Soundbar 700 - Alexa can't play from spotify? I bought the Soundbar 700 to replace my SoundTouch 300 knowing the sound was identical for the sole purpose of having Alexa built in. Now I'm finding out she can't even play my Spotify playlists - I still have to go into the Bose music or Spotify app to play music!
Amazon has already filled millions of homes with the Alexa assistant through its suite of smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot (available from Amazon). Now, after years of waiting, Amazon has finally announced multi-room audio support. In layman's terms, that means users can synchronize their music across their Echo, Dot, and Echo Show.
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Right now, you'll be able to sync audio from Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Pandora. If you're like me and use Spotify, support for that and Sirius XM is supposedly coming soon. Although there are workarounds you can use to bypass this restriction, it's honestly more hassle than it's worth.
If you own multiple Echo speakers, here are the steps to setup multi-room support:
- Go to 'Settings' in the Alexa app
- Scroll down until you find 'Audio Groups' and select 'Multi-Room Music'
- Next, you'll create a group for some or all of your speakers. Something like 'Upstairs' or 'Everywhere'
- That's it! Setup should be complete.
To use multi-room audio, all you have to do is say where you want your music to play using the group you created during setup. 'Alexa, play Lady Gaga downstairs' will prompt all of your grouped devices to blare 'Bad Romance'—perfect for an impromptu dance party.
When we tried it out, we discovered that each Echo speaker you own can only be in one group, making it impossible to have an 'Everywhere' group include speakers in an 'Upstairs' group, but Amazon will likely fix this flaw in future software updates.
While support only currently exists for Echo devices, Amazon also released new tools for developers that will allow companies to integrate their speakers with Alexa multi-room audio, as well as allow Alexa to control third-party speaker systems like those from Sonos and Bose.
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Has your smart speaker become a beloved member of your family? From its spot on your kitchen counter, bedside table, or living room entertainment unit, these devices can provide hours of audio entertainment. Spotify Free users will be able to hear their favorite music on even more smart speakers, including from Amazon, Sonos, and Bose.
That’s right—free users in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. will, for the first time, be able to ask Alexa to play Today’s Top Hits, their Discover Weekly, or a custom-made playlist on their Amazon Echo or Fire TV. Not sure how to link your Spotify account to your new Alexa, or set Spotify as your default music player? Learn how here.
Free users around the world can also set up Spotify Connect with their Sonos speakers directly from the Spotify app. Spotify Connect works with all Sonos speakers, including the new Sonos Move, a durable, battery-powered smart speaker for great sound indoors, outdoors, and on the go. You can also connect wirelessly with the SYMFONISKIKEA WiFi Speaker—fully integrated in the Sonos Home Sound System—to play music in any or every room for a rich, home-filling sound.
Spotify Free Users can now start streaming through their Bose smart speakers and soundbars as well. Through Spotify Connect, you can use Spotify on your smartphone or desktop as a remote to get the jams going.
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To play music using your Smart Speaker through Spotify Connect, first make sure that your Sonos or Bose system is updated to the latest firmware. Then open the Spotify app on your phone, laptop or tablet. Play any song, then select the “devices” icon. Finally, select the device you want to stream from and start listening. For more detailed instructions, visit our support page.
Incorporating Spotify into these devices is all part of our goal to create a truly frictionless experience for our users. Play from your phone, transition to your smart speaker, back to the phone, over to the car—with just a tap or the sound of your voice.
Head over to Spotify Everywhere to see more of the smart devices that allow free users to stream their favorite music, wherever, whenever.
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Update June 23, 2020: Starting today, Spotify Free users in the U.K., Ireland, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Mexico, will begin to be able to stream Spotify through Amazon Alexa. Both Spotify Free and Premium users in India will also be able to stream Spotify through Amazon Alexa for the first time.