How to Connect Spotify to Alexa in 5 Steps

With over 386 million monthly active users and growing, Spotify dominates the music streaming market. And with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold, Alexa sits atop the AI assistant market. Connecting these two popular tech platforms lets you harness the full power of Spotify’s vast music catalog and podcast library, hands-free, throughout your home.

In this step-by-step guide for Spotify and Alexa users of all levels, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of connecting Spotify to Alexa devices like the Echo
• Exactly what you need to get started
• How to link your Spotify account in the Alexa app
• Setting Spotify as your default music service
• How Spotify compares to Amazon Music
• And answers to frequently asked questions

With visuals and clear language, you‘ll be jamming to your favorite playlists in minutes. Let‘s get started!

Why Connect Spotify to Alexa?

You might be wondering – if Alexa already has Amazon Music built-in, why go through the trouble of connecting a separate music service?

Here are 3 compelling reasons to link Spotify:

• Vast music selection: With over 70 million tracks, 4 billion playlists, and 2.2 million podcasts, Spotify boasts the world‘s largest streaming catalog. Even the extensive Amazon Music library can‘t match Spotify‘s depth and variety.

• Hands-free voice controls throughout your home: Alexa allows hands-free voice control using Spotify on all your Echo devices, not just in your phone. Just say your music commands followed by "on Spotify."

• One place for all your audio: Once connected, all your Spotify playlists, albums, artists and podcasts are instantly accessible on Alexa devices alongside any Amazon Music content.

Prerequisites

Before connecting your Spotify account, make sure you have:

• An Amazon account: This is necessary to register Echo devices and use the Alexa app.
• The Alexa app: Download to your smartphone from the App Store or Google Play Store.
• A registered Echo device: Your Echo, Dot, Studio or other Alexa gadget must be plugged into power, connected to WiFi, and registered to your Amazon account.
• Active Spotify account: Either a free or Premium account works to connect to Alexa. Premium unlocks more features like ad-free listening.

Okay, ready to connect? Let‘s link!

Step 1: Open The Alexa App

On your mobile device, launch the Alexa app and tap the More tab on the bottom right:

Next, tap on Settings to enter the settings menu:

Easy enough so far!

Step 2: Select "Link New Service" Under Music & Podcasts

In Settings, choose Music & Podcasts:

Under Autoplay you should see a Link New Service button. Tap that, then scroll down and select Spotify from the list:

Time to log into Spotify.

Step 3: Login To Your Spotify Account

The Alexa app will prompt you to sign into your Spotify account.

• If you aren‘t already logged into Spotify on your mobile device, you‘ll enter your Spotify username and password.
• If you are logged in, your account will instantly connect.

Once logged in, Spotify will be linked to Alexa!

Give it a try by saying "Alexa, play my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify." Music to your ears!

Step 4: Set Spotify As Your Default Music Service (Optional)

While optional, setting Spotify as your default music service will allow you to play Spotify content without needing to specify the service in every request.

Very handy! Here‘s how:

1. Back in Settings > Music & Podcasts, tap Choose Default Services

2. Under Music Service, select Spotify

3. Confirm by tapping Done

Now Alexa will look first to Spotify for all your musical needs.

To play from Amazon Music, simply specify "on Amazon Music" in the command. Easy peasy!

And that concludes officially connecting your Spotify and Alexa accounts! Wasn‘t so hard, right?

Spotify vs. Amazon Music

With Spotify connected as your go-to service, you now have access to its full catalog of over 70 million tracks. But how does Spotify stack up against Amazon Music?

While subjective which streaming library is "best" for your tastes, here‘s an objective overview:

A few key takeaways:

• Spotify still reigns king in terms of music catalog size
• But Amazon Music offers better audio quality overall
• Spotify has the edge for podcast fans with exclusive rights to popular shows
• And Spotify comes in cheaper if going premium

Ultimately both integrate smoothly with Alexa, so trying each service is the best way to determine what meets your listening preferences.

Connect Other Music Services to Alexa

Beyond just Spotify and Amazon Music, Alexa supports a variety of streaming platforms including:

• Apple Music
• Tidal
• Pandora
• Deezer
• iHeartRadio
• SiriusXM
• YouTube Music
• And many more regional services

The steps to connect these are mostly the same. Simply link each service through the Alexa app, log into your corresponding accounts when prompted, and link away!

Here are a few highlights for other top options beyond Spotify:

• Apple Music – Seamlessly access your cloud library of owned/downloaded music in addition to streaming. Try if already invested in Apple ecosystem.
• Pandora – Best for lean-back listening with curated stations based on artists and songs you choose. Radio fans rejoice! Free ad-supported tier available.
• YouTube Music – Huge catalog of official songs, albums, live performances and remixes hosted on YouTube. Video fans, this one‘s for you!

Mix and match services to build your perfect audio home for Alexa.

Key Benefits of Spotify and Alexa

What makes Spotify so popular, and why leverage that popularity with Alexa in your home? A few major perks:

Vast Streaming Library and Discovery

With a catalogue expanding by ~60,000 new tracks daily, Spotify offers endless potential for music discovery thanks to advanced machine learning algorithms powering recommendations. Alexa allows voice-based requests for personalized playlists, radio stations, and more tailored to your tastes.

Podcast Central

In recent years Spotify has invested heavily in becoming a top podcasting platform too, snagging exclusive streaming rights to content from Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan, DC Comics, and much more. Their catalog now exceeds Amazon Music‘s, so fans of spoken word should connect ASAP.

Social Listening

Friends, family, artists and influencers create billions of public playlists on Spotify, discoverable through search and recommendations. Alexa facilitates calling them up at will as you cook, clean, work out or relax at home. You can also listen along simultaneously with others by sharing playlists.

Premium Perks

While Spotify has an ad-supported free tier, opting for Premium unlocks extra features ideal for Alexa like:

• Unlimited skips – say "next" as needed
• Ad-free listening
• High quality audio streaming
• Saving music for offline playback
• And more!

Treat yourself and your household to an elevated listening experience.

Frequently Asked Spotify and Alexa Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about connecting Spotify to Alexa and using the two together:

Can I play music on multiple Alexa devices simultaneously?

Yes! With multi-room music, you can group compatible Echo and Alexa-enabled devices to play music in sync across rooms. Say "Alexa, play hip hop in the kitchen and living room."

How do I find my Spotify playlists and favorites in Alexa?

You can ask Alexa to play any of your starred or saved content on Spotify once connected. Try requests like:

"Alexa, play my Daily Mix 1 playlist on Spotify"
"Alexa, play my liked songs on Spotify"
"Alexa, play artists I recently played on Spotify"

And more. Get creative exploring your Spotify favorites!

Can I remove Spotify or change my default music service?

Easily remove linked services anytime by tapping on the respective icon in Settings then Deregister.

You can also switch your default preference under Settings > Music & Podcasts > Choose Default Services > Music Service.

Does Spotify Premium share benefits on Amazon like with Hulu?

Unfortunately Spotify does not currently extend its Premium bundle perks like ad-free Hulu and Showtime to Amazon customers. However, Amazon Music Unlimited bundles free for Prime members – worth checking restrictions.

Still need help?

For Alexa support, consult the Alexa help docs or contact Amazon customer service.

Check Spotify‘s Alexa support for additional service guidance. Or tap the settings wheel in the Spotify app and choose Help.

Start Listening Today

Connecting Alexa and Spotify enhances both platforms thanks to Alexa‘s expanding household presence and Spotify‘s superior streaming content array.

With Spotify‘s library just a voice request away, you can ditch the phone while cooking, cleaning, exercising and truly experience Alexa hands-free. Let music motivate workouts or unwind with a podcast after stressful days in rooms throughout your home.

So grab your Alexa device, activate that Spotify link with the step-by-step guide above, then start commanding your customized listening experience today.

Time to let Alexa DJ your household soundtrack using Spotify‘s unmatched sonic resource library. Now if you‘ll excuse me, I have playlists to catch up on…