3 Easy Steps To Play SoundCloud On Alexa (2023 How-To)

Thanks to Alexa, listening to music has never been easier.

All you have to do is say things like…

“Alexa, play jazz.”

And you can relax or do tasks with your favorite tunes in the background.

Now the question is…

Can you play music from SoundCloud, too?

If so, how do you do that?

Read on to find out:

• How to create an Alexa skill to play SoundCloud.
• Playing Soundcloud through Alexa Sonos speakers.
• 3 easy steps to play SoundCloud on Alexa through your phone.
• And much, much more…

How to play SoundCloud on Alexa?

To play Soundcloud on Alexa, you can use any Sonos smart speaker. For other Alexa speakers, you have to use indirect methods, like Bluetooth pairing. That’s because Alexa only streams from supported services, and Soundcloud isn’t integrated yet. 

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3 steps to play SoundCloud on Alexa

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#1: Use a Sonos smart speaker

Did you know? According to a report, Amazon Echo devices dominate with 70% of the market share.

That directly reflects how many people get Echo devices for their homes. And surely not just one device. Others would have one for every family member.

Echo devices are that good. 

With that, Alexa becomes a staple in almost every household. As an AI assistant, she’s very reliable.

However, she’s not all-powerful…

For example…

You want a direct integration of SoundCloud and Alexa…

Well, Sonos is pretty much your only choice.

Remember that SoundCloud doesn’t connect to Alexa in a way that Amazon Music integrates with an Echo Dot.

Then what if you already have a Sonos smart speaker?

You can’t start streaming SoundCloud just yet.

First, you have to add SoundCloud to the Sonos controller app (available on iOS and Android).

Then follow these quick steps to connect your SoundCloud to Sonos:

1. Open the Sonos app on your phone.
2. Go to ‘Settings,’ then select ‘Services.’
3. On the next page, tap ‘Add a Service’ under ‘Music & Content.’
4. Look for SoundCloud on the list of music services.
5. Click the app and ‘Add to Sonos.’
6. Add your SoundCloud account.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to SoundCloud.

Now, once you’ve added SoundCloud to your Sonos app, you have access via Alexa.

Note: Sonos only allows one SoundCloud account at a time. Unlike in other music services (e.g. Spotify), you can’t use multiple personal accounts.

To better understand these instructions, check out this video:

What can you do with SoundCloud on Sonos? 

Did you know?

Playing music isn’t the only thing you can do with SoundCloud on Sonos.

So here are some activities you might enjoy, too:

• Search by Artist & Track.
• Browse the artists you follow and the music you like.
• Stream the playlists you created in the SoundCloud app.
• Like the current song you’re playing through the Sonos app.

Tip: Upgrade your SoundCloud account with a Go+ subscription. This way, you have access to the extended catalog through your Sonos speakers.

#2: Connect your phone to your Alexa speaker

What if you already have an Alexa smart speaker?

And it’s not Sonos?

Well, I got the solution for you.

For this step, you have to rely on the Bluetooth capabilities of your smart speaker.

Although Alexa will come in handy, this method doesn’t provide a hands-free experience.

Why?

Because you can’t command Alexa to play SoundCloud. So you have to open the app through your phone.

Nonetheless, this is the easiest way out for now. While we wait for a true SoundCloud integration.

Though, you need to pair Alexa with your mobile phone first.

So here’s how to…

Ask Alexa to pair with your mobile phone

These steps will be over in a few seconds.

To start, say the magic words…

“Alexa, pair.”

And this will turn on the pairing mode on your Alexa device.

Once you have that out of the way…

Follow these steps to start pairing:

1. Turn on the phone with your SoundCloud account.
2. Go to your phone’s ‘Settings’.
3. From there, turn on your Bluetooth.
4. Under the available devices, locate your Alexa speaker.
5. If it’s not showing, tap ‘Look for nearby devices’ or the equivalent on your phone.
6. Click on your Alexa speaker.
7. Wait for the pairing to finish.

When the connection has been established, Alexa will let you know.

Use the Alexa app to pair it with your mobile phone

Here’s a more roundabout way to achieve the same effect.

If, for some reason, you can’t talk to Alexa…

You can try this method to start pairing mode:

1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Go to ‘Devices’ > ‘Echo & Alexa.’
3. Click on your Alexa device.
4. On its settings page, select ‘Pair Alexa Gadget.’
5. Exit the Alexa app.

After which, you can follow the same steps above to create a Bluetooth connection.

Read more: 7 Steps To Connect Alexa To Bluetooth iPhone

“Will I lose the connection?”

Whichever method you choose, it’s a one-time thing only.

Remember, the devices will lose the connection when you turn off your Bluetooth.

Plus, your phone will also automatically turn off Bluetooth when not in use.

Don’t fret – you don’t have to do this process all over again…

Because you can just use this command:

“Alexa, connect to [your phone’s name].”

Note: Make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on before attempting to pair.

Then Alexa will re-establish the connection. And you can play SoundCloud through your phone again.

How to play SoundCloud through your Alexa speakers

Now all you have to do is play SoundCloud on your phone.

Open the SoundCloud app, and play anything you want.

Because your phone is connected to an external speaker, any audio goes there.

And like I said above, it’s not a hands-free experience.

So you can’t use voice commands.

With that, all you can do is ask Alexa to pair your devices.

But you have to manually play your SoundCloud songs on your phone.

Tip: Your calls will go through the speaker, as well. Make it a habit to disconnect or turn off your phone’s Bluetooth after your SoundCloud session. Doing this prevents accidents and keeps your conversations private.

#3: Connect your computer to your Alexa speaker

Is your SoundCloud on your computer?

Then you can pair your Alexa speaker to it instead of your phone.

As long as your computer has Bluetooth, you can adapt the instructions above for your Mac or PC.

If your iPhone is prone to overheating, you may want to choose this option instead.

Right, so let’s get down to it real quick.

First, prepare the 2 devices by:

1. Turn on your Alexa device.
2. On your computer, go to ‘Settings’ (or ‘Preferences’ for macOS).
3. Proceed to ‘Bluetooth’ and turn on your Bluetooth.

Now, let’s start the pairing:

1. On your computer, go to alexa.amazon.com on any web browser.
2. Log into your Alexa account.
3. Navigate to ‘Settings.’
4. Click on the name of the Alexa device you want to use.
5. Select ‘Bluetooth,’ then ‘Pair a New Device.’
6. Look for your computer on the list of available nearby devices.
7. Select your computer’s name.
8. Your computer will receive a prompt asking for permission to pair with your Alexa device.
9. Click ‘Allow.’

After you complete these steps, your computer should now be paired with your Alexa device.

Note: Similar to how it works with your phone, any audio from your computer goes through the speaker.

Likewise, you can always re-establish the connection later by using voice commands.

Just make sure to turn on your computer’s Bluetooth, then say…

“Alexa, connect to [your computer’s name].”

How to play SoundCloud through your Alexa speakers

“Is the SoundCloud app available on computers?”

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the SoundCloud app is only available on Windows 10.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t play SoundCloud on macOS.

After all, your SoundCloud account is still accessible via the web version.

Now all you need to do is sign in via the SoundCloud website, and stream from there.

#Bonus: Create an Alexa skill

Are you determined about streaming SoundCloud on Alexa?

Well, I can’t blame you.

As I know that hands-free experience can get pretty addicting. 

Furthermore, using voice commands to access SoundCloud is quite helpful when your hands are full.

So if you’re up to it, I can show you how to make SoundCloud compatible with Alexa using a skill.

But, just a word of warning: the process isn’t going to be easy.

For one, you need an Alexa developer account. That also means you must know how the Alexa Developer Console works.

Regardless, it’s not an impossible task. 

And just in 2021, Amazon claimed that Alexa now hosts over 130,000 skills.

So, are you ready to have a go at this method?

First…

Look for an Alexa skill template

Now use platforms like Github and Dabble Lab as starting points, but it’s fine to look elsewhere.

I’d use the Magic Jukebox template, though.

All you have to do is download the source code onto your computer.

Create the Skill on Alexa Developer Console

Step 1: Log into your account on developer.amazon.com. Make sure it’s the same account linked to your Alexa device.

Step 2: Choose ‘Create Skill.’

Step 3: Create a name for your skill, and select ‘Custom Model.’

Step 4: Next, choose the method for hosting the skill’s backend resources. This depends on the source code’s programming language.

Step 5: On the top right corner of the skill, click ‘Create Skill’ again. 

Step 6: Wait for a few minutes as the console completes the process.

Step 7: Once done, open the ‘JSON Editor.’

Step 8: Paste the JSON code from the template.

Step 9: Go to the ‘Interfaces’ section and turn on ‘Audio Player.’

Step 10: Navigate to ‘Code’ and open the index file.

Step 11: Copy the code from your template’s index file and paste it into the console.

Step 12: Within the code, there’s an object that’s responsible for the streaming instance.

Step 13: Find the code and replace the target URL with Soundcloud’s web address.

Step 14: Save your code and deploy.

Now, make sure to…

Enable testing for the skill

1. Go to the ‘Test’ tab.
2. If disabled, look for ‘Test is disabled for this skill’.

At this point, the drop-down list is displaying ‘Off’.

Set the selection to ‘Development’ as your skill-testing stage.

3. If already enabled, look for the ‘Skill testing is enabled’ option.

Set it to ‘Development’.

After following these steps, you’re now free to test your SoundCloud skill.

Try saying…

“Alexa, ask Magic Jukebox to play [artist name].”

Note: Some skill templates may have their own set of instructions. Refer to those directions instead, but you can use our guide above for reference.