Alexa Won’t Connect to Spotify [Quick Fix]
Connecting your Alexa system to Spotify is usually a seamless process. However, you may sometimes encounter difficulties during the setup process.
If that sounds like the problem you’re currently having with your Alexa system, then this post is your go-to resource. In the following paragraphs, I’ll try to walk you through some tips that can help you troubleshoot the issue. Let’s begin!
In short, here’s what to do if you’re having issues connecting Alexa to Spotify:
- Restart your Echo device.
- Switch off explicit filtering in Alexa.
- Unlink and relink Spotify.
- Reinstall the Alexa app on your phone.
- Reset your Echo device.
For more details on how to troubleshoot this issue, keep reading.
How to Fix ‘Alexa Not Connecting to Spotify’ Issues
1. Reboot Your Echo Device
The first thing you want to do if Alexa won’t connect to Spotify is to reboot your Amazon Echo device. Yes, rebooting the device helps to apply any recent change you’ve made in the Alexa app to your Echo device. Perhaps that might cause the issue.
So head over to your Amazon Echo device and unplug it from the power source. Next, wait for about 10 to 30 seconds and plug it back in.
Also, restart your router and mobile device and then try to connect to Spotify again to see if it fixes the problem. If not, continue to the next troubleshooting step.
2. Turn Off the Explicit Filtering Feature in Alexa
If you’re still unable to connect/play Spotify Music with Alexa, check to see if Explicit Filtering is turned on in the Alexa app. If so, turn it off, as some music services don’t support the feature.
Here’s how to turn off the explicit filtering feature in the Alexa app:
- Open the Alexa app on your mobile device and tap the Menu icon in the top left-hand corner. Next, select Settings.
- Select Music & Podcast, then select Explicit Language Filter.
- Turn off the feature.
Next, try to connect/play Spotify Music again to see if it works.
Did it work? Awesome! But if not, proceed to the next step.
3. Uninstall and Re-Install the Alexa App
The next step is to uninstall and install the Alexa app on your mobile device. Locate the Alexa app on your Android or iOS device; delete it and then reinstall it.
Make sure you’re installing the current version of Alexa. Next, log in to Alexa with your correct details and try connecting to Spotify again.
Also, ensure Spotify is set as your default music provider in Alexa. To set Spotify as your default music provider, follow the steps below:
- Open the Alexa app on your mobile device and tap the three-bar icon in the top left-hand corner.
- Tap Settings and then select Music & Podcasts.
- Tap Choose default music services. Next, select Spotify and tap Done to complete the process.
Now you can try reconnecting to Spotify to see if it works. Did it work? Awesome! But if not, see the next step.
4. Disconnect and Reconnect Spotify
Assuming Spotify was previously linked to Alexa and you’re having problems establishing connections to Spotify, the next thing you want to do is to disconnect Spotify and connect it back. This usually helps troubleshoot connection issues between Alexa and Spotify.
So, follow the steps below to disconnect Spotify:
- Open the Alexa app on your phone and tap the three-bar icon in the top left-hand corner (the three lines look like horizontal lines).
- Tap Settings and then select Music & Podcasts.
- Tap Spotify in the list and then tap Disable Skills.
And that’s all you need to do to disconnect Spotify. Next, you want to connect to Spotify again to see if it works this time. Follow the steps below to connect Alexa to Spotify via the Alexa app:
- Open the Alexa app on your mobile device and tap the menu icon in the top left-hand corner (the menu icon looks like three horizontal lines).
- Tap Settings and then select Music & Podcasts.
- Tap Spotify in the list and then tap Link account to Alexa.
- Now log in to your Spotify account with your existing credentials.
Did it work? Excellent! But if not, continue to the next troubleshooting step.
5. Check Your Network
Unstable internet can also cause connection issues between Alexa and Spotify. So, during the connection, check that your internet is stable—you may try to open a webpage on your phone’s browser to see if it opens quite fast. If not, restart your router and try to move it closer to your Echo device to improve network signal strength.
More so, Amazon Echo devices work with the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi network bands. For a more stable internet, you want to connect your Echo device to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network band (see your router’s manual for instructions). This also decreases interference from any object/device.
You should also position your Amazon Echo device away from metal objects, microwaves, baby monitors, and anything else that could interfere with your Wi-Fi connection.
6. Reset Your Echo Device
If everything else fails, then resetting your Amazon Echo device is your best bet to fixing the problem. As you probably know, performing a factory reset will erase all settings, including any unseen bug—probably caused by incorrect settings.
So, here’s how to perform a factory reset on your Amazon Echo Device (Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, etc.) via the Alexa app:
- Open the Alexa app on your phone and tap the menu icon in the top left-hand corner (the menu icon looks like three horizontal lines).
- Tap Devices from the drop-down and then tap Echo & Alexa. Next, select your Echo device (Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, etc.).
- Now scroll down and tap Factory Reset and then follow the on-screen instructions to confirm the reset.
If your Echo device is 3rd generation or so, you can also reset it via the device by pressing and holding down the Microphone button and the Volume button simultaneously. Hold until the light ring on your Echo device blinks orange, signifying the reset was successful.
Now, reconnect your Echo device to your router and then try reconfiguring and connecting to Spotify. Hopefully, it should connect to Spotify.
Wrapping Up
So that’s how to fix connectivity issues between Alexa and Spotify.
As you can see, there may be several reasons behind the connection problems, so be sure to try all the troubleshooting steps—one of them should work for you.
But if the issue persists, contact Amazon or Spotify for further help.
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