How To Search For Music On Alexa App

Your Amazon Echo possesses many skills and abilities, but its career as a DJ is probably at the top of the list. Through your Echo, you can listen to music in a variety of ways, through many different sources. And the process is the same no matter which Echo device you own.

If you're looking to stream your own media library through an Echo device, Amazon doesn't make it easy. Previously, you could upload music to Amazon Music Storage for playback on Echo devices, but Amazon killed that service in early 2019. Now your best bet is to stream music via Bluetooth from your PC (more on that below) or connect to a service like Plex.

As a result, the easiest way to listen to music on an Echo device is through a music-streaming service. By default, your Echo will link to Amazon Music. If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can snag more than 2 million songs from Prime Music for free, or 60 million if you upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited. But you can also access other popular services and wirelessly stream music to your Echo device from your mobile phone, tablet, or computer. Here's how.

'Alexa, Play Some Music'

After you set up your Amazon Echo, you can link several different music services, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn, and Vevo.

You'll need an account with each service before you can access it through your Echo. With some, a free account will suffice. With others, you need to pony up for a paid subscription. Vevo offers music videos, so it requires an Echo Show; the other services work with any Echo.

Link New Services

If you want to listen to music through your favorite streaming service, you will first need to link it with the Alexa app. Tap the hamburger menu in the top-left corner and go to Settings > Music & Podcasts. Amazon Music should be listed, but you may see other services too.

Let's try adding a few select services. Tap the button to Link New Service. Choose the service you want added to your Echo device.

Once you're connected, you can ask Alexa to play music ("Alexa, play Kelly Clarkson") or select your Echo within a music app and have it play through your device. Here's how to connect a few specific music apps.

Add Pandora

If you want to add Pandora to your Echo device, tap the entry for it at the "Link New Service" screen. At the Pandora skills page, tap the Enable to Use button.

Enter the credentials you use with Pandora, and approve the request for Alexa to access your account. Once your account is set up on the device, you'll be returned to the Pandora skill page, which will say that the service has been successfully linked. Tap Done and you can start listening to music.

Add Spotify

To listen to all that Spotify has to offer on an Echo, you'll need a paid Spotify Premium subscription, which costs $9.99 per month. Those with a free Spotify account can ask Alexa to play Today's Top Hits, their Discover Weekly, or a custom-made playlist. Tap Spotify to link the account to Alexa. Sign into your Spotify account and then tap Agree to allow Alexa access to your Spotify data.

Add Deezer

If you want to use your Deezer account, tap the Deezer icon. At the skills page, tap the Enable to Use button to add the service to your device.

Sign into your Deezer account and tap the Accept button to grant Alexa permission to access your Deezer account. Tap Done at the page confirming that Deezer has been successfully linked and then start listening.

Set Default Services

Continue adding any other services you wish to use. Scroll to the bottom of the Music page in the Alexa app. You should see all the new services you previously added. Alexa can now play music using these services, but you will have to specify from where the music should come.

For example, you can say "Alexa, play the Rolling Stones from Apple Music," or "Alexa, play the news from iHeartRadio." However, setting a specific service as the default means Alexa will turn to that service automatically without you specifying its name.

Tap Default Services and select the service you wish to set as the default for music. At this screen, you can also set the default station for artist and genre, a handy option if you want to tell Alexa to play music from an artist such as the Beatles or Beethoven, or a specific genre such as a rock or jazz station.

Now, ask Alexa to play a song, album, artist, genre, station, or other item from some of the services you added. Instead of specifying the service you want to use, you can simply tell Alexa what you want to play and it will pull the music from the appropriate place.

Stream From Your Phone Via Bluetooth

You can also stream music from your mobile device to your Echo via Bluetooth. With your phone or tablet nearby, say "Alexa, pair," and your Echo goes into pairing mode.

Open the Bluetooth settings screen on your device and wait for the Echo to show up in the list of devices available for pairing. It should appear as Echo-XXX. Tap the name to connect your device with the Echo. Once the two devices are connected, Alexa will announce the connection.

Alexa app device management settings page

To pair your mobile device with your Echo via the Alexa app, tap Devices > Echo & Alexa, then select the Echo device you want to pair with your phone or tablet. In the Connected Devices section, tap the entry to Pair Alexa Gadget.

Then open the Bluetooth settings screen on your mobile device and tap the name listed for your Echo. Your Echo is then connected.

Echo device in computer Bluetooth settings

Now when you open a music app on your phone or tablet, the audio will play through your Echo device. You can then control playback with your mobile device or by talking to Alexa.

Disconnect From Mobile Device

To disconnect your Echo from your mobile device, say "Alexa, disconnect from [name of device]." Alexa responds "Now disconnected from [name of device]." To reconnect, say "Alexa, connect to [name of device]." Alexa responds "Searching. Now connected to [name of device]."

You can also disconnect through the Alexa app. Open the screen for your Echo device and tap Bluetooth Devices. Tap the down arrow next to the name of your device and select Disconnect Device.

Stream From a Computer

You can stream music from your computer to your Echo device. Let's use a Windows 10 computer as an example. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your PC. Go to the Amazon Alexa page and sign in with your Amazon account. Navigate to Settings and click the name of your Echo device.

Select Bluetooth and click Pair a New Device to link the computer with your Echo. When your computer appears in the list of devices to be paired, select it. You should then receive a notification in Windows 10 asking to pair the device. Click Allow. After the pairing completes, close the Pair Device window.

Now you can play music from iTunes, Windows Media Player, or any other audio program on your PC and hear the sound piped through your Echo.

Disconnect From a Computer

To sever the connection, return to the Bluetooth settings screen on your computer, click the name of the Echo, and then click the Disconnect button. To reconnect in the future, click the Connect button or just say "Alexa, reconnect [name of computer]."

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