Alexa won’t link to Spotify? Here’s how to fix it!

Are you having trouble connecting Spotify to your Amazon Alexa device? Don’t be alarmed, as we’re giving you proven methods to iron out the hiccup in no time! 

For starters, if you can’t link Spotify to Alexa, here’s how to quickly fix it:

Restart and/or reset the Amazon Echo device to fix Alexa when it’s not linking to Spotify. 

If that does not work, some other fixes to try are unlinking and relinking your Spotify account, clearing the app’s cache data, and installing the latest updates.

Well, that may sound like a tall order. No worries! In this post, we’ll give you blow-by-blow instructions of 9 proven fixes to tune in to the world’s #1 music streaming app on your Amazon device in under 10 minutes, so read up!

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Duration	9 minutes
Number of Fixes	9
Things You Need	Spotify appSpotify accountAmazon Alexa appAmazon accountAlexa echo deviceLaptop or PCA working internet connectionSmartphone

How to Fix Alexa Not Linking to Spotify?

Fix Alexa not linking to Spotify by unlinking and relinking your account. Go to the Alexa app, then go to the menu; in Settings, choose Music & Podcasts, then choose Spotify. 

Alternatively, you can power cycle and factory reset your Echo device or clear the cache and update both Spotify and Alexa apps. If not, disable the Explicit Filtering feature on your Alexa app.

Can’t Link Spotify to Alexa: Troubleshooting Guide

It may seem like a tall order. However, if you can’t link Spotify to Alexa, here’s how to fix it using the easy-to-follow instructions below. 

Just a heads up before you dive in. We strongly recommend you apply the quick fixes below in the order they are presented. While cherry-picking a solution has merits, it might lead you to further complications. 

1. Make sure to link your Spotify account first.

Sometimes, you can get an error where Alexa tells you that you need to link your Spotify account first, even though the app’s already been linked. You can troubleshoot this problem by removing Alexa’s access to your Spotify account.

Once access is removed, you can simply link your Spotify account with Alexa again. If you’re getting this error and can’t link Spotify to Alexa, the instructions below should get you by. 

Follow these steps to remove Alexa’s access to your Spotify account:

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	8
Duration	30 seconds

Step 1: Launch any of your internet browsers on your PC or laptop.

Step 2: Go to Spotify’s web page.

Step 3: Click the “Log in” button at the upper-right corner of the web page.

Step 4: Type your login credentials in the text fields and click LOG IN. Note: You can also log in using a Facebook, Google, or Apple account.

Step 5: Click the downward arrow beside your profile to open a drop-down menu.

Step 6: Click Account.

Step 7: Scroll down/click Apps.

Step 8: Click Remove Access beside the app or service to revoke its access to your Spotify account. Note: The sample picture above shows a different app/service, but the exact method should apply when removing access for Alexa.

Follow these steps to link Alexa to your Spotify account:

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	11
Duration	40 seconds

• Open the Amazon Alexa app.
• Click More on the lower-right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down/click Settings.

• Scroll down/click Music & Podcasts.
• Click the (+) symbol beside Link New Service.
• Select/click Spotify.

• Click ENABLE TO USE.
• Click the Link to Alexa option.
• Scroll down/click AGREE.

• Click Close to conclude the linking process.
• Click NOT NOW to exit.

If you’re wondering if it’s possible to factor these changes without using the internet, you could be in for a rough surprise. Alexa is a smart home ecosystem, meaning access to the internet is a must; the same holds for Spotify. 

2. Spotify isn’t showing in Alexa.

For some reason, the Spotify app might not be available when you’re trying to link a new service to your Amazon Alexa app. This is a common issue when using Alexa in regions outside of the United States of America.

Luckily, you can choose between two solutions to overcome this hurdle. 

Your first option is to download and install a VPN app on your phone to bypass the regional restrictions and make Spotify appear as an available service.

Second, you can try changing the language to “US English” if you’re experiencing this issue on an iPhone. While that seems like an odd solution, some users have reported that it worked for them, and there’s nothing to lose if you try this out.

Method 1. Install a VPN on your phone.

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	9
Duration	1 minute

• Launch the Google Play Store.
• Click the search bar.
• Type and search “VPN.”

• Select/click a VPN app.
• Click Install to continue with the download and installation.
• Click Open and follow the sign-in instructions.

• Click Location to view the list of countries.
• Scroll down/click the United States.
• Select/click a server to connect to.

Take note that VPNs are a must if you want to be as safe as possible from malware and threats from hackers online. Most importantly, the service can play a huge role in protecting you from legal scrutiny against copyrighted content.

Method 2. Change the language on your iPhone:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	15 seconds

• Open Settings.
• Click General.
• Click Language & Region.

• Click iPhone Language.
• Scroll down/click English (US).

After performing these two methods, restart your phone and link your Spotify account to your Amazon Alexa app. The process should go as seamlessly as you want it. 

Follow these steps to link Alexa to your Spotify account:

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	11
Duration	40 seconds

• Open the Amazon Alexa app.
• Click More on the lower-right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down/click Settings.

• Scroll down/click Music & Podcasts.
• Click the (+) symbol beside Link New Service.
• Select/click Spotify.

• Click ENABLE TO USE.
• Click the Link to Alexa option.
• Scroll down/click AGREE.

• Click Close to conclude the linking process.
• Click NOT NOW to exit.

The steps above should be straightforward. However, if you’re still unable to link your Spotify to Alexa, you may have to field a more potent solution. 

3. Power cycle your Alexa echo device.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Duration	35 seconds

It’s possible for the changes you’ve made in your Amazon Alexa app not to apply right away. In such cases, you can restart your Alexa echo device and unplug it from the power outlet to power cycle it for good measure.

If you still can’t link Spotify to Alexa, here’s how to fix it via a quick reboot and power cycling.

Follow these steps to restart and power cycle your Alexa echo device:

• Unplug your Alexa echo device from its power source.
• Wait for 30 seconds to pass.
• Plug your Alexa echo device into its power source.

4. Factory reset your Alexa echo device.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	3 minutes

In case you can’t link Spotify to Alexa, here’s how to fix it if restarting and power cycling the echo device didn’t work. You can instead factory reset your Alexa echo device and revert it to its default settings.

Alexa will tell you that the echo device is ready for setup if the factory reset is successful. From there, you must open the Amazon Alexa app to set up the echo device from scratch.

Follow these steps to factory reset your Alexa echo device:

• Press/hold the action button.
• Keep holding the action button until Alexa says it’s in setup mode or until its LED light turns off.

• Unplug the echo device and plug it back in quickly.
• Wait until the LED light shines blue.
• Wait again until the LED light shines yellow, and Alexa will tell you that it’s ready for setup.

5. Clear the cache data on the Spotify and Amazon Alexa apps.

As you keep using the Amazon Alexa and Spotify apps on your phone, they will store temporary data in the cache. These data usually include your recent activities, search histories, and preferences, among other things. 

This aims to make these apps run smoother and more efficiently every time you use them. While cache storage is usually helpful, it can also result in some malfunctions and errors when the data stored becomes corrupted.

In some cases, the data buildup might grow too large and cause your phone to be short in memory. So if you can’t link Spotify to Alexa, here’s how to fix it by deleting the cache data on both apps.

Follow these steps to delete the cache data on the Amazon Alexa app:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	8
Duration	15 seconds

• Open Settings.
• Scroll down/click Apps.
• Click Manage Apps.

• Click Amazon Alexa.
• Click Storage.
• Click Clear data.

• Click Clear cache.
• Click OK.

Follow these steps to delete the cache data on the Spotify app:

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	8
Duration	15 seconds

• Open Settings.
• Scroll down/click Apps.
• Click Manage Apps.

• Scroll down/click Spotify.
• Click Storage.
• Click Clear data.

• Click Clear cache.
• Click OK.

The steps above should save you. However, if it doesn’t remedy the issue at hand, the next proven fix may give you bigger chances. 

6. Unlink and relink your Spotify account.

Aside from removing Alexa’s access to your Spotify account, another solution to the error where you’re asked to link these services first is to unlink them instead and then relink afterward.

This is an effective method for resetting their connection to make sure that they can work normally every time you experience this error. You can unlink these services using either app as shown below.

Follow these steps to unlink on the Amazon Alexa app:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	7
Duration	15 seconds

• Open Amazon Alexa.
• Click More on the lower-right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down/click Settings.

• Scroll down/click Music & Podcasts.
• Click Spotify.
• Click DISABLE SKILL.

• Click Disable to continue.

Follow these steps to unlink a device on the Spotify app:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	10 seconds

• Open Spotify.
• Click on the music that is playing on a connected device.
• Click the device that is playing the music.

• Click the meatballs menu.
• Click Forget device.

Note: The sample picture shows a different device using Spotify but the exact method should apply when forgetting Alexa using this method.

7. Set your Spotify app as the default music service.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	7
Duration	15 seconds

The Amazon Alexa app uses Amazon Music by default. If you want to make the connection between Alexa and Spotify seamless, you can set the latter as the default music service instead.

Doing so will allow Alexa to play songs directly from Spotify every time without the need for you to specify which music platform to use. If Alexa is using Spotify a lot, it should help lessen the frequency of connection problems occurring.

Follow these steps to set Spotify as the default music service:

• Open Amazon Alexa.
• Click More on the lower-right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down/click Settings.

• Scroll down/click Music & Podcasts.
• Click Family Default Services.
• Click Change.
• Select/click Spotify.

That should set things up perfectly. Then again, if you’re still unable to let the music flow from your Spotify app into your Alexa smart device, then it’s time we get more technical. 

8. Turn the Explicit Filtering feature off.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	6
Duration	10 seconds

The Explicit Filtering feature on the Amazon Alexa app isn’t supported in some music platforms or services. The app warns you that some services are unavailable when the explicit filter is active.

This filtering feature is used to block explicit songs from playing on Alexa echo devices. If Explicit Filtering is enabled on your app, you might want to disable it to ensure it doesn’t mess up the linking process with your Spotify account. 

Follow these steps to disable Explicit Filtering on your Amazon Alexa app:

• Open Amazon Alexa.
• Click More on the lower-right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down/click Settings.

• Scroll down/click Music & Podcasts.
• Click Explicit Language Filter.
• Toggle the switch beside Explicit Filter off.

That was quick. Now, if you’re still in the bind, getting the latest version of both apps should be timely. 

9. Update your Spotify app and Alexa to their latest versions.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	6
Duration	1 minute

Oftentimes, issues with Spotify or Amazon Alexa are linked to the use of outdated versions of these apps. In this case, the linking problem might be due to not installing the latest updates.

Updates are incredibly useful for improving performance and adding new features. Plus, they might also include crucial bug patches and security measures that will fix and prevent the issues present in the previous versions.

If you can’t link Spotify to Alexa, here’s how to fix it by updating both apps on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Follow these steps to update the Spotify and Amazon Alexa apps:

• Open the Google Play Store.
• Click your Google account profile.
• Click Manage apps & device.

• Click Updates available.
• Click Update all to install all available updates.
• Scroll down/click the Update button beside the Amazon Alexa or Spotify apps to install them individually.

Note: If the Amazon Alexa and Spotify apps are not on the list, that means they’re updated to the latest version already.

Wrapping Things Up

If you’ve followed our guide step by step, you should be smiling from ear to ear right now while listening to your favorite tunes from Spotify on your Alexa smart device!

FAQs about Spotify Not Linking to Alexa