The integration of Spotify and Alexa is a perfect combination. You can listen to your favorite music, podcasts and playlists without lifting a finger. If there is any configuration to make everything work.
That said, linking the two apps is simple. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process every step of the way. Plus, there are some additional tips at the end to get the most out of the integration.
Before you start
To sync Spotify and Alexa, you need a premium account on Spotify. More importantly, you need an Alexa-enabled speaker that supports streaming from this music app.
Amazon Echo owners need not worry, as each model allows Spotify streaming. The same goes for other speakers like the Sonos One, but this is not a general rule. It is best to double check before continuing.
Important note: This article assumes you’ve already set up your smart speaker and logged into Spotify and the Alexa app.
Link Alexa and your Spotify account
The first thing we need to do is set Spotify as the default music player for Alexa. Here are the necessary steps.
- Start the Alexa application and press the hamburger icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Tap Settings at the bottom of the slide-out menu.
- Once inside the Settings menu, choose Music and podcasts under the Alexa Preferences tab.
- At the top of the Music menu, there is a New Service Link option. Tap it and choose the Spotify thumbnail in the next window.
- Then, log in to your Spotify account through Facebook or your email. Now press OK on the next window to continue.
- When you sign in, a permission screen appears asking you to allow Alexa to access Spotify. Select Allowand a window appears informing you that you have successfully connected the accounts.
- Now, press the x icon in the upper right corner of the screen to exit this menu.
- Access Music tab in the Alexa app again; Spotify appears under your account name in Account Settings.
- Then touch the Default services button and choose Spotify in “Default music library”. A blue check mark shows that you have correctly selected the application.
- When you’re done, select Madeand you are ready to start.
Note on Spotify Alexa Skill
You can download and enable the Spotify Skill to use on your smart speakers. The installation and configuration process is quite similar to that described above. You should be able to do it without any particular guidance.
However, the Spotify skill may be buggy and not respond to your requests. A quick way to fix this is to restart or reset the device after enabling the skill.
If the skill is still not responding, you may need to update Alexa or use your smartphone as described above.
How to Play a Spotify Playlist on Alexa
After connecting the apps and finishing setup, Alexa will play Spotify music by default.
To play a specific playlist, say: “Alexa, play [the playlist name].” You should note that it is not necessary to add “my” or say something like: “Alexa, play my [the playlist name.].” That could confuse the app and Alexa would respond that it can’t do it.
Of course, you can also choose which playlist you want to play directly from the Alexa app. This will bypass the voice command, but is the perfect option if you don’t know what playlist you want to listen to or how you put it. To activate a playlist using the app, do this:
- Open the Alexa app and tap Play.
- Scroll through the Spotify Playlists p and tap the one you want to listen to.
- Choose the Alexa device that will play your Spotify playlist.
Your music will automatically start playing on the device you select. If you want to play from a source other than Spotify, simply say “Alexa, play [Name of Playlist] on Pandora.’ Or select the playlist directly from the app like we did above.
The best thing about playing music with Alexa is that you can also lower or raise the volume using voice commands, skip tracks, or ask Alexa to repeat a song. Additionally, you can get information about a particular song in the playlist.
Alexa doesn’t play my playlist
It can be quite frustrating when Alexa doesn’t cooperate. It’s normal for Alexa to play a random sound from time to time because she didn’t hear you correctly, but it’s completely different if she doesn’t play any of your songs. There are some simple solutions if Alexa doesn’t cooperate with your music requests.
Of course, the first thing you should do is try to restart Alexa. But, if it still doesn’t work, make sure Spotify is set as your default music player. To do this, tap the three horizontal lines in the lower right corner. Then tap Settings and scroll down to Music and podcasts. Select Default and enable Spotify. This should fix your problem if it is a connection issue.
If Alexa is still having trouble understanding you, it may be time to update the name of your playlists. If you’re telling Alexa to play your “heavy metal playlist,” it might come back with some random sounds. But, if you change the name of the playlist, it will likely respond with the music you want.
To do this, open Spotify and tap the three vertical points in the top right corner after tapping the playlist you’re editing. Tap the playlist name and type a new one. Then click Save.
Lastly, some users have reported that Alexa will not activate their playlist if shuffle is on. Head to the playlist and turn off the shuffle feature at the top. Assuming you’re logged into the correct account, these methods should fix your music problems.
Additional Tips
Connecting Alexa to Spotify offers much more than just playing a particular playlist or song. Here are some commands and tricks that you may find useful.
1. Create an Alexa routine for a Spotify playlist
You probably have a favorite playlist that you listen to frequently. You can create a routine that activates that playlist. Here is the route to do it:
Alexa app > Hamburger icon > Routines > Plus icon > When this happens > Add action > Save
With this you can say: “Alexa, playlist” and the favorite will start automatically. Of course, you can always go back to the routines p and edit your preferences. And there’s an option to set routines for different playlists, though you’ll want to make sure you name them appropriately.
2. Play Spotify Daily Mix and Discover Weekly
Since Spotify is already your default player, listening to Daily Mix or Discover Weekly is a no-brainer. You should say: “Alexa, play Daily Mix” and playback will start in an instant.
And if you like one of the songs you hear, command: “Alexa, I like this song.”
Frequent questions
We’ve included this p to answer more of your most frequently asked questions about Alexa and Spotify.
How to pause or skip a song?
Alexa is quite helpful when it comes to following commands. If you want to pause your song and resume it later, simply say “Alexa, pause the song.” When you’re ready to listen again, simply say “Alexa, resume song.” She’s pretty good at moving on.
If you want to listen to a different song within your playlist, simply say “Alexa, skip this song.”
Can I listen to Spotify on my Alexa without syncing accounts?
Absolutely! You don’t need to link accounts to listen to Spotify, but if you don’t you won’t have the full functionality of Alexa commands either. All you need to do is connect your device to Alexa via Bluetooth.
Once paired, open Spotify and start playing your music as you would with any other speaker. If you need to change the playlist or pause a phone, you will need to do it from your phone.
Alexa, finish this article
Finally, there should also be an option to add a specific song to a playlist. However, we have not tested it. Don’t hesitate to try it and tell us if it works.
What kind of playlists do you have on your Spotify? Do you use any other music apps? Share your preferences with the rest of the TJ community in the comments p below.
