5 Steps To Keep Alexa Playing Music All Night (2023 Guide)

How To Keep Alexa Playing Music All Night

Playing music throughout the night isn’t just for parties.

Many, including me, also enjoy listening to lullabies while sleeping.

And luckily, Alexa can accommodate both scenarios easily.

Want to know how to make your Echo play music all night?

Just give me a few minutes to explain.

Continue reading to discover:

5 simple steps to keep Alexa playing music all night.
5 easy ways to fix your Alexa that won’t play nonstop.
Which music streaming platform is the best for this process.
And this is just the beginning…

How to keep Alexa playing music all night? 5 steps

#1: Prepare your Echo

For your Alexa to play music all night…

Your smart speaker shouldn’t experience any interruptions.

So, you must first ensure that your Echo:

Is connected to a stable Internet.
Plugged into a reliable power source.

Don’t worry. I’ll go through how you can do each process in detail.

Now, most likely…

Your smart speaker is already connected to the Internet.

But just in case you want to reconnect it to your network, follow these steps to…

Connect your smart speaker to your WiFi:

Launch the Amazon Alexa app.
Tap the Devices icon at the bottom-right corner.
Choose Echo & Alexa.
Select the device you want to play music with all night.
Find the option that says “Wi-Fi Network.”
Click the Change text on its right.
Follow further instructions on your screen.

Interesting fact: Alexa doesn’t require a fast WiFi connection. In fact, she’ll work as long as your network has 0.5 Mbps. And most routers in the US provide over 100 Mbps.

Now that you’ve secured your Echo’s stable Internet, it’s time to…

Ensure your smart speaker has a stable power source:

If you want the easiest way to do this process…

Just plug your Echo directly into your wall outlet.

See, smart plugs may turn OFF after a specific time of the day.

And a low-quality power strip may not provide your smart speaker enough power. Especially if many gadgets are connected to it.

#2: Disable Alexa’s sleep timer

Alexa has a feature called a sleep timer.

And as the name suggests…

It helps you play music for a limited time before you drift to dreamland.

However, that’s exactly the opposite of enjoying your playlist all night.

So, disable this feature by saying:

“Alexa, disable all sleep timers.”

#3: Craft a playlist

Let’s move on to the fun part of this process.

And that’s to create the playlist you want to play all night.

“How long does it have to be?”

Well, it really depends on what kind of listener you are.

If you don’t like hearing the same songs repeatedly…

You should create a playlist that can last throughout the whole night.

Usually, that’s around 100-150 songs altogether.

However…

Compiling this much isn’t necessary if you’re alright with repeating your playlist.

Because you’ll be looping all your songs on the last step of this process.

“Can I use any music app?”

Yes. This process works with all the music services compatible with Alexa, including:

However, if you still haven’t picked which music app to use…

I highly recommend opting for Amazon Music.

Why?

Because Alexa’s from the same company as this streaming platform.

Which means Amazon Music has the least issues when playing nonstop on your smart speaker.

Other apps, like Apple Music, sometimes show errors when played nonstop through Alexa.

Need help creating your playlist?

To serve as a guide, here are the…

7 steps to create a playlist on the Amazon Music app:

Step 1: Open the music application.

Step 2: Sign in or sign up for an account.

Step 3: Tap the Library icon at the bottom of the app.

Step 4: Touch the “PLAYLISTS” option at the top.

Step 5: Click the blue “+ New Playlist” icon.

Step 6: Type your playlist’s name.

Pro tip: Use a name that’s easy to remember. Preferably no longer than 3 words. Because you’ll also type it on your Alexa app later.

Step 7: Add songs to your playlist.

Just tap the name of any song you like.

And after clicking the 3-dotted icon at the top-right corner of the screen…

Select Add to playlist, then tap the one you made for this process.

Do you prefer Spotify over Amazon Music?

Watch this video tutorial to create a playlist instead:

#4: Set a routine for playing your songs

If you’re unfamiliar with Alexa routines yet…

They’re a set of 1 or more tasks that your AI does upon your request.

You can set up Alexa routines for any home automation.

And that includes playing music through your smart speaker all night. With just 1 voice command.

So, follow the steps below to set up a new routine for this process.

Step 1: Launch your Amazon Alexa app

Ensure you’ve successfully signed in before proceeding to…

Step 2: Tap More

You’ll find this icon at the bottom-right corner of your app.

Once you see a new list of options on your screen…

Step 3: Select Routines

It’s the 3rd option from the right.

And it has a checkmark icon.

Step 4: Add a new routine

Just tap the + icon at the top-right corner to do so.

Step 5: Write your routine’s name

Tap the “Enter routine name” option at the top.

Then, label the routine you’re about to make.

Note: The name you choose doesn’t really matter. It won’t be the phrase/word you’ll say when asking Alexa to activate the routine later. So, just write any name you prefer. Something simple like “All-night music” or “Relaxing tracks” will do.

After deciding on your routine’s name, tap Next at the top-right corner. Then, proceed to…

Step 6: Write your trigger phrase

Click the “When this happens” option on your screen.

Then, select “Voice” from the choices.

Note: You can technically choose any trigger to activate your routine. But using voice commands is the simplest method. Hence, I recommend sticking to Voice for this step.

Once you’re on the window titled “When you say”…

Write the voice command you want to associate with this routine.

Pro tip: It’s best to only use 1-3 words. It’ll be much easier for Alexa to understand your command later this way.

Now that you’ve written the trigger phrase, tap Next again, then…

Step 7: Add your routine’s action

Click the Add action option on your screen.
Tap Music from the list that appears.
Write the name of the playlist you made in step #3.

Note: Add the word “Playlist” at the end of the name.

Tap the Select Provider option and choose your music platform.
Make sure that the Timer box is empty.
Click Next in the upper-right corner.

Step 8: Save your routine

Just tap the Save option at the top-right corner of your app.

Step 9: Test it out

Near your Echo device, say:

“Alexa, (your routine’s trigger phrase).”

And ensure your playlist starts playing before you head to…

#5: Loop your songs

If your playlist ends…

Your Alexa will stop playing as well.

Unless you tell your AI to activate its loop mode.

That said, simply go near your smart speaker and say:

“Alexa, loop mode ON.”

Now, your AI won’t stop playing music until you specifically command it.

“Can’t I just loop my playlist inside my music platform?”

Unfortunately, Alexa doesn’t always recognize looped playlists inside applications.

So, it’s best to ask her to do so directly.

You might also want to know: (13 Fixes) Alexa Not Responding But Lighting Up

Why won’t my Alexa play music all night? 5 causes & fixes

#1: Sleeping timer is ON

As mentioned earlier…

If Alexa’s sleeping timer is ON, she’ll stop the music once the duration is up.

Regardless if you’ve activated the looping mode.

So, before you run your AI’s routine, say:

“Alexa, turn OFF all sleeping timers.”

#2: Inactive looping mode

Most playlists don’t have enough unique songs to last throughout the night.

And if your AI’s looping mode isn’t ON…

These shorter playlists will stop once the last song plays.

So, after activating your routine, ensure you say:

“Alexa, turn looping mode ON.”

#3: Connection or power cuts OFF

I’ve been living in an energy-saving smart home for years.

And here’s 1 of the first steps I took toward being more green-friendly:

Cutting OFF the power of most smart devices at night. Including my router.

At first, I didn’t think this would cause any problems.

Until I realized that Alexa loses most of her functionalities without the Internet.

Those include not being able to play songs from online music apps.

So, if your AI still cuts OFF your playlist halfway through…

Ensure that you’re connecting your router to a reliable power source.

One that doesn’t have the choice to cut OFF electricity as smart plugs do.

You should also do the same for your Echo.

After all, your smart speaker will have no choice but to stop the music if it’s OFF.

#4: Profanity filter is ON

Alexa’s profanity filter doesn’t just block out profane words from a song.

This feature prevents the entire track from playing on your playlist when activated.

Of course, this shortens the total playtime of your playlist.

And worst case scenario…

None of the songs you selected will play if Alexa tags all of them as profane.

This may be the reason why your playlist isn’t playing all night.

So, to stop this problem, follow these…

Steps to turn the profanity filter OFF:

Launch the Amazon Alexa app.
Tap More at the bottom-right corner.
Choose Settings.
Select Music & Podcasts.
Click Explicit Language Filter.
Turn the feature OFF.

#5: Glitchy music app

Unfortunately, this problem isn’t uncommon.

Because as I briefly stated earlier…

Music apps sometimes glitch when they play through Alexa.

Luckily though, there are several workarounds for this problem:

Reinstalling the application.
Signing out and logging in again.
Restarting the music platform or the device it’s on.

Note: The exact steps to do these processes depend on your music app. So, check your streaming platform’s official website for guidance.

Let’s say you tried all 3 solutions above.

But your Alexa still won’t play all night long.

Then, I highly recommend switching to the Amazon Music app.

After 2 years of trying almost every music streaming platform compatible with Alexa…

The Amazon Music app is no doubt the most stable option.

It’ll play your songs through your Echo without frequent problems.

And if its connection with Alexa does glitch…

A simple restart is usually enough to make the 2 reconnect properly.