Imagine buying a new Echo speaker to enjoy listening to music hands-free.
But when you ask Alexa to play songs from your Soundcloud playlist…
It doesn’t play anything.
Turns out…
You can’t officially integrate Soundcloud to Alexa.
But wait, nothing’s over.
I know 3 ways to work around this.
Continue reading to learn:
- How to connect Alexa to your phone using Bluetooth.
- How you can create an Alexa skill to play Soundcloud.
- How to pair Alexa to your computer to play Soundcloud songs.
- And much, much more…
How to play Soundcloud on Alexa?
You can play Soundcloud on Alexa by pairing it to your phone or computer using Bluetooth. Another way you can also do this is to create a new Alexa skill on your Amazon Developer Console.
3 ways to play Soundcloud on Alexa
While other popular music platforms can integrate with Alexa automatically…
It’s disappointing to admit that Soundcloud isn’t part of this group.
So I’m sorry to say this…
But you won’t be able to use voice commands to make Alexa play specific songs with Soundcloud.
However…
This doesn’t mean that you can’t play Soundcloud on Alexa at all…
You can still do so.
But you’d need to play the music manually on your device.
So with that being said…
The first method you should try is to:
#1: Pair your Alexa and phone through Bluetooth
This method is easy and a convenient way to play Soundcloud on Alexa.
And what’s even better is that…
There are 2 different ways to do Bluetooth pairing with your phone:
- By using a voice command.
- By using the Alexa app on your device.
So pick whichever is the most convenient for you…
And just follow the specific steps you need to do below.
To do a Bluetooth pairing using a voice command:
- Turn your Echo device ON.
- Say, “Alexa, pair.”
- Alexa will now be in pairing mode.
- Turn ON your phone.
- Head to your phone’s Bluetooth Settings.
- Turn your Bluetooth ON.
- From the list of pairable devices, find your Echo.
- Click on the name of your Alexa device.
- Wait for the connection to be established.
To do a Bluetooth pairing using the Alexa app:
Step 1: Turn your mobile phone ON.
Step 2: Open your Alexa app.
Step 3: On the app, go to Devices.
Step 4: Click Echo & Alexa. Under this, you’ll find your Alexa device’s name.
Step 5: Select your Alexa device to open its settings page.
Step 6: Find Pair Alexa Gadget and select it.
Step 7: Exit the Alexa app and go to your phone’s Bluetooth Settings.
Step 8: Like what you did earlier, turn your Bluetooth ON and find your Alexa device.
Step 9: Pair your Alexa device and wait for Alexa to confirm the connection.
After pairing your Alexa to your phone once…
You don’t need to repeat it every time you want to.
Next time, you can simply ask Alexa to connect to your phone, and it’ll do so on its own.
Just say…
“Alexa, connect to (your phone’s name).”
And as long as your cellphone’s Bluetooth is turned ON…
The 2 will be paired again.
Further reading: Alexa Not Discovering Devices: 10 Causes & Fixes
#2: Pairing Alexa to a computer/laptop
If you’re not fond of pairing Bluetooth devices to your phone…
I can totally understand.
Sometimes turning Bluetooth ON can make your phone’s battery drain out faster.
Not to mention, it can also make its temperature rise.
But don’t worry, as you can also pair Alexa to your computer to play Soundcloud.
To do so:
Step 1: Turn ON your Alexa device and your computer.
Step 2: Go to your computer’s Bluetooth settings.
Step 3: Turn your Bluetooth ON.
Step 4: Go to alexa.amazon.com and log in using your credentials.
Step 5: Find and go to Settings. Your Alexa device will be on the list.
Step 6: Select your Alexa device to head to its settings.
Step 7: Choose Bluetooth and click Pair a New Device.
Step 8: Find your computer’s name from the list of devices.
Step 9: A notification asking permission to pair will pop up on your screen.
Step 10: Allow the pairing and go to Soundcloud.com.
Step 11: Log in to your account and try playing your favorite tracks.
Similar to connecting Alexa to your phone…
This Bluetooth pairing process is also a one-time thing.
So when you want to pair the 2 again…
Just state the commands I listed in the first method.
#3: Creating a new Alexa skill
As you’ve noticed from the previous methods…
It’s easy to play Soundcloud through Alexa.
But if you’re searching for a more challenging way to do so…
You can try playing Soundcloud through Echo by creating a skill.
This can be a little complicated for beginners to try.
But if you have a bit of technical knowledge regarding Alexa Developer Console.
And some coding experience…
Then this method will fit perfectly for you.
Note: To create an Alexa skill, you need to have an Amazon developer account. Ensure that your developer account’s login is the same as your Alexa account’s.
To create an Alexa skill to play Soundcloud:
Step 1: Use this Magic Jukebox template to access the code you can use as a foundation.
This used to be an official Alexa skill, so it’s guaranteed that this Magic Jukebox works.
But you can also find other skill templates online if you wish to use a different one.
Step 2: Download the template’s source code to your computer.
Step 3: Log in to developer.amazon.com.
Your credentials here should be identical to those in your Alexa log in.
Step 4: After logging in, go to Create Skill.
Step 5: Name your skill and click Custom Model.
Step 6: Choose the method you wish to host the backend resources of your new skill.
This will often depend on the programming language your source code uses.
Step 7: Tap Create Skill. Wait until the process is finished.
Step 8: Open the JSON Editor option.
Grab the JSON code from your template and paste it into this section.
Step 9: Save it and build the model.
Step 10: Find the Interfaces option. Turn Audio Player ON by using the toggle switch.
Step 11: Go to the Code tab on your screen.
Step 12: Open Index File.
Paste the code from your template’s index file here to replace the current code.
This is similar to what you did to the JSON code earlier.
Step 13: Search for the object responsible for the streaming instance in your code.
This is the step where having coding experience will be of great advantage.
After finding the object, replace its target URL with Soundcloud’s.
Step 14: Save the code and deploy it.
Step 15: Test your new skill.
You can do this by going to the Test tab.
Under this tab, ensure that the “Skill Testing is Enabled in” is set to “Development.”
If you followed these steps properly…
You should be able to stream music through Soundcloud using this new skill now.
Bonus: Play Soundcloud using Alexa through the Sonos Speakers
There’s 1 unique way to play Soundcloud songs using voice commands.
And that’s by…
Using an Alexa-controlled Sonos speaker.
“Can I use other speakers to do this?”
Unfortunately, no.
This method will only work if you have 1 from the Sonos brand with a built-in Alexa.
And there’s another catch.
You can only make this work if you’re subscribed to Soundcloud Go+.
So once you have:
- Soundcloud Go+ subscription.
- An Alexa-controlled Sonos speaker.
Then go ahead and…
Set up your Sonos speaker:
- Using a phone or computer, open the Sonos app and log in.
- Go to Settings > Services.
- Under Music & Content, select Add a Service.
- Highlight Soundcloud and Click Add to Sonos.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to log in to your Soundcloud account.
After connecting Soundcloud to Sonos…
Alexa will also have the control to play songs from the platform on your speakers.
Try different commands to check if your connection is working properly.
And now, you can enjoy listening to your Soundcloud music hands-free.