“Oh, that sucks. My favorite artist left Spotify.”
Then, maybe it’s time to look for a new music streaming service.
My pick? Apple Music.
With its unique features and great design, this is a no-brainer.
The only question is, will it work on an Alexa device?
Keep reading to discover:
- Which Alexa device works best with Apple Music.
- How to play Apple Music on 8 different Alexa devices.
- Amazing features you can do with Apple Music using Alexa.
- 5 swift ways to fix your Alexa device if it can’t use Apple Music.
- And so much more…
Does Alexa work with Apple Music?
Alexa works with Apple Music if you have an Alexa-capable device. For instance, Amazon’s own devices like the Echo Dot or Show. Some smart TVs and speakers can also use Alexa. However, this feature is only available in the USA, UK, Canada, and other select countries.
6 steps to play Apple Music on an Alexa device
Step #1: Choose an Alexa device
There are too many Alexa devices on the market.
From speakers, to soundbars, to TVs…
Which 1 should you get?
I’d say go for the Amazon Echo Dot.
It’s an official Amazon device that offers the following features:
- Security and privacy.
- Make calls, even to landline.
- Intensive smart home controls.
- Personalized content for each person in the house.
But, its price truly separates the Echo Dot from other Alexa competitors.
The Echo Dot retails at around $39.99 as of July 2022.
In comparison, here’s how much other Alexa devices cost:
It’s the cheapest one, right? That’s why we’re going to focus on the Echo Dot.
However, if you have a different Alexa device, don’t worry. The instructions should remain largely similar.
Step #2: Set up your Alexa device
This step is a little different for each Alexa device.
However, they should be similar enough across all devices that you won’t get lost.
First, take your Alexa gadget out of the box. After that, follow these steps to set it up:
- Insert the power cord into your device.
- Connect the other end of the cord to a power source.
- If applicable, connect the audio jack to the device and to its input.
- Tap the Power button.
There should be a visual or an audio indicator that your device is ready to pair. Sometimes both.
For Echo Dot, the indicators are blue lights in the rear and a voice saying:
“Hello, your device is ready for set up.”
Once you hear something along those lines, head to the next step of the process.
Step #3: Connect your smartphone to the Alexa device
Do you remember when I said, “The instructions should remain largely similar”?
This step is where everything is different for each device.
But, as I said, you shouldn’t worry…
Because I’ll walk you through each of them with in-depth details.
For Echo Dot and Echo Show
Let’s start with Amazon’s own devices first:
This is for Amazon Echo Dot and Echo Show. And the instructions on how to connect your smartphone to these devices are as follows:
Note: Before you start, ensure that your Echo device has orange lights. If not, press and hold the Action button until the colors turn orange.
- Download the Alexa app on your phone. (Available on Android and iOS).
- Create an Amazon account here.
- Sign in using that same Amazon account on the Alexa app.
- Go to the More tab.
- Press Add a Device.
- Under Amazon Echo, select either Echo Dot or Echo Show.
- Once the app finishes scanning, select your Alexa device on the app.
- Finalize the setup by connecting the device to a Wi-Fi network.
For other speakers and soundbars
There are a lot of soundbars out there that offer Alexa.
For my money, I only trust the devices I listed in this article earlier. If you need a refresher, these are the following:
- Polk React.
- Sonos Beam.
- Yamaha YAS-209.
Not only are they Alexa-capable, but they also have fantastic sound quality.
And pairing them to Alexa using your smartphone is easy. All you need to do to connect them is:
Polk React
- Turn on Polk React.
- Wait until your device says that it’s ready for set up.
- Download the Polk Connect app on your phone. (Available on Android and iOS).
- Create a Polk account using the app.
- Once prompted, select your Polk React on the app.
- Sign in using your Amazon account to enable Alexa.
Sonos Beam
- Turn on Sonos Beam.
- Download the Sonos app on your phone. (Available on Android and iOS).
- Press your Sonos Beam on the list of devices in the app.
- Go to the Settings menu of your Sonos app.
- Head to Services & Voice.
- Tap Add a Voice Assistant or Add a Service.
- Select Add Amazon Alexa.
- Sign in using your Amazon account to enable Alexa.
Yamaha YAS-209
- Turn on Sonos Beam.
- Download Yamaha Sound Controller on your phone. (Available on Android and iOS).
- Open the app and go to its main menu.
- Swipe left to see the Settings bar.
- Tap Amazon Alexa.
- Once prompted, sign in using your Amazon account.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finalize the connection process.
For smart TVs
Lastly, you can also use Alexa-enabled TVs to play Apple Music. This is how you can do that:
Samsung (Tizen OS)
- Download the SmartThings app on your phone. (Available on Android and iOS).
- Make a SmartThings account.
- Tap the Add (+) button on the SmartThings app.
- Connect your Samsung TV to SmartThings.
- Next, switch to the Alexa app on your phone.
- Under More, select the Skills & Games option.
- Choose SmartThings, and then press Enable to Use.
- Sign in using your Samsung account, then select Authorize.
Sony (Android or Google OS)
- Grab your Sony TV remote and press the Home button.
- Head to Apps or All Apps.
- Open the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa app.
- On your smartphone, go to the Alexa app.
- Sign in using your Google Account.
- Under More, select the Skills & Games option.
- Press Sony’s TV — Basic.
- Tap your Sony TV once it appears on the list of devices.
LG (webOS)
- Grab your LG TV remote and press the Home button.
- Open the Set Up TV for the Alexa app.
- Download the LG ThinQ app on your smartphone. (Available on Android and iOS).
- Create an LG account for ThinQ.
- Switch to the Alexa app.
- Under More, select the Skills & Games option.
- Press Sony’s TV — Basic.
- “LG ThinQ – Complete (Smart Appliance and TV).”
- Sign in using your LG ThinQ app.
You may also be interested in: Can Alexa Play Music From My iPhone?
Step #4: Link Alexa to Apple Music
Now that your Alexa device is connected to your phone…
You can now start connecting Alexa to Apple Music. To accomplish this, follow these 9 steps:
- Download the Apple Music app.
- If you don’t have 1, create an Apple ID here.
- Sign in to Apple Music using your created Apple ID.
- Switch to the Alexa app.
- Under More, select the Skills & Games option.
- Locate Apple Music and then select Enable to Use.
- Press Settings.
- Tap Link Account.
- Sign in again using your Apple ID.
Fun fact: Although Apple made Apple Music, Android phones can still use the app.
Step #5: Select Apple Music as your default music service
When you say:
“Alexa, play some music.”
What do you think will happen?
Sure, Alexa will play a random song. But, which streaming service will she use?
By default, Alexa will use Spotify unless you specify that she needs to play it on Apple Music.
However, you can change that by selecting Apple Music as your default music service. Do so with these directions:
- Open the Amazon Alexa app.
- Go to More.
- Select the Settings menu.
- Head to Music & Podcasts.
- Press Default Services.
- Set Music to Apple Music.
Step #6: Play some tunes
By now, you should be done.
All that’s left to do is say those 5 magic words:
“Alexa, play me a song.”
Alternatively, here are some other cool things that Alexa can do with Apple Music:
- Set a song as an alarm.
- Request by genre or by an artist.
- Request a song Alexa thinks you’ll like based on your listening history.
Why won’t Alexa play my Apple Music?
Alexa won’t play on Apple Music because it’s unavailable in your region. You can check the availability of this feature using this website.
However, if Apple Music with Alexa is available in your region, you can try these other fixes:
Disable Explicit Filtering
Explicit Filtering is a feature that blocks children from listening to non-PG songs.
While this is a great feature…
As of 2022, this is still unavailable on Apple Music.
If this feature is enabled and you ask Alexa to play something on Apple Music, you’ll get this:
“Your Explicit Filter is on, and Apple Music doesn’t support filtering.”
So, you’ll need to disable this feature. This is achievable with these quick steps:
- Open the Alexa app on your phone.
- Go to More.
- Press Settings.
- Head to Music & Podcasts.
- Set Explicit Language Filter to Off.
Can’t find this feature? No worries.
Instead, watch this video to have a clearer picture of what you need to do:
Relink your Apple Music to Alexa
Another solution you can try is relinking Apple Music to Alexa.
To do that, you’ll have to unlink Apple Music first with these directions:
- Open the Alexa app on your phone.
- Go to More.
- Press Settings.
- Head to Music & Podcasts.
- Select Services.
- Choose Apple Music.
- Tap Disable Skill.
And then, use the steps on “Step #4: Link Alexa to Apple Music” to finish relinking.
Update both the Alexa and Apple Music app
Outdated software could be another culprit of why you have Alexa with Apple Music issues.
To fix this, you’ll have to update both devices. This is how you can do that:
iOS
- Open your App Store.
- Press the profile picture at the top of your screen.
- Tap the Update button next to Apple Music or Alexa.
Android
- Open your Google Play Store.
- Press the profile picture at the top of your screen.
- Select Manage Apps & Device.
- Go to the Manage tab.
- Choose Apple Music or Alexa.
- Tap Update.
Power cycle your devices
You can also try a power cycle to get rid of your issues.
What’s that? It’s a restart that removes all residual charges on your device.
No charges will trigger your device to restart all stuck tasks and processes.
This is how you can do a power cycle in under a minute:
- Shut down your device.
- Remove the device from its power source.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Reconnect the device to the power source.
- Turn it on.
Contact Amazon or Apple
As a last resort, you can also get in touch with Amazon or Apple for all your questions.