You’ve reached the right place if you want to use Spotify on your Amazon Alexa but can’t connect your account.
Alexa and Spotify can’t be linked
Log in to Spotify on a web browser to revoke Alexa access if you are unable to link Spotify and Alexa. Open the Alexa app and navigate to MENU > STATUS > MUSIC/PODCASTS> SPOTIFY > AUTHORIZED TO USE. That should do the trick!
“Your Spotify account must be linked first.”
These steps will help you if your Alexa still says “Your Spotify account must be linked first” after you have already connected your Alexa to Spotify.
- Revoke Alexa Access by Logging into Your Spotify Account Using This link
- Next, open Alexa and click MORE in the bottom right corner
- Scroll down to select SETTINGS
- Select MUSIC AND PODCASTS from the Settings menu.
- Select SPOTIFY and ENABLE
Reset Alexa
If after following the above steps you still get “Your Spotify account must be linked first” , the next thing you can do is unplug your Alexa for around 30 seconds, then plug it back in.
If it doesn’t work after all this, you can factory reset your Alexa.
To reset your Alexa’s settings, press the action button for 15-20 seconds. Then you can release the action button.
Within a matter of minutes, the reset process will be completed. Your device will inform you that your device is ready to set up and that it needs to follow the instructions provided by the Alexa app.
You can simply go back to the Alexa app and it will walk you through the set-up steps. Next, relink Spotify.
This is it! Your Alexa should now be able to listen to Spotify.
Alexa does not show Spotify
This is a common problem when you use Alexa outside of the United States. These types of services are often not available in other countries.
This scenario has two solutions.
One is to use a VPN to change your geographic location to the US. Then you can reboot your phone. All available services, including Spotify, should now appear in Alexa.
It has been suggested that the iPhone’s language be changed to “US English”. Spotify was able to be found again in the list of services available for some users by this simple change.
Although it shouldn’t matter which language your phone uses, it might be worth trying if you are having trouble.
How to connect Spotify to Alexa
It is always helpful to know how to link Spotify and Alexa to ensure you did not follow any steps incorrectly.
Follow these steps to link your Spotify account with Alexa:
- Open Alexa and click MORE in the bottom right corner
- Scroll down to select SETTINGS
- Select MUSIC AND PODCASTS from the Settings menu.
- Select the “+” symbol where it says “Link New Service”.
- Select SPOTIFY and ENABLE
- Next, you will be asked to enter your Spotify username/password
- That’s it! Now Spotify is ready to use with Alexa
Chose a default Music Service
After linking Spotify to Alexa is complete, you will be asked to make it your default Music Service.
Choosing Spotify to be your default Music Service means that Alexa can play a song from Spotify and Alexa will play it. You don’t need to specify which service.
This default will remain as Amazon music if you do not change it.
You can always change it later, but don’t be discouraged. Here’s how:
- Open Alexa and click on MORE in the bottom right corner
- Scroll down to select SETTINGS
- Select MUSIC and PODCASTS from the Settings menu
- Select DEFAULT SERVICES
- Select CHANGE under “Music”.
- You will see a drop-down menu with connected music services. Choose one!
Spotify Premium is required for Alexa
No, You don’t need to have a Spotify Premium account to listen to Spotify from your Alexa. Sign up on the Spotify website for a free account.
You can use an existing Facebook account to create your Spotify login faster.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to control what you can listen to with your Alexa’s free Spotify account.
Good news! I have a workaround to the control part.
Alexa music for Spotify on a laptop
This trick was taught to me a while back.
This allows you to select the music you like and gives you more control even if you don’t have a Spotify account.
Spotify’s desktop client is required to do this. If you don’t have it, go ahead and download it.
Now that the desktop player is open, you will need to connect it with your Alexa using the Spotify desktop player’s “Connected Device” tab.
The same steps you would follow if you were streaming Spotify music from your computer directly to an external speaker.
You can now choose the songs you want from Spotify on your Alexa.
Alexa Spotify commands
After you have successfully connected your Alexa and Spotify, it is time to test one of the many Alexa voice commands to Spotify.
- “Play my Discover Weekly on Spotify”
- Spotify: “Turn up Spotify’s volume!”
- “Play some rock music with Spotify”
- “Pause this song in Spotify”
I recommend that you set Spotify as your default music player for Alexa. This will eliminate the need to say “Spotify!” in any of your commands.
This comprehensive guide Amazon provides more information on how to play music on Alexa.
Conclusion
If you already have Spotify, linking Spotify to Alexa should take less than 60 seconds.
A free account is sufficient.
You can control which songs are played through Alexa if you have a Spotify account.
You can make Spotify your default music player by using the Alexa app. This will eliminate the need to mention “Spotify”, with each command.
You might encounter some problems during the sync process. If you are unsure, you can factory reset your Alexa for a fresh start.
