Alexa needs no introduction these days. It’s an essential part of millions of smart speakers, smart displays, and smart home products. Amazon’s digital assistant works perfectly fine with third-party products and services like Apple Music, Pandora, Ring, Philips, SmartThings, and Spotify. However, many have faced Spotify not working Alexa issue. If you are among them, try the troubleshooting tricks below.
Table of Contents
1. Restart Amazon Echo
First, you need to reboot Amazon Echo to fix common glitches like Spotify not working with Alexa. You can remove the power plug and connect it again. You can now use Alexa commands to start playing your favorite Spotify playlists.
2. Check Amazon Echo Internet Connection
If your Amazon Echo isn’t connected to the active Wi-Fi network, you can’t wake up Alexa and ask it to play Spotify songs. You should connect the Amazon Echo to a robust network connection. Here’s how.
1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Move to the Devices tab at the bottom.
3. Select your Amazon Echo speaker. You can check the connected Wi-Fi network at the bottom.
4. Tap the Settings gear at the top.
5. Tap Change beside a Wi-Fi network and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
3. Link Spotify and Set It as Default
If you haven’t linked your Spotify account with Alexa, the voice assistant won’t play your favorite songs from the streaming service. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Open Alexa and move to the More tab.
2. Select Settings.
3. Tap Music & Podcasts.
4. Select Link New Service.
5. Select Spotify and enable the skill.
Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Spotify account. Once you link the account, use the steps below to set it as default.
1. Head to Music & Podcasts in Alexa (check the steps above).
2. Open your default services.
3. Tap Change beside your default music service.
4. Select Spotify.
You can set Spotify as the default podcast service too.
4. Disable and Enable Spotify Skill
Due to an account authentication error, you may face issues playing Spotify with Alexa. You need to disable and enable Spotify skills in Alexa.
1. Open Alexa Settings on your phone (check the steps above).
2. Select Music & Podcasts.
3. Select Spotify.
4. Tap Disable Skill from the following menu.
Disabling the skill will unlink your Spotify account from Alexa. You need to link it again.
5. Use Relevant Commands
If you don’t use relevant Alexa commands, the voice assistant may not work properly with Spotify. For example, you don’t need to include ‘my’ with your commands. It may create confusion. Here are some popular phrases you can use with Alexa.
- ‘Alexa, play Spotify’
- ‘Alexa, play today’s top hits on Spotify’
- ‘Alexa, play [the name of playlist]’
6. Update Spotify and Alexa
Outdated Spotify and Alexa apps can be the major reason behind the voice assistant not working with the music streaming service. You need to head to the App Store or Google Play Store and update both apps to the latest version.
7. Disable Profanity Filter
An active profanity filter blocks explicit songs on your Alexa-enabled devices. It can affect Spotify functionality on Amazon Echo. Here’s how you can disable it.
1. Head to Alexa Settings on your phone (check the steps above).
2. Select Music & Podcasts.
3. Tap Profanity Filter.
4. Disable the toggle.
8. Clear Alexa Cache
Alexa collects cache on your phone to remember your saved Amazon Echo devices and other settings. A corrupt Alexa cache can give you trouble with commands. You should clear the Alexa cache and try again.
1. Long-tap on Alexa mobile app and open the info menu.
2. Select Storage and cache.
3. Tap Clear cache, and you are good to go.
9. Register Amazon Echo Again
You can deregister the Amazon Echo from your Amazon account and register it again to fix common issues with Alexa. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Head to the Amazon Echo settings (check the steps above).
2. Scroll down and select Deregister and confirm your decision.
You need to register the Amazon Echo with your Amazon account and start using Alexa to play Spotify.
10. Check Spotify Subscription
If your Spotify subscription has expired, Alexa may face issues with it.
1. Visit Spotify on the web and log in with your account details.
2. Select your profile at the top and open Account.
3. Check your current plan under the Account overview menu.
You can update your payment method to continue your Spotify subscription.
Enjoy Spotify with Alexa
Spotify not working with Alexa can create a major inconvenience at times. Instead of using your phone to change tracks, use the tricks above to manage Spotify with Alexa Assistant. If you are fed up with the Spotify experience, switch to Apple Music. You can read our dedicated comparison guide to learn more.
