Listening to music is one of the most popular uses for Amazon Echo smart speakers. With built-in Alexa voice assistant, Echo speakers provide access to many music streaming services like Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and more. However, YouTube Music is notably missing from Alexa’s supported services.
As a YouTube Music subscriber, you may be wondering how you can listen to your favorite songs, artists, playlists, and more on your Echo devices. The good news is there are a few easy workarounds to make this happen!
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Why Echo Doesn’t Support YouTube Music
First, it’s important to understand why Echo speakers don’t natively support YouTube Music. The main reason is that Amazon and Google are competitors in the smart speaker market.
Amazon wants to promote its own music services like Amazon Music Unlimited on Echo devices. So there is little incentive for Amazon to add direct integration with Google’s streaming offerings.
Additionally, licensing restrictions around streaming music services can prevent seamless integration across platforms. So even if Amazon wanted to support YouTube Music, they may face legal barriers.
Method 1: Cast from Your Phone via Bluetooth
Despite the lack of native integration, you can still easily play YouTube Music on your Echo by casting audio from your smartphone via Bluetooth. Here are the steps:
Enable Bluetooth Pairing on Echo
- Open the Alexa app on your phone and select your Echo device
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth Devices
- Select “Pair New Device”
Connect Phone to Echo via Bluetooth
- Enable Bluetooth on your phone
- Select your Echo device from the list of available Bluetooth devices
- Confirm pairing to connect your phone and Echo
Play YouTube Music
- Open the YouTube Music app on your phone
- Select a song, playlist, album or station to play
- The audio will now play from your Echo speaker!
This method allows you to play anything from YouTube Music and control playback entirely from your phone. Just remember your phone needs to stay connected the whole time for music to keep playing.
Method 2: Cast from a Computer via Bluetooth
You can also play YouTube Music on Echo by casting from a laptop or desktop computer via Bluetooth. The steps are very similar:
Enable Bluetooth Pairing on Computer
- Go to Bluetooth settings on your Windows PC or Mac
- Make sure Bluetooth is turned on
- Select “Add Bluetooth Device”
Connect Computer to Echo via Bluetooth
- Say “Alexa, pair” to enable Bluetooth pairing mode on Echo
- Select your Echo device from list of available Bluetooth devices
- Confirm pairing to connect your computer and Echo
Play YouTube Music in Browser
- Open YouTube Music in your web browser
- Select a song, playlist, album or station to play
- Audio will play from your Echo speaker!
The benefit of casting from a computer is you don’t have to keep a phone connected. As long as your computer stays on, you can walk around and listen to YouTube Music on your Echo from anywhere in Wi-Fi range.
Tips for Listening to YouTube Music on Echo
Here are some handy tips to improve your experience listening to YouTube Music on Echo speakers:
- Use voice commands – You can say “Alexa, pause”, “Alexa, next song” etc to control playback
- Create routines – Set up Alexa routines to start playing YouTube Music playlists or stations on command
- Adjust volumes – Make sure to set volumes on both Echo device and casting device for best sound quality
- Consider subscriptions– A YouTube Music Premium subscription allows background listening from your casting device
- Update firmware – Keep Echo and casting devices updated for latest Bluetooth functionality
FAQs About YouTube Music on Echo
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about listening to YouTube Music on Amazon Echo devices:
Can I listen to YouTube Music on Echo Show with the screen on?
No, Echo Show does not support playing YouTube Music videos directly on-screen. You can only cast the audio to the device using the Bluetooth methods above.
What about other Google services like YouTube or Google Play Music?
Unfortunately Echo devices do not directly support any other Google streaming music services besides YouTube Music. However, the Bluetooth casting methods in this article can work for playing audio from YouTube or Google Play Music as well.
Do I need a paid subscription?
No – you can use the free, ad-supported version of YouTube Music. However, a YouTube Music Premium subscription allows background listening and downloads for offline playback.
What Echo and Alexa devices are supported?
Any Echo smart speaker model that supports Bluetooth audio pairing can work, including Echo Dot, Echo Studio, Echo Show and Echo Flex. Just ensure your device is updated with the latest firmware.
Conclusion
While Amazon Echo doesn’t natively integrate with YouTube Music, that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy your favorite songs, playlists and more on your Echo smart speakers. Using the simple Bluetooth casting methods outlined in this article, any audio content from YouTube Music can play directly through your Echo devices.
So grab your smartphone, tablet or laptop, pair it up with your Echo over Bluetooth, and start listening to all of that great YouTube Music content out loud! Just be sure to adjust volumes on both ends, update firmware if needed, and take advantage of voice controls and routines to optimize the experience.
