The basic steps to connect Spotify to Alexa

To connect Spotify to Alexa, you open the Alexa app on your phone, go to More (the three horizontal lines), select Settings, then Music & Podcasts, and choose Spotify from the list. Tap Link Account, sign in with your Spotify username and password, and confirm that you want to allow Alexa to access your Spotify account. Once linked, you can say "Alexa, play [song name] on Spotify" and the music will start on whichever Alexa device is closest to you.

The whole process takes about two minutes. You only need to do it once per Amazon account — after that, any Alexa device in your home will be able to play Spotify without additional setup. If you have multiple people in your household with their own Amazon accounts, each person needs to link their own Spotify account separately if they want to use voice commands.

Key Takeaways

  • You link Spotify through the Alexa app under Music & Podcasts settings, not through Spotify itself.
  • After linking, you can play any song, artist, playlist, or podcast by saying "Alexa, play [name] on Spotify".
  • The device closest to you will play the music unless you specify a different room or device by name.
  • If Spotify stops playing when you ask Alexa to do something else, you may need to set Spotify as your default music service in the Alexa app.

What happens when you link your Spotify account

When you tap Link Account in the Alexa app, Amazon opens a Spotify login page inside the app. You enter your Spotify username (or email) and password. Spotify then shows you a permission screen asking whether you want to allow Alexa to play music, see your playlists, and read your saved songs. You tap Agree, and the connection is complete.

This permission is permanent until you remove it. If you ever want to disconnect Spotify from Alexa, you go back to Music & Podcasts in the Alexa app and tap the X next to Spotify. You can also revoke the permission from your Spotify account settings under Apps, though disconnecting through the Alexa app is simpler.

Why Alexa might not find your music

If you say "Alexa, play [song]" and Alexa says it cannot find the song, the most common reason is that Spotify is not set as your default music service. Open the Alexa app, go to Music & Podcasts, and look for Default Music Service. Make sure Spotify is selected. If you have multiple music services linked (like Amazon Music or Apple Music), Alexa will use whichever one is set as default.

The second reason is that the song title or artist name is unclear. Alexa works better with exact names — "Alexa, play Blinding Lights by The Weeknd" works more reliably than "Alexa, play that song from the 80s." If you have the song in a Spotify playlist, you can also say "Alexa, play [playlist name] on Spotify," which often works when a specific song does not.

Playing music on a specific Alexa device

By default, Alexa plays music on the device closest to you or the one that heard your voice most clearly. If you want music on a different device, say "Alexa, play [song] on Spotify in the [room name]" — for example, "Alexa, play Levitating on Spotify in the kitchen." The room name needs to match what you named the device in the Alexa app.

If you have not named your devices by room, open the Alexa app, tap Devices, select the device, tap the settings icon, and change the name to something like "Living Room" or "Bedroom." After that, voice commands will route to the correct speaker.

Controlling playback with voice commands

Once Spotify is playing, you can control it without touching your phone. Say "Alexa, pause," "Alexa, resume," or "Alexa, next song." You can also say "Alexa, turn up the volume" or "Alexa, set volume to 50 percent." These commands work on any Alexa device, not just the one playing the music — if music is playing in the kitchen, you can pause it from the bedroom by saying "Alexa, pause in the kitchen."

One limitation: you cannot skip backward to replay a song. Alexa will skip forward to the next track, but there is no voice command to go back to the previous one. You have to use the Spotify app on your phone or the physical buttons on an Alexa device with a screen (like the Echo Show) to replay a song.

Troubleshooting when the connection drops

If Spotify was working and suddenly stops, the most likely cause is that your Spotify account logged out or the connection expired. Open the Alexa app, go to Music & Podcasts, and check whether Spotify still shows as linked. If it does not, or if it shows a warning, tap Link Account again and sign in. This usually takes less than a minute.

If Spotify is linked but Alexa still will not play music, restart the Alexa device by unplugging it for 30 seconds and plugging it back in. If that does not work, open the Alexa app, go to Devices, select the device, tap Settings, scroll to the bottom, and tap Forget This Device. Then set it up again from scratch — the device will reconnect to your Wi-Fi and your Spotify account will still be linked.

Using Spotify with multiple Alexa devices at once

If you have Alexa devices in multiple rooms, you can play the same song on all of them simultaneously by creating a group. Open the Alexa app, tap Devices, tap the + icon, select Create Group, name the group (like "Whole House"), and select which devices to include. Then say "Alexa, play [song] on Spotify in [group name]" and the music will play everywhere.

You can also play different songs on different devices at the same time — Spotify does not limit you to one stream per account. Say "Alexa, play jazz in the kitchen" and "Alexa, play podcasts in the bedroom" and both will play simultaneously. The only restriction is that Spotify's terms of service limit how many devices can stream at once depending on your subscription type (free accounts get one stream, Premium gets four).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Spotify Premium account to use Spotify with Alexa?

No. Spotify Free works with Alexa, though you may hear ads between songs. The main limitation is that Free accounts can only stream on one device at a time, so if you are already playing Spotify on your phone, you cannot start a new stream on Alexa until you stop the phone stream.

Can I use voice commands to skip songs or go back?

You can skip forward by saying "Alexa, next song." You cannot skip backward with voice — you have to use the Spotify app or an Alexa device with a screen. You also cannot use voice to jump to a specific song in a playlist; you have to ask Alexa to play the whole playlist and then skip through it.

What if someone else in my house has their own Spotify account?

Each person needs to link their own Spotify account to their own Amazon account. When you say "Alexa, play [song]," it uses the Spotify account linked to your Amazon account. If your household shares one Amazon account, you all share one Spotify connection.

Will Alexa play Spotify if my Wi-Fi goes down?

No. Alexa needs an internet connection to communicate with Spotify's servers. If your Wi-Fi drops, Alexa will pause the music and tell you the connection was lost. Once Wi-Fi comes back, you can resume playback.

Can I use Alexa to control Spotify on my phone or computer?

No. Alexa can only play Spotify on Alexa devices themselves. If you want to control Spotify on another device, you need to use the Spotify app or a web browser. Alexa cannot remote-control Spotify running elsewhere.