Years ago, one of the biggest drawbacks for Amazon Echo device owners was that Alexa could play music, but only if you were a paid subscriber to Amazon Prime, Amazon Music, Spotify, or a other compatible service.
Although Spotify always had a free service mode, which was not compatible with Amazon smart speakers, so you could not enjoy the circumstances with your device.
Now things have changed and you can now listen to Spotify and Amazon’s own ad-supported free music service. Apple Music will remain outside of these Alexa terms, as Redmond claims there will never be a free tier of their service.
Beyond the services of Diffusion, there are other options to be able to listen to music for free, for example via radio stations or via podcasts. Here are tips for Alexa to play music for free and without limitations.
How to Link a Music Service to Alexa
Essentially, this is the same process you will use for any of the services mentioned here.
- Open the Alexa app and tap “More”.
- Click on ‘Settings’.
- Scroll down and tap “Music & Podcasts”.
- Tap the service you want to use (varies by country), then follow the instructions to activate or start the service.
Binding a service usually involves entering your username and password, which means you will need to create an account. However, not all services require an account, such as radio players.
Spotify for free and Alexa
If you’re using Spotify’s free tier, you can link it to your Amazon account in the Alexa app as described above.
Unlike paying customers, those on the free plan cannot request songs of their choice. Instead, they can ask Alexa to play any playlists they’ve previously created, as well as Spotify’s own playlists.
You can also request the ‘Weekly Discovery’ playlist, which is personalized for you, based on your musical tastes. Obviously, your listening will be interrupted by advertisements as if you were using the Spotify app.
Free Amazon Music and Alexa
Amazon, which isn’t particularly well-known, offers a free tier of its ad-supported music service. It gives you access to the 2 million songs available to Amazon Prime subscribers, but like Spotify, you can’t ask Alexa to play specific songs.
Instead, you can listen to playlists and stations. For example, you can say “Alexa, play the Alejandro Sanz station”, “Alexa, play the Top Pop station”, or “Alexa, play the 80s station”.
There are many of them and you can consult them via the address music.amazon.com log in with your account. Other limitations come in the form of being able to listen to music on a single device, without HD or Ultra HD quality, or without spatial audio support.
If you pay for the service Amazon Music Unlimitedyou will have access to the catalog of 90 million songs.
Amazon Music is the default music service for Amazon Echo, so you shouldn’t need to use the app. Once you’ve set up your Echo device, Alexa should follow your playback commands.
If not, follow the steps above and check in the “Music and Podcast Services” section that Amazon Music is set as the default music service.
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Free Apple Podcasts on Alexa
As we mentioned above, there’s no free tier of Apple Music, but you can listen to Apple Podcasts on an Amazon Echo using Alexa.
The setup process is the same as for a music service, but once you’ve linked your account, tap ‘Default Services’ under the ‘Music & Podcast’ menu and tap ‘Edit’. Now choose “Apple Podcasts” from the list.
In the future, you can say, “Alexa, play [nombre del podcast]or “Alexa, resume my podcast.” Note that Amazon Music also includes podcasts and there are other options like TuneIn.
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Listen to the radio on Alexa
Although availability may vary depending on the country you are in, you are likely to be able to listen to most radio stations with an internet broadcast.
In Europe, for example, you will find renowned channels like TuneIn, Global Player and Planet Radio. These are set up the same way as a streaming music service, with the advantage that some don’t require an account to use.
Listen to music on your Amazon Echo via Bluetooth
The last option to listen to music for free is to use your Echo as bluetooth speaker.
Just say “Alexa, pair” and go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings and find your Echo speaker in the list of available devices. Tap on it and approve the matchmaking request.
If that doesn’t work for some reason, you can use the Alexa app. Go to Devices, tap “Echo & Alexa” at the top, select the Echo you want to pair from the list, and under the “Bluetooth Connections” section, tap “Connect Device.”
The procedure varies if you’re using your phone with your car’s Bluetooth, but you can say “Alexa, disconnect” to stop your phone’s audio playing. You’ll see the connection reestablish itself automatically when your phone is within range of the Echo.
If you don’t yet have an Echo speaker at home, check out our ranking from best Amazon Echo speakers of the year. You will see the best and most remarkable of each model and in this case you should buy it.
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