How to play Apple Music from your Amazon Alexa devices

AppleInsider

AppleInsider walks you through how to enable Apple Music and play what you want from the service on your Amazon Alexa devices in a few easy steps.

Amazon Echo

After being recently announced, the Apple Music skill has finally shown up on Amazon Alexa. The original launch date was December 17th so today's release comes as a bit of a happy surprise.

Enabling Apple Music on your devices is quick and easy to do, all from within the Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone.

Adding Apple Music to Amazon Alexa

• To start, launch the Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone, and navigate to the Skills & Games page.


• Search for Apple Music. Tip: Since it is new, it may not show at the top. Sort by release date to bring it there.


• Tap Enable to add the skill.


• Sign into Apple Music. That's it!

You can now say phrases such as "Hey Alexa, play Queen on Apple Music" to listen.

Apple Music as the default music source

Once you've added the skill, you can set Apple Music to be the default music sources for your Alexa devices.

At the moment, it seems the rollout is a bit limited to certain devices. We expect availability to expand to additional devices in the coming days such as the OneLink Safe & Sound or the Ecobee 4.

dewme

Thank you for the early surprise. So far, it works like a charm. This is a great example of two companies cooperating in a way that helps their shared customers. A total win-win for customers.

payeco

Thanks for the heads up that it’s out early. Been waiting for the since the Apple Music was first released.

I’d like to replace my Echos with HomePods but until they release a smaller, lower cost version for all the places I’m currently using Echo Dots I’m sticking with the Echo.

telepathy2000

Not showing up here in Australia, although that was kind of expected.

davidness

I have this working for individual artists, but how can I play a specific Apple Music PLAYLIST that I’ve already set up?

bfulroth

After spending about 20 minutes trying to get my  Amazon Alexa enabled  Sonos speaker to work  with Apple Music  I realized that maybe it’s only Amazon products and not Sonos speakers that can use Apple Music.
I can enable the skill but Alexis says Apple Music is not enabled on this device. Can others verify this is true?

rcvaibhav123

But this service is again not supported in all regions. As in case of india the Apple Music Account linking failed saying “Apple Music for Alexa is not available in your country or region”

😏☹️

rcvaibhav123

Attached images here.

Argust

I too could enable it, but it does not work with my Sonos speakers. Hopefully that addition will come soon.

vanhauen

The Apple Music skill is unfortunately not yet available in the U.K. either...

snowweasel

bfulroth said:

After spending about 20 minutes trying to get my  Amazon Alexa enabled  Sonos speaker to work  with Apple Music  I realized that maybe it’s only Amazon products and not Sonos speakers that can use Apple Music.
I can enable the skill but Alexis says Apple Music is not enabled on this device. Can others verify this is true?

I was setting up my dad's echos, and it works fine on the actual Amazon devices, but not on his Eufy Home Genie (the 3rd party echo dot competitor). I'm hoping it eventually gets rolled out to all Alexa devices, as he's comfortable with Alexa, though I'm thrilled with my home pods.

clarker99

How is this a good thing for Apple, Siri, HomePod and Apple Music? This is a coup for Bezos. Amazon stand to gain far more than Apple.

Hope I am wrong. 

disneylandman

clarker99 said:

How is this a good thing for Apple, Siri, HomePod and Apple Music? This is a coup for Bezos. Amazon stand to gain far more than Apple.

Hope I am wrong. 

More people prefer Echo products and Apple can now gain more Apple Music subscribers by offering native support on Echo devices.  You can even set Apple Music as the default service, if that’s your desire.  Siri blows compared to Alexa.  People aren’t interested in spending $349, even $249, for one speaker, especially one as limiting as a HomePod.  I got four Echo Dots for $79 (1 free from SiriusXM, two for $50, and 1 for $29, all on sale) and all are connected to stereo systems and/or a soundbar and subwoofer that all sound better than a HomePod.  I’ve listened to a HomePod and it is too boomy in the low end and no way to adjust it.  Even the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) has 7 microphones, beamforming tech, woofer, tweeters, and more versatile features than a HomePod, and it is currently on sale for $119.   Sorry, but the other guys are doing it better and Apple is starting to realize that.  Even the games available on Alexa are a blast to play at parties.  

clarker99

disneylandman said:

clarker99 said:

How is this a good thing for Apple, Siri, HomePod and Apple Music? This is a coup for Bezos. Amazon stand to gain far more than Apple.

Hope I am wrong. 

More people prefer Echo products and Apple can now gain more Apple Music subscribers by offering native support on Echo devices.  You can even set Apple Music as the default service, if that’s your desire.  Siri blows compared to Alexa.  People aren’t interested in spending $349, even $249, for one speaker, especially one as limiting as a HomePod.  I got four Echo Dots for $79 (1 free from SiriusXM, two for $50, and 1 for $29, all on sale) and all are connected to stereo systems and/or a soundbar and subwoofer that all sound better than a HomePod.  I’ve listened to a HomePod and it is too boomy in the low end and no way to adjust it.  Even the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) has 7 microphones, beamforming tech, woofer, tweeters, and more versatile features than a HomePod, and it is currently on sale for $119.   Sorry, but the other guys are doing it better and Apple is starting to realize that.  Even the games available on Alexa are a blast to play at parties.  

Apple will not gain any significant Apple Music subs from this choice. This is a win for Alexa. 

clarker99

disneylandman said:

clarker99 said:

How is this a good thing for Apple, Siri, HomePod and Apple Music? This is a coup for Bezos. Amazon stand to gain far more than Apple.

Hope I am wrong. 

More people prefer Echo products and Apple can now gain more Apple Music subscribers by offering native support on Echo devices.  You can even set Apple Music as the default service, if that’s your desire.  Siri blows compared to Alexa.  People aren’t interested in spending $349, even $249, for one speaker, especially one as limiting as a HomePod.  I got four Echo Dots for $79 (1 free from SiriusXM, two for $50, and 1 for $29, all on sale) and all are connected to stereo systems and/or a soundbar and subwoofer that all sound better than a HomePod.  I’ve listened to a HomePod and it is too boomy in the low end and no way to adjust it.  Even the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) has 7 microphones, beamforming tech, woofer, tweeters, and more versatile features than a HomePod, and it is currently on sale for $119.   Sorry, but the other guys are doing it better and Apple is starting to realize that.  Even the games available on Alexa are a blast to play at parties.  

I have no desire to play in the Amazon (or Google) ecosystem. The point is this does not benefit the Apple user or ecosystem to allow Apple Music on an Echo.  It benefits only Alexa users and the Amazon ecosystem.  Apple will make penny’s off the Apple Music subs that may come. I want Apple to care about Siri and HomePod and this decision shows some short sightedness and they are just are not taking voice seriously. 

A year ago I would have said ‘Give apple time, once HomePod comes out they will put the resources into Siri’. Here we are and Apple is conceding the space for no particular reason. Maybe Apple knows something we dont RE: voice tech OR Jeff Bezos and his army 10,000 employees working on Alexa know something.

mbenz1962

Has anyone been successful und getting Apple Music on to two different echos? I bought two on sale and got one set up, but the second one says I need to wait for an automatic update and to try back in 2 hours. It has been giving that message for 2 days now.

update, 
I figured out the problem. The Alexa app has you add speakers to a group. I had both speakers in the same group which forces you to chose a default device. This device always would play music and the other gives you the message about waiting for an update. If you just put the speakers in different groups they work at the same time as there is no longer a default device.
The error reporting for the speakers could be better for sure. Something like, “music requests can only be processed on your default device for xxx group. Please use that device.” This would have eleminated 2 days of frustration and at least 5 resets and a dozen power cycles.