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(19 Fixes) Alexa Won’t Play Music [Updated 2023 Guide]

Alexa Won't Play Music

Listening to music may be part of your daily routine.

Or you sometimes need it to relax after a long and tiring day.

So it’s pretty inconvenient if your Alexa won’t play the music you like.

It happens. But luckily you can fix it.

Keep reading to learn…

  • 19 fixes for when Alexa won’t play music.
  • Tips for playing music on your Echo device during travel.
  • The best way to let Alexa play songs with explicit language.
  • What power cycling is and how it can help your Amazon Echo.
  • And a lot more…

Why won’t my Alexa play music?

Your Alexa won’t play music because it can’t connect to the internet. It could also be that your Amazon Music account is faulty. This can happen with other music streaming apps too. Another possible reason has to do with your Amazon Echo device. It might have some software or connection issues.


Alexa won’t play music: 19 ways to fix it


#1: Check your Amazon Echo’s volume

It’s possible that your Echo device is playing music.

And you’re just not hearing it.

Don’t worry. This can actually be pretty common.

So, the very first thing you can do is check the volume.

Turn up the volume on your Amazon Echo. You can do this using the voice command. Or manually adjust it on the device.

To manually adjust the volume of your Echo device, do the following:

  1. Open the Alexa app and access the Menu.
  2. Go to ‘Settings.’
  3. Click on ‘Device Settings.’
  4. Select the Echo device that you want to adjust.
  5. Adjust the audio slider to change the volume.

Once done, you should be able to hear Alexa play music again.

Note: You should also check if your device is on mute. The volume buttons on your Echo could have been pressed accidentally. Or the settings were adjusted in your Alexa app.

#2: Disconnect your Bluetooth speaker

Are you using an external speaker with your Amazon Echo?

If yes, then you need to see if that’s causing the problem.

To check your Bluetooth speaker, turn the volume all the way up.

There should be music playing from the Bluetooth speaker. If there’s not, then that speaker must be the problem.

To fix this, then just disconnect it from your Amazon Echo.

Here’s how you do this:

  1. Open the Alexa app and go to ‘Menu.’
  2. Select ‘Devices.’
  3. Choose your Echo device.
  4. Select ‘Bluetooth Devices.’
  5. Click on the bluetooth speaker you want to remove.
  6. Click ‘Forget Device.’

Problem fixed!

Sometimes your Amazon Echo is enough. No need for an external speaker to enjoy your music.

#3: Reset your internet connection

Check Internet Speed

Having internet connection problems with your other devices?

Then Alexa is most likely experiencing the same problem.

Follow these steps to check if there’s something wrong with your internet:

Step 1: Do an internet speed test. You can go to websites like Fast.com or Speedtest.net. Check the download and upload speeds. They should be running according to your internet plan.

Step 2: Try playing some music with Alexa. You may be able to play some music but will stop after two or three songs. When this happens, your internet connection is faulty.

Step 3: Reset your internet connection. Disconnect your WiFi or internet from Alexa. If it still doesn’t work, contact your Internet Service Provider immediately.

Learn more: Alexa Device Is Unresponsive: 16 Causes & Fixes

#4: Power cycle your WiFi router

There are cases when the issue is not with your internet provider.

But it could have something to do with your WiFi router.

This is the device that distributes your internet connection.

If you have an old router, it’s probably providing a weak signal. This may not be enough for your Amazon Echo to run on.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution to this problem.

And that is to power cycle your router. This is just a fancy way of saying “turning your device off and on again.”

This is how you do it:

  1. Unplug your WiFi router.
  2. Wait for 15-20 seconds.
  3. Plug it back in.

Now, check if Alexa can play music. It should be working fine. Go ahead and blast your favorite songs.

Note: You may need to input your password WiFi again after reconnecting Alexa. The power cycle could have reset all previous connections to the device.

#5: Restart your Amazon Echo

Sometimes, your Amazon Echo suddenly stops playing music.

It could be because of a poor internet connection.

Or the device’s software updates were unsuccessful.

Follow these steps for a quick fix to this problem:

  1. Unplug your Amazon Echo.
  2. Plug it back in after 20 seconds.
  3. Try playing music with Alexa.

And just like that, the problem should be fixed.

Use the voice command to get the tunes going. “Alexa, play some music…”

#6: Update your Amazon Music subscription

Another possible cause could be your subscription to Amazon Music.

You may have forgotten to pay the bills. Or there were issues with your payment method.

If your Amazon Music account is inactive or disabled, you can’t make Alexa play music.

To check if this is the case, these are the steps.

  1. Go to the Amazon website.
  2. Log into your account.
  3. Click ‘Your Account.’
  4. Open ‘Settings’ and click ‘Manage Membership.’
  5. Check your account status.

If you have an unpaid subscription, pay it immediately. You can also contact Amazon Customer Service if there’s an issue with your payment method.

#7: Check your the servers in your music app

Sometimes Alexa can’t play music because the servers of your music apps are down.

If the servers are down or under maintenance, you can’t play music. Even though you have an active subscription.

Go to your Music Provider’s website to check.

This depends on which music app you’re using. Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, or anything else.

The best thing to do in this situation would be to wait for them to get fixed.

#8: Sign in with the correct account

It’s possible that you’re using many accounts with Alexa.

You may have accidentally created one. Or signed into an old one.

When this happens, you can’t play music using your Echo device. Since there might be a different account connected to it.

Fixing this problem is pretty easy. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Go to your Alexa or Amazon Music app. Check if you’re signed in with the right account.

Step 2: If you’re using a different music app, check your account there too.

Step 3: Sign out of the wrong account. Then, use the right account to sign back in.

Once done, you can use Alexa to start playing music again.

#9: Set Amazon Music as the default music provider

Another common issue is that you changed the default music player in your Alexa app.

So when you tell Alexa to play some music, it can’t tell where to play the music from.

Let’s say you started using Alexa with Amazon Music. Then you switched to Spotify. It’s possible that the change in settings confused Alexa.

So, how do you fix this?

Follow these simple steps:

  1. Go to the Alexa app and open ‘Settings.’
  2. Look for ‘Music & Podcasts.’ 
  3. Select  ‘Default services.’
  4. Click ‘Change’ next to the default music service.
  5. Change it back to Amazon Music.

This should do the trick. Try giving Alexa commands to play your tunes.

Note: You can change back your default settings to the music app you prefer. Sometimes the problem could have just been a glitch. But if Alexa still can’t play music, Amazon Music is your best bet.

#10: Skip unavailable songs

Sometimes, the song you want to play may have been removed from your music app’s library.

It can come as a surprise but this can happen often.

Maybe the artists don’t want to have their songs on the platform anymore. Sad, but that’s how it goes.

Some songs may also be restricted. Depending on the level of your subscription to Amazon Music.

Read about the differences between Amazon Prime Music vs. Amazon Music Unlimited.

Check out: Alexa Not Discovering Devices: 10 Causes & Fixes

#11: Play music on just one device

There are limits to how many devices Alexa can stream music from. If there’s already one device playing, then you can’t use another one.

This also has to do with the type of subscription you have on Amazon Music.

These are the available options:

Option 1: Amazon Single device plan. For this, you can only stream on one device that you registered with.

Option 2: Amazon Individual Plan. You can use any device to play music. As long as only one device is playing at a time.

Option 3: Amazon Unlimited Family. You can stream up to 6 devices at the same time.

For more information about the plans, go to the Amazon Music website. Or call their Customer Service hotline.

#13: Play using another Alexa device

It’s possible that your Amazon Echo is experiencing a software issue.

The thing is, this can be pretty tricky to fix if you don’t know what type of issue there is.

For an easy solution, you can do the following:

  1. Leave your Echo plugged in.
  2. Let it rest for about 15-30 minutes.
  3. Try playing some music using Alexa.

If it doesn’t work, then use a different Alexa device in the meantime.

You can get back to your device after a while. Check if its issues got fixed during the rest.

#14: Turn off your Explicit Language Filter

Alexa gives you the option to block songs that have explicit language.

So if Alexa won’t play a specific song you requested, it could be your explicit filter is turned on.

To fix this, these are the steps to follow:

  1. Go to the Alexa app’s settings.
  2. Click on ‘Music & Podcasts.’
  3. Select ‘Explicit Language Filter.’
  4. Turn off “Explicit Filter’ and ‘Voice Deactivation.’

And there you go, Alexa can start playing your favorite tunes. Even those with explicit language.

#15: Change your Amazon location setting

For your own security, Alexa services are designed to know your exact location.

So if ever you’re in a different country, Alexa may not work at all. That’s because it doesn’t detect the location that you used to register your account.

To fix this issue, do the following steps:

Step 1: Go to the Amazon website. Click on the three horizontal lines found at the top left corner of the page. This is your ‘Settings.’

Step 2: Scroll down and look for an icon that shows a country flag. Click on it.

Step 3: Change the flag to the country that you’re currently in. Then go to Alexa and ask it to play music on your device.

Now you can let Alexa play music wherever you are in the world.

Note: When you buy “International Version” echo devices, check the compatibility settings. They can vary per country or region. Some features may not work with Alexa depending on your location.

#16: Change your account location in Amazon Music 

Just like what’s written above, this fix is for when you travel frequently with your Amazon Echo device.

To change the settings this time, here’s what you do:

  1. Go to the Amazon Music website and sign in.
  2. Look for the settings icon.
  3. Select ‘Your Amazon Music Settings.’
  4. Look for ‘Amazon Music Account Country/Region.’
  5. Click on ‘Move your Music Account.’
  6. Select the country you’re in.
  7. Sign in with your account.
  8. Update your address.

This should get Alexa playing your tunes while you travel. How convenient is that?

#17: Check your network Firewall

It’s not likely, but it’s still possible that your network firewall is blocking your Echo device. This won’t get Alexa to play music.

Checking this takes some work. But if you’re running out of options, it’s definitely worth a try. 

Follow these steps carefully:

Step 1: Go to your router’s dashboard and log in. Usually it goes by this format: 192.168.1.1 depending on your router model. Consult your router manual or call a technician.

Step 2: In the settings, look for ‘Port Forwarding.’ Make sure these ports are not present and not blocked. 123, 33434, 4070, 443, 40317, 49317, 5353.

Step 3: Reconnect your Amazon Echo and Alexa app to the internet. Try playing music on your selected device.

#18: Reconnect your Echo to the internet

Maybe Alexa isn’t playing music because your device got disconnected.

It may be because you changed your WiFi name or password.

Or your device is too far away from the router.

Follow these steps to reconnect your Echo back to the internet:

  1. Open the Alexa app and access the Menu
  2. Go to ‘Settings’ and find ‘Device settings’
  3. Choose your device.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompt.
  5. Select the WiFi you want to connect to.

Once the connection is back, time to play some music with Alexa.

#19: Reset your Amazon Echo settings

When all else fails, then it might be time to reset your Amazon Echo settings.

Follow these steps depending on your Amazon Echo’s generation:

Option 1: Reset First Generation Device 

The reset button can be found at the bottom of your device. Grab a paperclip to press the button for a few seconds. Until the light turns off and on again.

Option 2: Reset Second Generation Device

Click and hold the ‘Microphone’ and Volume Down button for several seconds. The light should turn orange.

Option 3: Reset Third Generation Device and onwards

Click and hold the Dot or Action button for 25-30 seconds. You’ll see the light turn orange.

Option 4: Reset Amazon Echo Show 

Click and hold the ‘Mute’ and Volume Down button for about 15-20 seconds. The Amazon logo should pop up on the screen.