Free Amazon Echo Dot: Apparent Promo Gives Away Alexa Devices

[UPDATE: The apparent promo ended around 4 p.m. EDT]

Amazon's Echo Dot was made available for free through Amazon.com thanks to an apparent promotional price offering a $49.99 discount on the popular miniature speaker powered by voice-controlled assistant Alexa. The apparent promo appeared to shut down around 4 p.m. EDT, with some users showing notifications that the product was no longer available.

There is no listing of the promotion, which is applied at checkout and is listed as an "Audible Promo," presumably in reference to Amazon's audiobook service Audible. It is unclear if the deal or apparently giveaway was intended solely for Amazon Prime customers, but customers without Prime were also able to order the product for free as of Friday afternoon.

When the device is added to a user's cart, it is listed at it's retail price of $49.99. Once they go to checkout, the promo is applied and the price drops to $0. For Amazon Prime members, there are no shipping costs associated with the purchase, making it an entirely free promotion.

The deal appears to apply to the second generation of the Echo Dot, introduced by Amazon in October 2016. The deal has worked for both the black and white models of the device, and some users have been able to order multiple Echo Dots for free.

It is unclear if the offer from Amazon is intentional—a promotion that just hasn't been publicized or wasn't supposed to go live yet—or if it is a mistake or glitch that allows people to purchase the device at no cost. If it's the latter, Amazon may hold off on shipping and ask those who ordered the device to pony up the cost.

Some users have already reported no longer being able to order the device, receiving a message from Amazon that says the device is no longer available. It is unclear if the promotion will continue or if Amazon has already caught on and shut it down.

Amazon did not immediately respond to request for comment.