Why Would My Alexa Not Play Spotify

Published on 28.05.2024 by TF

Connecting an Alexa app with Spotify lets you easily use voice commands to play your podcasts and playlists. However, even when you do that, you will sometimes encounter a frustrating situation when your Alexa won’t play on Spotify. 

While the Amazon Alexa app is designed to integrate seamlessly with the music streaming app, technical difficulties can sometimes disrupt the smooth playing of a song. This article will guide you through connecting Alexa to Spotify and solving some common technical issues. By combining the two, you can use Spotify to take your music career to the next level.

What is Amazon Alexa?

Alexa is an Amazon product that enables users to use voice commands to ask questions and play songs, podcasts, and playlists on Amazon Echo devices. You can use Alexa on various devices, including computers, headphones, and speakers. It can also be used on different smartphone devices in your office and home, enabling users to interact with their devices remotely.

Today, Alexa is among the most widely used assistants, with over 100 million users worldwide. You can connect the device to the internet with an Amazon account and an Alexa device. After connecting and configuring the device, it will wait for the wake word, allowing it to enter listening mode.

The Amazon Echo device allows users to select words from different options such as Computer, Echo, Amazon, or Ziggy. After the virtual assistant has entered the listening mode, the user should provide another natural language: a command or a question.

After providing the command or a question, Alexa processes the command using the Natural Programming Language. It transmits the audio to Alexa Voice Service, a Natural Voice  Understanding, and Automatic Speech Recognition to understand the user's request and convert the audio into text. It will then answer their questions or provide the requested  action or content. If it cannot answer the question, it will respond, “I’m sorry, I can't do that.”

Examples of Amazon Alexa Commands

Alexa can respond to different voice commands, update users on weather conditions, stream music on Spotify, Open YouTube, and more. The number of commands it supports depends on the device you use at home or work.

While there are so many, we have shared a few examples of Alexa commands that can be made. These are:

  • Alexa, what is today?
  • Alexa, set the alarm for 6 p.m.
  • Alexa, how is the weather outside?
  • Alexa, stream a Kanye West playlist.
  • Alexa, make a Spotify playlist.
  • Alexa, lock my door.
  • Alexa, dim my lights by 30%.
  • Alexa, open the Spotify app.
  • Alexa, order cat food on Amazon.
  • Alexa, play a motivational podcast on Spotify.
  • Alexa, change my Spotify username.
  • Alexa, request an Uber.
  • Alexa, turn off my TV.

When you combine Alexa with Spotify's AI music curation tool, you will enjoy an unmatched streaming experience.

How to Connect Alexa with Spotify

You can turn Spotify into your default music player in the Alexa app by connecting Alexa with Spotify. However, you will need an Amazon-enabled speaker, an Alexa account, and a Spotify account to do that. While this will work on free and paid Spotify accounts, you will only get an ads-free experience if you listen to Spotify Premium. The free version will also prevent you from listening to an on-demand song.

Besides the above, you need to have a gadget that is Alexa-enabled, such as:

  • Amazon Fire TV Cube
  • Amazon Echo
  • Amazon Tap
  • Amazon Echo Spot
  • Amazon Echo Show
  • Amazon Echo Dot
  • Sonos Player

With one of the above gadgets, you can follow these steps in connecting Alexa to Spotify:

  1. On your Android/IOS device, open Amazon Alexa. At the bottom right corner, tap More.
  2. From the menu, choose Settings.
  3. Scroll down until you get to Music and Podcasts. Tap on Alexa Preferences.
  4. Tap on Services, followed by Link New Service.
  5. Select Spotify.
  6. Tap on Enable to Use.
  7. You will now be taken to accounts.spotify.com. Use your account to log in and tap Agree.

With the above steps, you have linked Spotify to Alexa. You can now play podcasts, playlists, or music. Similarly, you can follow the same steps to disable the service. You should then tap Disable Skill.

You can also make Spotify to be your default music app. You can open the Alexa app and click More Settings to do that. Tap on Music & Podcasts, followed by Your Default Services. You can tap on your default music service, Amazon Music, followed by Spotify.

If you have multiple Spotify accounts, you can connect them all to Alexa. However, you should log into the different accounts under the Amazon household to do that. After that, each person can then play using their individual accounts. However, to do that, you should command Alexa to switch profiles to access the Spotify Library.

Why Won't My Alexa Play Spotify?

If your Alexa is not playing despite connecting it to Spotify, this could be due to several reasons.

Unstable Internet Connection

An unstable internet connection is a key factor affecting Spotify’s playback on Alexa. Smooth streaming requires a reliable and uninterrupted Wi-Fi connection. If the connection fluctuates, this could lead to a sudden interruption and song drops. Therefore, you should ensure a stable internet connection for uninterrupted playback.

Out-of-date App

Sometimes, the main cause of incompatibility between Alexa and Spotify is a software issue or a change in the application programming interface used for communication. Such updates can disrupt the smooth playbacks.

To solve this issue, you should find out if both Alexa and Spotify have software updates. Usually, checking for software updates can help mitigate the compatibility issue between the two apps.

Check Your Spotify Settings

If your Spotify account settings aren't working well, this may also result in Spotify playback usage. Here are some common Spotify problems you need to check out.

  • Account status. You should check if your account is active and in good standing.
  • Login details. Are you using the correct login details?
  • Song restrictions. Some songs may be restricted from playing on Spotify. When that happens, you will experience some abrupt playback stops. To prevent that, review your account to ensure that there are no account restrictions.
  • Authorization. Have you properly set up the authorization for the Spotify app and Alexa?
  • Up-to-date subscription. If you are using a Spotify premium account, you should confirm whether your subscription is current.

Quick Fixes to Alexa Not Playing Spotify

On top of the above fixes, there are a few quick fixes you should consider. These are:

Restart Your Device

To solve some quick glitches, you should consider restarting your Alexa device. You might want to do that by unplugging it from power for 30 seconds and plugging it back in. You may also need to reset your Wi-Fi to confirm if the cause is a poor internet connection.

Check Your Wake Word

If restarting the Alexa device doesn't work, you must confirm using the right wake word. To check if you have selected the right wake word, click on Devices, followed by Echo & Alexa, followed by Device not working > Wake Word. Several options will appear on your PC. You can choose to change the wake word, or you can check if you have selected the right one.

Reset the Alexa Device

If the above steps don't work, you might want to reset your device. All you need to do is hold down a button or a combination of buttons, depending on the device. Using the original Echo speakers, you can hold the action button until the light turns orange. To confirm the right steps for your model, check your manual. For instance, you press the mute and volume down buttons for 15 seconds when using Echo Show.

Unpair Alexa with Spotify

Here are the steps to follow when unpairing Alexa with Spotify.

  1. Go to your mobile device and launch Alexa.
  2. Tap the settings icon.
  3. Tap on Alexa preferences. Choose Music & Podcasts.
  4. You will see all the connected music streaming services. Find and tap Spotify.
  5. When you get to the Spotify details page, tap on Disable Skill.
  6. To confirm that action, click on Disable.

Another option is to unpair Alexa with Spotify using the Spotify app. To do that, follow the following steps:

  • Visit Spotify using your favorite browser.
  • Log into your account.
  • From the top left corner, tap on your profile.
  • Select Accounts from the appearing drop-down menu.
  • Scroll down to Apps.
  • From the list of apps with access to Spotify, choose Alexa. Tap Remove Access.

The above steps enable you to disconnect Alexa from the app and desktop site.

Make Alexa Your Default App

You can make Spotify your default Alexa app to improve music playback and eliminate the need to specify every voice command.

Conclusion

While Alexa is designed to integrate seamlessly with Spotify and other streaming platforms, there are times when it doesn’t work as expected. Fortunately, when that happens, you can follow the steps above to troubleshoot the issue. You can contact Amazon customer service for help if this doesn't work. We recommend you also read our guide on proven ways to promote your music on Spotify.