Spotify is one of the greatest ways to experience your favorite music, both at home and on the go, across a wide array of devices. From building and sharing custom playlists to social listening through services like Spotify Group Sessions, there’s no shortage of ways to experience the world’s most popular music streaming service. What could possibly be better? How about the ability to link Spotify with your home’s Alexa speakers for even greater convenience?
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In this guide, we’ll teach you how to link your Spotify subscription with Alexa so you can start experiencing the next wave of controls. If you own an Alexa-enabled device, like an Echo, Echo Dot, or one of the many third-party smart speakers that work with Alexa, you’re halfway there.
Three steps to getting connected
Before we start, there’s one very important thing you need to do: Make sure you’ve got a Premium Spotify subscription — the free, ad-supported tier won’t work with Alexa.
Step 1: Download the Alexa app
If you haven’t already done so, download the Alexa app for iOS or Android. Sign in with your Amazon account and, if needed, go through the quick setup wizard to get your Alexa-enabled device recognized by the app.
Step 2: Add your account
When viewing the home screen of the Alexa app, tap More in the bottom right corner, followed by Settings. Then scroll down and tap Music & Podcasts.
On the next screen, the app will show you a list of services that are already configured — Amazon Music is almost certainly there — as well as the option to add new services using the + button. Tap the plus sign, select Spotify, and enter your account credentials. Then agree to give Alexa certain access permissions to your account.
Once completed, you’ll get a confirmation message, and you can close the window using the X at the top.
Step 3: Set your default music provider
Adding your Spotify account gives Alexa access to your music, but in order to control Spotify without having to constantly remind Alexa to use it by adding “on Spotify” to every command, you need to set Spotify as your default program for streaming music.
On the Music & Podcasts screen, tap Default Services under Settings. By default, your Alexa app is likely set to Amazon Music. Tap Change on the right side of the page, then select Spotify from the list of available services. That’s all there is to it.
What can you ask for?
Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to ask Alexa to play some music on Spotify for you. Here are a few examples of what you can ask for, from Amazon’s complete list of Alexa music voice commands:
- “Alexa, shuffle” or “stop shuffle.”
- “Alexa, stop” or “pause.”
- “Alexa, play” or “resume.”
- “Alexa, play some music.”
- “Alexa, play what’s hot in Brazil.”
- “Alexa, play songs similar to the ’60s.”
- “Alexa, play [song/album/artist].”
- “Alexa, play [emotion] music.”
- “Alexa, play [station name].”
- “Alexa, play [a playlist’s name].”
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