13 Reasons Why Alexa Has Stopped Playing Spotify

Conversing with Alexa is so comfortable and convenient in today’s world that she has become a part of our family. She responds to every question, does every task you ask for, and even plays music on different music streaming apps. But what if Alexa suddenly stops playing Spotify?

Common reasons for Alexa not playing Spotify could be outdated software, Spotify not being linked with Alexa, you have a weak internet connection, Alexa did not get your command, or you have muted Alexa. To fix these, you need to check each of them and troubleshoot. If nothing works, power cycle or reset your device.

Are you facing this problem? Then this guide is all you need. By the end of this article, you will learn why Alexa is not playing Spotify and the easy solutions to fix it.

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Table of Contents

Understanding the Issue

Spotify has been a famous music streaming app for years.

While Amazon Alexa uses their own streaming service, Amazon Music, it also connects you to other streaming apps, and Spotify is one of them.

Since Spotify is integrated with Alexa, enjoying music on Spotify has become more convenient for Alexa device users.

You only need to command Alexa to play songs from the app.

One day, as usual, I woke up in the morning, and while enjoying my coffee, I commanded Alexa to play some soothing morning music on Spotify.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t playing anything.

I tried changing my command variations, but Alexa kept failing to play any song.

I listen to most music on Spotify daily, especially in the morning.

It helps me energize to stay active for the rest of the day.

So, it was very frustrating for me to find no response.

Upon inspection, I found that, somehow, Spotify got unlinked.

So, I had to link it again with the correct account, and then it started playing songs.

I had a straightforward issue.

But there are several such issues which we, the users, do not know.

Out of curiosity, I researched the problem in detail.

I discovered several other causes that can make your Alexa stop playing songs on Spotify. Most of them are silly and easy to fix.

In this section, I will share with you all those reasons and the solutions so that you can enjoy songs on Spotify seamlessly without any interruption:

Sound on the Alexa device is muted or set at a low volume

If your Alexa is not responding to your command to play Spotify, begin with some basic inspection.

For example, the device might be muted or set at a low volume.

If that’s the case, your device will not hear you or respond to any of your commands.

To deal with the problem, look at the top of the Alexa device, and you will find a microphone mute button.

The icon will be a microphone with a slash.

Press that button and try commanding Alexa to play on Spotify.

If your device still does not respond, press the button again and try commanding.

If Alexa doesn’t reply, the device isn’t muted in the first place.

So, press the button again and try commanding.

Another cause might be that the volume is turned off.

Some Alexa devices, like the Echo Generation 3, are very loud.

So, many users turn the volume low.

If you have the same device, try turning up your device’s volume.

If Alexa responds, your problem is fixed.

Command her to play music on Spotify and enjoy.

Conflicting names for Alexa devices

If you have more than one speaker or smart home group with similar names, Alexa can get confused and won’t respond when you ask her to play on Spotify.

In that case, you must put a unique name for the devices or groups to avoid conflict.

Open the Alexa app from your smartphone and check under DEVICES whether the naming convention is correct.

If you need to put unique names, open your Echo device’s name and rename it.

You can set names for multiple speakers via the Alexa app:

Open the app and tap on DEVICES. Here, you will find the names of your device or group.

Tap on the device or group name you want to rename.
Press SETTINGS or the EDIT button at the top and edit the name.
Complete the process by following the on-screen prompts.

When you say, “Play music in the <Smart Home Group name>, Alexa will play music on the speaker.

Playlist name issue

Sometimes, Alexa cannot follow up on the playlist name you have asked her to play the songs from.

In that case, try checking the playlist name and also change it if needed.

Avoid punctuations, complicated names, or acronyms in the playlist name. It should be a simple and easy one for Alexa to catch.

Some people use the same names and put numbers beside them.

Avoid this, too.

To check and rename the playlist:

Open the Spotify app, and tap on the YOUR LIBRARY tab.
Tap on your playlist.

Click on the 3-dot icon and then select EDIT PLAYLIST.
Tap on the existing name and provide a simple and easy-to-understand name.

Network Connectivity

Alexa devices will work on internet connections.

If your Alexa is not responding, you might be facing network issues.

Alexa typically tells you if it isn’t connected to the internet.

There will be a red ring light if you have an Echo Dot 3 or beyond.

If you see this, check for the network connections.

If they work, open your Alexa app on your smartphone and check that it is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.

If not, disconnect and reconnect your Alexa to your home network.

If everything is fine, but there is still a problem, maybe the Amazon servers are temporarily down, and Alexa cannot process your voice commands for now.

You have to wait until the servers come back.

Spotify is not linked to Alexa

Spotify should stay linked to Alexa.

Otherwise, it won’t play music or respond to your voice commands.

To check and verify it:

Go to the Alexa app.

Go to SETTINGS and then PREFERENCES.
Select MUSIC AND PODCASTS, and then select LINK NEW SERVICE.
Select Spotify and link Spotify with Alexa.

Spotify Account Connection

Your Alexa won’t play Spotify if you have not logged into your Spotify account or connected to the correct account.

After linking Spotify with Alexa, you must provide the login credentials to log in to your Spotify account.

Check it in the Alexa app.

Find the Spotify skill in the app, and check whether you are logged in.

If not, immediately log in to activate your Spotify account.

After that, Spotify will email you to confirm the new connection.

Once you have signed in successfully, your Alexa will again start playing Spotify.

Sometimes, users can get logged out accidentally.

In that case, Alexa cannot access your music and podcasts.

Check your login status to ensure you have signed in.

App or Skill Updates

Every app runs on software that needs to stay updated.

If you have not updated the Alexa app or Spotify, Alexa will neither respond to you nor play Spotify.

You must update the Spotify and Alexa apps from the App Store and Google Play Store on your iOS and Android phones, respectively.

Open the respective store, search for the app, and check for updates.

If there is any, click the UPDATE button and download the latest version.

You will find a blue dot next to the MENU button at the top right on your Homescreen for desktops and laptops.

Click on it, and select the UPDATE AVAILABLE RESTART NOW option to update your apps to the latest version.

It should respond and play music.

Spotify’s shuffle is turned on

Keeping the shuffle on in your Spotify can sometimes create issues with the Alexa devices.

As a result, your device may not respond when you ask it to play Spotify.

So, try turning it off:

Open the Spotify app.
Scroll and go to the NOW PLAYING box. The shuffle button will be green if the shuffle is active.
Click on the Shuffle button to turn it off.

Voice Commands and Communication

Wrong voice commands can stop the Alexa device from playing music.

When you say, “Alexa, play music,” that won’t work.

You need to take Spotify and command Alexa to specifically play music from Spotify, especially if you have multiple music apps and Spotify is not the default player.

Fortunately, you can set Spotify as your default music streaming app from within the Alexa mobile app. We will address that in the next point.

You must also structure your command to make it clear for Alexa.

For example, if you want Alexa to play an exact playlist on Spotify, say, “Alexa, play <the name of the playlist> on Spotify.”

You do not have to add “my” to the command, as that can confuse the app, leading the app not to play.

Here are some simple Alexa commands for Spotify:

Stop or Pause.

Play or Resume
Shuffle or Stop Shuffle
Alexa, play <song name> from Spotify.

Alexa, play <playlist name> from Spotify.

If Alexa is the default music app, you may not have to say “from Spotify.”

These are the commands I mostly use.

Some Alexa features and services will vary based on the country and the device type.

Spotify is not set as the default music player

If your device is not playing Spotify, you did not specify Spotify.

This happens when Spotify is not your default music streaming app.

If you do not want to specify every time, try setting the app as your default music app.

When Spotify gets set as a default music, you do not always have to mention Spotify’s name while commanding Alexa to play the song.

Instead of saying, “Alexa, play <song name> from Spotify,” you can say, “Alexa, play <song name>.”

To make Spotify your default music streaming app:

Take your iPhone or Android phone and open the Alexa app.
Select SETTINGS.

Choose MUSIC & PODCASTS.
Choose SPOTIFY as your default music player.
Press DONE, and you can now play music on Spotify without any problem.

Try testing Alexa by saying, “Alexa, play music.”

If it works, you have fixed the problem.

Podcasts are not supported by this method. You must mention Spotify while playing podcasts from Spotify through the voice commands.

Alexa is not linked with the correct account

If you have multiple Spotify accounts, Alexa will not play songs from Spotify if you have not linked the correct account.

You need to link the correct account and make it a default one. After that, Alexa will play songs on Spotify.

Many users have two or more accounts on Spotify; one is the Premium one, and the others are the Free versions.

If you have more than one account, link the correct one.

Otherwise, Alexa won’t play songs due to the incompatibility.

Be careful while pairing the devices, and ensure that the accounts are correctly registered.

Based on your location, Alexa may work with Spotify Premium only.

In that case, you must get the Premium one to play Spotify on Alexa.

Spotify has to be on the Premium version to use voice commands if you want to play Spotify on Alexa via voice commands.

If you do not want to buy the Premium version, try other music streaming apps, like Amazon Music.

Software errors

Sometimes, some software errors and glitches can stop Alexa from playing Spotify.

But unfortunately, you cannot identify the problem.

In that case, revoke Alexa’s access from Spotify and relink Spotify with Alexa again.

The easiest method is changing the default music player to Amazon Music and setting it to Spotify again.

To unlink the Spotify app from Alexa via the app:

Open the app and tap MORE.
Tap the SETTINGS menu and go to MUSIC AND PODCASTS.
Choose Spotify in the list and tap on it.

Click the button saying DISABLE SKILL, and confirm your choice.

On the Spotify website:

Click on the profile and tap on ACCOUNT.
Click APPS on the list, and look for Alexa that has access to Spotify.
Tap on REMOVE ACCESS and verify your choice.

Once you have unlinked it, close the app, refresh it, and go to the app and website again.

In the same way, go to your website and app, select LINK ACCOUNT, and follow the on-screen prompts.

This should fix the problem. If it doesn’t, try other troubleshooting ways.

The profanity filter was turned on

The profanity or Explicit filters can sometimes stop Alexa from playing Spotify as a safety measure.

This setting is active when you have children at home and want to keep them from listening to explicit songs and content.

All you need to do is turn it off:

Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.
Tap on the MORE option and select SETTINGS.
Scroll down and tap on MUSIC AND PODCASTS, and then EXPLICIT FILTER.
Please turn it off on the following on-screen prompt.
Now, check whether Spotify is working.

Try other troubleshooting tips

If you cannot solve the above issue with the provided troubleshooting steps, try following the solutions in this section.

Sometimes, some temporary glitches are responsible for Alexa not playing Spotify.

Trying these solutions might solve the issue, and Alexa can again start playing Spotify:

Remove Echo from Spotify

If you still have communication problems with your Alexa device, especially with Spotify, Remove the Alexa device from your Spotify.

For that:

Log in to your Spotify app.
Go to SETTINGS and remote the device, for example, Echo.
Shut down the app and restart your phone.
Open the Spotify app and pair the Alexa device with your Spotify after the reboot.

Clear cache and app data on both apps

Try cleaning the cache and app data from both apps. Too much data and cache can lead to overloading and temporary glitches, for which Alexa does not play Spotify.

Not only with Spotify, this can happen to any other app connected to your Alexa devices.

To clear app caches and data:

Open SETTINGS on your smartphone.
Go to the APP SETTINGS.
Tap on the Spotify app, find the storage option, and tap CLEAR/DELETE CACHE.

Similarly, find and tap on the Alexa app, find the storage option, and clear the caches.

After that, restart your phone and check whether Alexa is playing Spotify.

Restart your phone and Alexa device

When Alexa has issues with Spotify, one of the simple fixes is to restart the phone and the device.

It will refresh your phone and can even clear the bugs and glitches.

If you are not having trouble connecting the device to the Wi-Fi, unplug and replug the device.

To restart a device with removable batteries, for example, Echo Dot 4th Gen, remove the batteries and again return them in place.

Do not worry; restarting will not do anything with your customized preferences.

Reinstall the apps

If you still cannot fix it, try deleting both the Spotify and Alexa apps and reinstalling them.

Uninstall the apps, restart your phone, and install them back.

Now, link the Spotify account with Alexa in the Alexa app.

Power cycling the device

Another simple solution is to power cycle the device.

This troubleshooting step gives you a high chance of solving the problem.

I recommend turning off the device for 5 to 30 seconds and then turning it on.

Here’s what you need to do:

Unplug the device from the power source.
Wait for at least 15-30 seconds.
Now plug back your device into the power outlet.
Your device will start when the blue right light starts spinning.

For battery-powered devices, open the batteries and let it be for 15-30 seconds.

After that, put back the batteries and start your device.

After you turn it on, check whether everything is working correctly.

Resetting the Device

Resetting the Alexa device should be used as a last resort.

If you have tried all the troubleshooting tips mentioned above and still cannot fix the problem, resetting can solve it.

Resetting the device will remove all your customized settings and preferences.

You have to connect your device to the Wi-Fi, link Spotify and login to the accounts, set it as a default music app if you had set it before, and many other things.

It can be a real pain, but this can solve most of your problems.

Factory resetting your Alexa device will be different based on the different models. But resetting the Alexa app is easy.

Go to the Alexa app, and then Settings → Device options → Reset to Factory Defaults → Confirm reset.

For different devices, follow the following instructions or follow the owner manual:

Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Gen: Press the Microphone Off and Volume Down buttons for 20 seconds.
Amazon Echo Dot 3rd and 4th Gen: Hold and press the Action button for 25 seconds.
Amazon Echo Plus 1st Gen: Push the Reset button with a paperclip, pen, or another small tool.
Amazon Echo Plus 2nd Gen: Hold and press the Action button for 20 seconds.
Amazon Echo Show: Hold and press the Mute and Volume Down buttons for 15 seconds.

Contacting Amazon Support

If you have exhausted all the troubleshooting steps above, contact the Amazon support team for help.

You can contact them through the Alexa app, Amazon account, or website.

Contact them, talk with them, and discuss your problems.

Also, share the troubleshooting steps you have taken.

They will provide proper guidance and solutions so that Alexa can start playing Spotify again.

You can also find their contact number and call them directly to receive the solution over the phone.

If you are not in a hurry, you also have the option to talk to them through live chats and emails.

Preventive Measures

Ensure that you have linked Alexa with Spotify and logged into your Spotify account. Also, if you have multiple accounts, ensure you are signed into the correct one.
Ensure a strong network connection when using Alexa devices to play Spotify.
Use unique and straightforward names for your Alexa devices and the playlists on Spotify.
Keep both Alexa and Spotify apps updated to stay free from bugs and glitches and avoid uninterrupted songs.
Use the correct and clear commands so that Alexa understands your words and communicates with you appropriately. Mention Spotify if you want Alexa to play music from it.
You can set Spotify as the default music player. In that case, you do not always have to specify Spotify.
Check for mute and volume buttons in the Alexa device before playing Spotify.
Sometimes, you can delete the apps, restart your device and phone, and again reinstall them. It can clear the bugs and glitches and stop you from facing this problem.

Final Thoughts

It is unlikely to run into problems with Spotify on Alexa devices. In most cases, the problem is either with the network issues or skill settings. Ensure a strong Wi-Fi connection and check that Spotify and Alexa are linked and that you’re logged in.

Use simple names for your Alexa devices and playlist names to avoid conflicts. Always keep your apps up to date. You can set Spotify as your default music player. It can reduce the number of words to use while commanding Alexa and playing Spotify becomes easier.

Try other troubleshooting tips like unlinking and relinking, clearing caches and data apps, uninstalling and reinstalling, restarting, power cycling, and resetting to solve such problems. Problems related to software glitches can be solved with these solutions.

Why is it showing “You are not eligible to enable this skill due to geographical restrictions” while playing on Spotify?

It means that Spotify won’t play in your country. In that case, try changing the country name in the ACCOUNT COUNTRY settings on the Amazon website. Or, see if your country uses only the Premium version; get it for yourself and enjoy.

Can’t I use Spotify for free?

Yes, you can use it. But you have to deal with lots of ads. Additionally, some regions allow only Premium versions.

Reference: Spotify, Amazon Alexa Wikipedia