag.
• Never share a password or one-time code in any text thread. Amazon’s description of the feature doesn’t involve asking for either.
• Verify in the app. If you’re unsure, don’t tap anything. Open the Amazon app yourself and check Your Orders and your messages there.

If you ever notice orders you didn’t place or your account behaves strangely, our explainer on what to do if Amazon cancels your orders or closes your account walks through the steps to contact Amazon and protect your money.

How it compares with other text-to-shop services

Amazon isn’t the first retailer to sell by text. Retail Dive notes that Walmart launched a Text to Shop feature back in 2022. The difference is that Amazon’s version runs on its AI agent, which remembers your preferences, such as “only show me organic options,” and can search, compare and check out for you. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said on an October earnings call that the company believes “Alexa for Shopping is going to be the primary shopping agent customers use to shop Amazon.”

Grocery delivery is becoming a crowded space for these tools. If you also use other services, here’s what changes for DashPass, Instacart+ and your grocery orders after DoorDash’s Instacart deal.

FAQ

Is there a phone number to text Alexa for Shopping?

Amazon hasn’t published one. Instead, you sign up at amazon.com/text-alexa-shopping, and once you’re accepted the contact appears in your phone as “Alexa Shopping.”

Does it cost anything?

Amazon hasn’t announced a separate fee for texting the assistant. You pay for whatever you buy, as you would in the app.

Does it work outside the U.S.?

Not yet. Amazon’s sign-up page says texting is only available in the U.S. for now.

Can I stop it from buying things on its own?

Purchases need your approval unless you turn on settings like automatic cart adds or auto-buy at a target price. If you don’t want hands-off buying, don’t enable those.

When will everyone get access?

Amazon hasn’t given a date. It says the option will roll out to “millions more customers in the coming weeks,” and people on the waitlist will be among the first to hear when more invites go out.

Featured image: “Woman using an iPhone” by Kristin Hardwick, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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