The basic steps to link Spotify

To connect Spotify to Alexa, you open the Alexa app on your phone, go to Music & Podcasts in the settings menu, select Spotify, and tap Link Account. You'll be taken to Spotify's login page, where you sign in with your Spotify username and password. Once you confirm that Alexa can access your account, the connection is complete — you can then ask Alexa to play songs, playlists, or artists from Spotify by voice.

The whole process takes about two minutes. After linking, Spotify becomes your default music service on that Alexa device, so when you say "Alexa, play jazz," it will pull from Spotify rather than Amazon Music (unless you specify otherwise).

Key Takeaways

  • You link Spotify through the Alexa app's Music & Podcasts settings, not through Spotify's own app.
  • You need a Spotify account — either free or paid — and an Alexa device already set up on your home network.
  • After linking, you can play any song, playlist, artist, or album you have permission to hear on Spotify by asking Alexa aloud.
  • Spotify becomes your default music service on that device, so voice commands will use Spotify unless you ask for a different service by name.

What you need before you start

You need three things: a Spotify account (free or paid), an Alexa device that's already connected to your home Wi-Fi, and the Alexa app installed on your phone. The Alexa app is free and available on iOS and Android. If you don't have a Spotify account yet, you can create one at spotify.com — the free tier works fine for voice control through Alexa, though it includes ads and doesn't let you pick specific songs on mobile (you can still request them by voice through Alexa).

Your Alexa device itself doesn't need to be new or expensive. Any Echo speaker, Echo Show, Echo Dot, or other Alexa device that can play music will work. If you're not sure whether your device supports music, check the device settings in the Alexa app — if there's a Music & Podcasts option, you're good.

Step-by-step walkthrough

On your phone: Open the Alexa app and tap the three horizontal lines (menu) at the bottom right. Scroll down and tap Settings. Tap Music & Podcasts. You'll see a list of music services including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Tap Spotify.

A screen will appear saying "Link your Spotify account to Alexa." Tap the blue Link Account button. You'll be taken to Spotify's website in your browser. If you're not already logged into Spotify, sign in with your username or email and password. Spotify will then ask you to confirm that you want to allow Alexa to access your account — tap Agree or Allow. You'll see a confirmation message, and you can close the browser and return to the Alexa app.

That's it. You're now connected. Try saying "Alexa, play Adele" or "Alexa, play my Discover Weekly playlist" to test it.

What happens to your Spotify account when you link it

Linking Spotify to Alexa does not change your password, create a new account, or charge you anything extra. Spotify simply gives Alexa permission to read your library, playlists, and saved songs, and to control playback. You stay logged into Spotify on your phone and computer as usual — linking just adds Alexa as another device that can play your music.

If you later decide you don't want Alexa to have access, you can unlink it in the Alexa app by going back to Music & Podcasts, tapping Spotify, and selecting Unlink Account. You can also revoke access from your Spotify account settings at spotify.com under Apps — look for "Alexa" in the list of connected apps and click Remove Access.

Controlling playback with voice commands

Once Spotify is linked, you can control it entirely by voice. Say "Alexa, play [song name]" to play a specific track, "Alexa, play [artist name]" to play an artist's top songs, or "Alexa, play [playlist name]" to play one of your playlists. You can also say "Alexa, play my Liked Songs" or "Alexa, play my Release Radar" if you use Spotify's built-in playlists.

For playback control, use "Alexa, pause," "Alexa, resume," "Alexa, next," and "Alexa, previous." You can also ask "Alexa, what's playing?" to hear the song name and artist. Volume works the same as with any other audio — "Alexa, set volume to 5" or "Alexa, louder" and "Alexa, quieter."

If you have multiple Alexa devices in your home, you can specify which one to use: "Alexa, play jazz on the kitchen speaker" or "Alexa, play my workout playlist on the bedroom Echo." The device you're speaking to will play the music unless you name a different room.

Troubleshooting common connection problems

If you tap Link Account but nothing happens, make sure you're logged out of Spotify in your phone's browser. Close the Alexa app completely and reopen it, then try again. If the Spotify login page loads but you get an error after entering your password, your Spotify account may have a security issue — try resetting your Spotify password at spotify.com and then linking again.

If Spotify is linked but Alexa says "I'm not able to play that" when you request a song, the song may not be available in your region (Spotify's catalog varies by country), or your Spotify account may not have permission to play it. Free Spotify accounts can't play every song on demand through third-party devices like Alexa — if you hit this limit often, upgrading to Spotify Premium removes the restriction.

If you've linked Spotify but Alexa keeps playing Amazon Music instead, check that Spotify is set as your default. Go back to Music & Podcasts in the Alexa app, tap Spotify, and look for a Set as Default or similar option. Some Alexa devices also let you set a default per room, so check both the device settings and the overall account settings.

Using Spotify with multiple Alexa devices

Once you link Spotify to your Amazon account, it's available on all your Alexa devices automatically — you don't have to link it separately on each one. However, only one device can play Spotify at a time from a single Spotify account. If you try to play music on two Alexa devices simultaneously, the second one will pause the first.

If you want to play Spotify on multiple devices at the same time, you need a Spotify Premium Family plan, which allows up to six accounts. Each family member can link their own Spotify account to Alexa, and then each person's devices can play their own music independently. Standard Spotify Premium and free accounts are limited to one active playback stream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Spotify with Alexa if I have a free Spotify account?

Yes. Free Spotify accounts work with Alexa voice control. The main limitation is that free accounts can't skip songs on demand through third-party devices — you can ask Alexa to play a song, but you can't skip to the next one if you don't like it. You can still pause, resume, and play specific playlists or artists. If skipping matters to you, Spotify Premium removes this restriction.

What if I don't want to give Alexa access to my Spotify account?

You can use Amazon Music instead, which is Alexa's native service and doesn't require linking — just ask Alexa to play something and it will use Amazon Music by default. You can also use other services like Apple Music or YouTube Music if they're linked. Spotify is optional; it's just one choice among several.

Will linking Spotify to Alexa let other people in my house control my music?

Yes. Once Spotify is linked to your Alexa device, anyone in your home can ask Alexa to play music from your Spotify account. If you want to restrict access, you can set up a PIN in the Alexa app under Settings > Account Settings > Alexa PIN, which will require a code before certain actions (like playing music) can be performed by voice.

Can I play music from my Spotify library that's not on Alexa?

No. Alexa can only play songs that are available in Spotify's catalog in your region. If you've downloaded songs to Spotify for offline listening on your phone, Alexa can't access those local files. Alexa can only stream what Spotify has available to stream.

Do I need to stay logged into Spotify on my phone for Alexa to work?

No. Once you link Spotify to Alexa, the connection is independent of your phone. You can log out of Spotify on your phone, and Alexa will still be able to play music. The link is between your Spotify account and your Amazon account, not between your phone and Alexa.