Have you ever wished your Alexa smart speaker could access all the great content available on Spotify? With over 70 million tracks and 2.2 million podcasts, pairing Spotify with Alexa makes for an unbeatable audio combo in your home.
In this easy-to-follow guide, I‘ll show you how to connect your Spotify account to work with any Alexa-enabled device in just a few minutes. You‘ll unlock the full potential of your Alexa to enjoy endless music, podcasts, personalized playlists and more completely hands-free.
A Quick Intro to Spotify and Alexa
First, let‘s do a quick rundown of Spotify and Alexa.
Spotify has grown into the world‘s most popular audio streaming platform since launching back in 2008, with over 432 million monthly active users as of Q4 2021 according to their latest earnings report. They pioneered music streaming access on mobile and have expanded into original podcasts in recent years.
Alexa is the name for Amazon‘s cloud-based voice assistant technology that powers the popular Echo smart speakers. With Alexa built into devices from speakers to microwaves, it allows hands-free voice control using natural language.
Connecting these two services allows you to access Spotify‘s full music and podcast library seamlessly through Alexa voice commands.
Below I‘ll walk you through exactly how to link your Spotify membership with Alexa in just a few easy steps.
Step 1: Download the Spotify and Alexa Apps
First, make sure you have installed the official apps for both Spotify and Alexa from either the iOS App Store or Android Google Play Store:
You‘ll need to register accounts with both services if you haven‘t already. Spotify offers free and paid Premium memberships, while Alexa just requires a free Amazon account.
Step 2: Open the Alexa App and Navigate to Settings
On your mobile device, open up the Alexa app. Tap the More tab on the bottom right, then select Settings to enter the overall settings menu:
Next, scroll down and choose the Music & Podcasts option:
This section allows managing all media-related preferences.
Step 3: Select "Link New Service" and Choose Spotify
Under the Autoplay section in Music & Podcasts settings, you‘ll see the option to Link New Service. Go ahead and tap that:
You‘ll get a list of streaming services that Alexa supports. Scroll down until you locate Spotify and select it.
Alexa will open a new window prompting you to sign into to your Spotify account using your membership login credentials:
Enter your Spotify username and password here to link it up.
Step 4: Test Playing Music or Podcasts from Spotify
Once linked successfully, you can now ask Alexa to play music or podcasts directly from your Spotify account!
Try saying the magic words to your Echo:
"Alexa, play my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify"
Or for podcasts:
"Alexa, play the latest episode of The Daily on Spotify"
As long as your Echo speaker responds by streaming the requested media from Spotify, you‘ve properly connected the two services. Pretty simple right?
Step 5 (Optional): Make Spotify Your Default Music Service
If you plan on primarily using Spotify with Alexa, you may want to go one step farther and set it as your default music streaming service.
That way any general music request like "Alexa, play pop music" will automatically use Spotify rather than Amazon Music.
Here‘s how to do it:
- Return back to Music & Podcasts in the Alexa app settings
- Scroll down and select Choose Default Services at the very bottom
- Tap Music Provider then choose Spotify from the list
- Confirm by tapping Done at the top
Now Spotify will be used by default for music unless you specifically request Amazon Music. However, you‘ll still have to say "on Spotify" for any podcast or audiobook requests.
And that‘s all there is to it! In just a few minutes, you successfully connected your Spotify and Alexa for voice-controlled access to endless playlists, albums, and podcast episodes. Pretty slick!
Below I‘ll do a little deeper comparisons between Spotify and Amazon Music in case you‘re debating which streaming service works best with Alexa.
Spotify vs Amazon Music: Which Should You Use With Alexa?
Now that you‘ve connected Spotify with Alexa, you may be wondering how it stacks up against Amazon‘s own music service. Let‘s compare some of the key differences:
| Feature | Spotify | Amazon Music |
|---|---|---|
| Song Catalog Size | Over 82 million songs | 60 million |
| Podcast Selection | 2.2 million shows | 330k shows |
| Audio Quality | Up to 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis | Up to 850 kbps FLAC HD |
| Music Discovery | Excellent playlists and recommendation algorithms | Lacks discovery features |
| Platform Availability | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, smart speakers, smart TVs, gaming consoles, cars | Mainly Amazon platforms like Fire TV, Kindle, Alexa speakers |
| Price (Individual) | $9.99 per month | $14.99 per month |
As this table illustrates, Spotify maintains an advantage in several areas like music variety, platform support, discovery, and podcast content. Not to mention a cheaper Premium subscription cost.
However, Amazon Music‘s integration with Alexa devices is unmatched. And they offer a higher level of lossless HD audio quality for picky listeners with high-end speakers.
So both services have their pros and cons. Casual listeners who simply want background music may be perfectly happy with Amazon Music through their Alexa.
But hardcore music fans with diverse tastes and a passion for discovering new artists and podcasts will find Spotify‘s huge catalogs invaluable. And linking it with Alexa combines the best of both worlds for whole-home audio control.
Plus students can currently grab Spotify Premium for a crazy cheap $4.99 a month!
What About Other Music Streaming Services?
Beyond just Amazon Music and Spotify, Alexa also supports alternative music services like:
- Apple Music
- YouTube Music
- Pandora
- Tidal
- SiriusXM
- Deezer
- iHeartRadio
The flexibility to connect Alexa with multiple different streaming platforms is a major selling point. It means you can access virtually any internet-based music, radio station, podcast etc. completely hands-free.
For true audiophile fidelity, Tidal HiFi offers lossless CD-quality tracks for $19.99/month. iHeartRadio provides free access to thousands of digital broadcast radio stations.
However, we still think Spotify‘s blend of exclusive original podcast content and an industry-top music variety makes it the most compelling service to link to Alexa. Unlocking tens of millions of songs and podcasts through voice commands is incredibly powerful.
Now I‘d like to quickly highlight some of Spotify‘s best features that give it an edge over competitors.
Key Advantages of Spotify
Here‘s a quick list of some of Spotify‘s biggest differentiators beyond just their huge music catalog:
- Podcast Exclusivity Deals – Major gets like the Obamas and Joe Rogan
- 2.2 Million Podcasts – Far more than any other music streaming platforms
- Music Discovery – Industry-leading playlists and recommendation algorithms help you find new music
- Spotify Wrapped – A personalized year-end review of your favorite artists, songs, genres and podcasts
- Connect with Friends – See what your friends are listening to in real-time and share playlists
- Concert Alerts – Get notifications when favorite artists announce shows near you
Pairing the smart functionality of Alexa voice control with Spotify‘s best-in-class music and podcast catalogs makes for an unstoppable match!
I hope you found this guide helpful for connecting Spotify with your Alexa devices. Now you can enjoy endless music and podcasts easily throughout your whole home. Let me know if you have any other questions!
