Listening to music is one of your Amazon Echo's main jobs. Now, with Apple Music, you can stream your favorite songs directly on your Echo. Using the Apple Music skill in the Alexa app, you can connect your Apple Music account to your Echo speaker and play anything from your library or from its huge catalog of over 100 million songs all without touching your phone. That makes everyday listening simple and convenient.
If you own other Amazon devices, like Fire TV or Fire TV Sticks, you probably already know what an Alexa skill is. Alexa skills are voice-activated features that connect your Echo to services like Apple Music. Setting up the Apple Music skill on your Echo works just like other skills: you link your account, set Apple Music as your default music service, and control Apple Music with voice commands you already know.
Already enabled Apple Music on another Alexa device? Adding it to your Echo is almost instant! If not, the process is still easy and only takes a few steps.
What You'll Need:
- Amazon Echo Device: Any Alexa-enabled speaker, such as Echo Dot, Echo Show, or Echo Studio.
- Apple Music Subscription: Individual, Family, or Student plan.
- Alexa App: Installed on your iPhone or Android device.
- Apple ID: To sign in and link your Apple Music account.
- Wi-Fi Connection: To connect your Echo to the internet.
- ViWizard Apple Music Converter: Optional tool to download and convert Apple Music to lossless audio files for playback on Alexa-enabled devices like Echo.
Step 1. Link Your Apple Music Account to Amazon Echo
Thanks to the Apple Music skill, linking Apple Music to Echo speakers like Echo Dot, Echo Show, or Echo Studio is easy. Open the Alexa app on your iPhone or Android device, find the Apple Music skill in the Skills section, and tap to enable it. Then sign in with your Apple ID. You need an active Apple Music subscription (currently $10.99 per month for individuals in the U.S.) for everything to work. Without it, you may see errors like "You need an active Apple Music subscription," even if the skill seems linked.
Step 1 Open the Amazon Alexa app on your Android phone or iPhone. If you haven't installed it yet, download it from Google Play or the App Store.
Step 2 Tap More in the lower-right corner.
Step 3 Tap Skills & Games.
Step 4 Tap the search icon in the upper-right corner and type Apple Music.
Step 5 Tap Enable to Use.
Step 6 Tap Settings, then tap Link Account.
Step 7 Follow the prompts to sign in with your Apple Music account. Make sure it is linked to an active Apple Music subscription.
Step 2. Set Apple Music as Your Default Music Service on Echo (Optional)
You can set Apple Music as your default music service so that whenever you ask Alexa to play music, it will automatically use Apple Music. For example, saying "Alexa, play [song/artist/playlist]" will play Apple Music without specifying the service. This makes listening faster and easier if you use multiple music services, but it will override other services sometimes. You can skip this step and just specify Apple Music in your commands each time if you want.
Set Apple Music as Default
Step 1 Open the Amazon Alexa app on your Android phone or iPhone.
Step 2 Tap More in the lower-right corner.
Step 3 Tap Settings, then scroll down and tap Music & Podcasts.
Step 4 Tap Default Services.
Step 5 Under Music, tap Apple Music.
Step 6 From now on, when you ask Alexa to play music, it will automatically use Apple Music unless you request a different service.
Set Up Multi-Room Audio (Optional)
Step 7 Open the Alexa app on your Android phone or iPhone.
Step 8 Tap Devices in the lower-right corner.
Step 9 Tap the Plus (+) icon, then select Combine Speakers.
Step 10 Tap Multi-room music.
Step 11 Select two or more Echo devices that are online and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Step 12 Once set up, you can say, "Alexa, play [song/playlist] everywhere," to play music on all selected Echo devices at the same time.
Step 3. Play Apple Music on Amazon Echo Using Alexa Voice Commands
Once your account is linked, you can start listening immediately. You can skip tracks, shuffle playlists, or change the volume using simple voice commands. For example: "Alexa, play my Apple Music playlist."
Sometimes Alexa may misunderstand your command or play another service if Apple Music isn't set as the default. If this happens, check that your account is linked and, if needed, set Apple Music as the default. Speaking clearly and avoiding background noise can also help.
Popular Alexa Voice Commands for Apple Music
| Command | Description | Include "on Apple Music"? |
|---|---|---|
| "Alexa, play [song name]" | Plays a specific song from Apple Music. | Yes (if not default) |
| "Alexa, play [album name]" | Plays an album from Apple Music. | Yes (if not default) |
| "Alexa, play [playlist name]" | Plays a specific playlist from Apple Music. | Yes (if not default) |
| "Alexa, play music" | Starts music from the default service. | Yes (if Apple Music is default) |
| "Alexa, play [artist name]" | Plays songs by a specific artist from Apple Music. | Yes (if not default) |
| "Alexa, shuffle [playlist name]" | Shuffles a specific playlist from Apple Music. | Yes (if not default) |
| "Alexa, play [genre] music" | Plays music in a specific genre from Apple Music. | Yes (if not default) |
| "Alexa, stop" | Stops the current song. | No |
| "Alexa, skip" | Skips to the next track. | No |
| "Alexa, pause" | Pauses the music. | No |
Step 4. Get Lossless Apple Music on Your Amazon Echo (Recommended)
Apple Music offers lossless audio and Hi-Res Spatial Audio, but most Echo devices don't support it natively. To play lossless tracks, you can use ViWizard Apple Music Converter to download and convert songs into compatible audio formats without losing quality.
Once converted, use an Alexa skill that supports uploading audio files without DRM restrictions, such as Plex or My Media for Alexa. This lets you play your favorite Apple Music tracks offline, even without an active Apple Music subscription. This step is optional but recommended for the best listening experience.
A full-featured Apple Music converter that easily converts Apple Music songs, albums, playlists—including iCloud Music Library content, personalized recommendations, and curated playlists—into MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV, AIFF, and FLAC so you can keep your Apple Music forever or transfer it to any device without restrictions.
Step 1 Download and install the ViWizard Apple Music Converter tool on your computer.
Step 2 Open the converter and sign in with your Apple ID that's linked to your Apple Music subscription.
Step 3 Go to Menu > Preferences > Conversion, then choose your preferred output format and adjust settings such as sample rate, bitrate, and channels.
Step 4 Browse your Apple Music library inside the converter and select the songs, albums, or playlists you want to convert. Add them to the conversion list.
Step 5 Click Convert to start processing your tracks. The converter will remove DRM and create multiple lossless files at once.
Step 6 When the conversion finishes, open the output folder to find your DRM-free music files.
Step 7 Install the Plex app or My Media for Alexa app on your Alexa device.
Step 8 Open the Alexa app, go to Skills & Games, search for the Plex or My Media skill, and tap Enable.
Step 9 Follow the on-screen instructions to link your Plex or My Media account to Alexa.
Step 10 Ask Alexa to play your converted Apple Music files by saying, "Alexa, ask Plex to play some music," or "Alexa, ask My Media to play [song name]."
Step 5. Alternative Ways to Play Apple Music on Your Amazon Echo
If you prefer a different method instead of using the Apple Music skill, you can connect your phone to your Echo using Bluetooth. This lets you stream Apple Music directly from your device. Keep in mind that Bluetooth may cause small delays or slight audio quality differences, so keep your phone close to the Echo. Most Echo models support Bluetooth, including Echo, Echo Dot (1st–5th gen), Echo Pop, Echo Studio, Echo Spot, and all Echo Show models.
Step 1 On your iPhone or Android device, open Settings, go to Bluetooth, and turn it on.
Step 2 Open the Alexa app, then tap Devices in the lower-right corner.
Step 3 Tap Echo & Alexa, then select your Echo device.
Step 4 Tap Bluetooth Devices and choose Pair a New Device.
Step 5 Follow the prompts to pair your Echo with your smartphone. Next time, you can simply say, "Alexa, pair Bluetooth," and it will reconnect automatically.
Step 6 Open the Apple Music app, select a song, and it will stream to your Echo via Bluetooth.
Pro Tip: Troubleshoot Apple Music on Amazon Echo with Alexa
Even though setup is usually easy, you may run into issues that need some common fixes:
1. First, reset the connection between Apple Music and Alexa
Open the Alexa app on your iPhone or Android, go to More > Settings > Music & Podcasts, tap Apple Music, and choose Disable Skill. (You may need to tap a small menu icon to see this option.)
2. Now re-enable the skill and sign in again
Back in the same menu, tap Link New Service, choose Apple Music, and sign in with your Apple ID. If you use two-factor authentication, a code will pop up on your Apple device—just enter it to finish linking.
3. Set Apple Music as your default music service
Still in Music & Podcasts, tap Default Services and select Apple Music for both "Music" and "Artist & Genre Stations." This makes Alexa use Apple Music automatically when you ask it to play something.
4. Reboot your Echo and refresh your network
Unplug your Echo for 10–15 seconds and plug it back in. If playback keeps dropping, restart your Wi-Fi router as well. A quick reboot often fixes "Device offline" or random stopping issues.
5. If playlists won't play, check for name or metadata issues
Open the Apple Music app and look at the playlists that won't load. Try simplifying the playlist name or removing long descriptions or special characters—some imported playlists won't work with Alexa until you clean them up.
6. Try Bluetooth to see if the Echo plays Apple Music directly
Say "Alexa, pair Bluetooth," then connect to your Echo from your phone's Bluetooth settings. See if Bluetooth works fine with Apple Music instead.
7. If nothing helps, reinstall the Alexa app or reset the Echo
Delete and reinstall the Alexa app, then try linking Apple Music again. If problems continue, reset your Echo by holding the Action button for about 20 seconds until it turns orange, then set it up again from scratch.
Conclusion
If you are a premium user of Apple Music, you can set Apple Music as the default streaming service on your Amazon Echo with Alexa directly. But if your country doesn't support this feature, you can use ViWizard Audio Converter to download and upload Apple Music to Amazon Music. Then you can enjoy your Apple Music with Alexa without limit and you don't have to change the default music streaming settings. The converted Apple Music can also be played on other devices as your need. Click the link below to free your Apple Music now.
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Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
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