How to Seamlessly Link Apple Music with Alexa in 10 Steps

Are you keen to unlock the full potential of Apple Music using just the power of your own voice?

By connecting Apple Music to Alexa and Echo devices, a world of hands-free musical enjoyment opens up to you. Just say an artist, album or even one of your personalized playlists out loud and Alexa will start playing it instantly from your Apple Music account.

It‘s a match made in musical heaven – Apple Music gives you a massive catalog of over 100 million songs complete with exclusive releases, lossless audio formatting and expertly-curated playlists for every occasion. Meanwhile, Alexa allows you to access all of it effortlessly using voice commands for the ultimate hands-free listening convenience.

Let‘s explore the benefits this musical marriage brings and how to get it set up in just 10 simple steps…

Why Linking Apple Music to Alexa is a Game-Changer

Before we get into the step-by-step setup tutorial, you may be wondering – what‘s actually so great about combining Apple Music and Alexa?

Here‘s a quick rundown of the key perks:

Voice Control 100 Million Songs

Apple Music grants you instant access to a huge library of over 100 million songs spanning just about every genre imaginable. Linking it to Alexa allows you to play, pause, skip and search through the entire massive catalog completely by voice. No more poking at screens trying to find the right playlist!

Lossless Audio Quality

As an Apple Music subscriber, you get lossless audio included which offers richer sound quality compared to compressed formats. The great news is this superior audio fidelity carries straight over to Alexa so you can pump out crisp lossless sound on Echo speakers.

Loads of Personalized Playlists

One of Apple Music‘s major strengths is expertly curated playlists tailored just for your tastes. Through algorithms and human editors, it creates special mixes showcasing new music discoveries, favorites from your library and more. Alexa makes these personalized playlists ultra-accessible.

It‘s Free and Super Simple to Set Up

Connecting Apple Music to Alexa is completely free and only takes about 5 minutes. You likely already have everything needed – an Alexa device like an Echo Dot along with an active Apple Music membership. We‘ll show you how to get linked up in no time.

Works Alongside Other Music Services

Enabling Apple Music doesn‘t mean you have to say goodbye to other Alexa-supported streaming platforms. Services like Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora and more will continue to work alongside Apple Music. Just specify which one you want in your voice request.

Now that you know the upside, let‘s get straight into the step-by-step guide…

How to Link Apple Music to Alexa using the Mobile App

The official Alexa smartphone app provides the fastest way to connect Apple Music across Echo devices, Fire TV and any other Alexa-enabled products registered to your account.

Here‘s how to link it up in just a few taps:

Step 1: Install the Alexa App

First, install the free Alexa app from the App Store or Google Play if you don‘t already have it. This is the official Alexa companion app for managing devices and services.

Download the official Alexa mobile app to get started

Step 2: Open the App Menu >> Settings

With the app installed, open it up and select the ≡ menu button in the upper left corner. From there, choose Settings at the very bottom.

Open the side menu then tap settings

Step 3: Select the Music & Podcasts Linking Section

Next, scroll down and tap Music & Podcasts – this is the section where you manage connected apps and services for listening to audio.

Head to the Music & Podcasts tab in settings

Step 4: Choose Apple Music From Available Services

Under "Link New Service", find Apple Music in the list and tap to select it. This will launch the Apple Music linking flow.

Select the Apple Music connection option

Step 5: Sign In to Link Your Apple Music Account

You‘ll then be prompted to sign in with your Apple ID to link your personal Apple Music account. Sign in to connect it.

Sign in using your Apple ID to link accounts

Once signed in, your Apple Music membership will be connected to Alexa. You‘re almost ready to start listening!

Step 6: Designate Apple Music as Default (Optional)

To go the extra mile, you can set Apple Music as your default music service. This means anytime you ask Alexa to play music without specifying a service, it will automatically draw from your Apple Music account.

To enable this, scroll down the Music & Podcasts settings and tap into *Default Services* -> Apple Music.

Set Apple Music as the default music provider

And voila! Apple Music should now be successfully linked to Alexa across any of your Echo, Fire TV or other Alexa-enabled devices.

Next up, we‘ll show you how to connect using the Alexa web interface in case you don‘t have access to the mobile app…

Link Apple Music to Alexa using the Web Interface

In a pinch, you can also connect your Apple Music account for Alexa using just the Alexa website.

Note: You can ONLY set the default music service here, not link Apple Music originally. Use the mobile app method above to first link the accounts.

Here‘s how to make Apple Music the default in a few clicks using the web tool:

Step 1: Visit alexa.amazon.com

Launch the official Alexa web app by clicking here or navigating directly to alexa.amazon.com. Sign into your Amazon account if prompted.

Access the Alexa web-based management interface

Step 2: Choose Settings > Music & Media

Next, select Settings in the left menu followed by Music & Media under the Alexa Preferences section. This houses music service defaults.

Head to the Music & Media settings tab

Step 3: Designate Apple Music as the Default Service

Look under the Default Services headings and choose Apple Music from the dropdown menus to set it as the default for music.

Hit Save Changes to apply the Apple Music default across your Alexa devices.

Select Apple Music as the default music skill

And with that, Apple Music will now automatically launch for general voice music requests made to Alexa.

Unleash Apple Music via Alexa Voice Commands

With everything linked up, you now have full voice control over massive Apple Music catalog on Alexa devices!

Here are some examples of Apple Music voice commands to try:

• "Alexa, play Today‘s Hits playlist"
• "Alexa, play songs by Taylor Swift"
• "Alexa, play some upbeat pop"
• "Alexa, add this song to my library"
• "Alexa, play more songs like this"

If you made Apple Music the default, you can leave off specifying the service name. Just say:

• "Alexa, play my Chill Mix playlist"
• "Alexa, play Funky Heavy Blues"
• "Alexa, skip"

Feel free to get creative with requests like:

"Alexa, give me workout songs with a fast tempo"

"Alexa, play my party playlist followed by some energetic hip hop"

The possibilities are truly endless to control your Apple Music tracks completely hands-free!

How Apple Music on Alexa Compares to Other Assistants

Alexa isn‘t the only voice assistant around. Apple has Siri while Google offers the Google Assistant. How do they stack up for Apple Music control?

While Alexa requires some linking work upfront, Siri offers slightly deeper Apple Music integration by default since it‘s built directly into Apple devices. However, we found Alexa to provide comparable functionality in testing once accounts are connected.

Google Assistant trails slightly behind Alexa and Siri when it comes to capability with Apple Music but a basic integration does exist.

Here‘s a breakdown showing available Apple Music functionality across the leading smart assistants:

Table showing Apple Music capabilities across Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant

So while Alexa might lack some of the native integration Siri provides, its Apple Music support is quite extensive – on par with or even above some areas.

Overall, we found in testing that Alexa is a fantastic vehicle for Apple Music voice control – easily rivaling the experience provided by Apple‘s own Siri smart assistant once accounts are linked.

Next up, let‘s go over some troubleshooting tips in case you hit snags setting up or using Apple Music with Alexa…

Troubleshooting Apple Music Issues on Alexa

In general, we found connecting Apple Music to Alexa to be smooth and seamless during testing. But technology can be finicky, so here are some troubleshooting tips if you encounter issues:

Make Sure Apple Music is Set as Default – Double check that under Music & Podcasts settings > Default Services within the Alexa app that Apple Music is enabled for music, artists and playlists. If incorrect, Alexa may play from a different linked music provider.

Check for App Updates – Ensure the latest versions of both the Alexa app AND Apple Music app are installed by checking your device‘s app store listing under updates. Outdated apps can sometimes break service connectivity.

Re-link Apple Music Account – Navigate back to the Music & Podcasts Link New Service menu and tap to re-link your Apple Music membership. Sign out first if currently connected. Re-enter credentials to re-establish the linkage.

Restart Hardware – As simple as it sounds, sometimes restarting Echo devices or the mobile device itself can resolve temporary glitches linking services.

Still not working? Reach out to Alexa Support with specific details about the issues encountered.

Enjoy Effortless Musical Freedom

With just a couple quick steps to link your accounts, a whole new world of voice-powered music enjoyment awaits courtesy of Apple Music on Alexa.

You‘ll be able to easily queue up playlists, albums, songs and stations from Apple Music‘s vast catalog of over 100 million tracks completely hands-free. Just sit back and let Alexa DJ your perfect soundtrack!

Bring voice-controlled Apple Music into your home today – your ears will thank you. Have fun exploring musical discoveries!