Why Won’t My Alexa Connect To Apple Music?

Why won’t my Alexa connect to Apple Music? You know it needs your attention, and I will share with you proven solutions that fixed this for me!

Apple Music is a popular streaming platform with over 88 million users. I had this issue when I tried to get it to work with one of my Echo devices.

When I used these solutions, I was able to fix them in under 10 minutes.

Here’s how I did it!

You want to set up the Apple Music skill to get your Alexa to connect and play nice with Apple Music. Another fix you can perform is to open the right ports on your firewall, which will improve the connectivity of both platforms.

Now that you have a general idea of why won’t my Alexa connect to Apple Music, let’s look at some of the reasons why this can happen.

It’s vital that you understand these before performing any of the fixes.

Top Reasons Why Alexa Won’t Connect to Apple Music

There are several causes why Alexa won’t play songs from your Apple Music account.

A common one is bad connectivity since both platforms rely on the internet and your network to communicate.

Alexa needs to be set up thoroughly with Apple Music for it to work properly. It’s also another thing you need to look out for.

1. Internet Connectivity Issues

Bad connectivity can cause your Alexa to not connect with Apple Music properly. Your firewall can also block their connection, causing further issues.

2. Apple Music Alexa Skill not Enabled

You might think Alexa Skills don’t help. However, they’re incredibly important with Apple Music as they can help Alexa operate on the platform.

3. Congested Network

A congested WiFi can cause devices to stop connecting, causing your Alexa not to play your favorite songs on Apple Music.

4. Outdated Software and Apps

Both your Alexa device and phone require software. It’s essential that the software for these devices is updated to the latest versions.

Let’s now proceed to the solutions so you can quickly fix this issue and get the two platforms working together seamlessly.

Why Won’t My Alexa Connect to Apple Music – Best Solutions

One of the first things you need to do after encountering this error is to restart your Echo speaker.

Updating the Apple Music and Alexa apps on your phone can also help resolve this issue quickly.

If none of these basic troubleshooting steps don’t work, don’t worry, there are other advanced solutions that you can try.

Go ahead and attempt the other proven solutions below to fix this problem.

Solution #1: Make Apple Music Your Default Music Service

Alexa is a versatile smart home assistant. However, it’s well-documented that it doesn’t go along very well with Apple Music.

You can use it, but your experience will not be as optimal as other services. One of the issues you’ll likely face is that it doesn’t connect to Apple Music.

After performing the basic troubleshooting steps, and you still encounter this error, you can make one change to make Apple Music your default.

It’s a small but significant change that improves how Alexa works with your iPhone.

Here’s how to make Apple Music your default service:

1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Tap More in the bottom right corner.
3. Select Settings, then Music and Podcasts.
4. Select Default Services.
5. For Music, choose Apple Music.

Note: This is one way, so you don’t need to specify to Alexa that you want to play from Apple Music.

Solution #2: Disable Alexa’s Explicit Language Filter

Another factor that disrupts Alexa and Apple Music is some of the settings you have configured.

Alexa’s explicit language filter is great, but it does suffer from a few compatibility issues with Apple Music.

Instead of filtering out content, you don’t want to listen to. It can stop Apple Music from playing altogether.

You want to disable this feature on Alexa so you can start listening to your favorite songs on your Echo speakers.

Here’s how to turn off Alexa’s explicit language filter:

1. Go to the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Select the Menu icon on the top left corner.
3. Tap on Settings, then Music and Podcast.
4. Select Explicit Language Filter.
5. Toggle the switch to Off.

Solution #3: Set Up Your Alexa with the Apple Music Skill

Alexa Skills will take your smart home experience to the next level. They’re a set of commands that help Alexa figure out what you want to do on an app.

In the case of Apple Music, it teaches Alexa the different features it can work with on the app.

To experience a better link between Alexa and Apple Music, it’s a must to get the skill. Setting it up on Alexa will significantly improve your listening experience.

Here’s how to set up the Apple Music skill on Alexa:

1. Go to the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Select More in the bottom right corner.
3. Choose Skills and Games.
4. Go to the Search field and type Apple Music.
5. Select Enable to Use.

Note: If you have not linked your Apple Music account, you will need to sign in using your Apple ID.

Solution #4: Change Your WiFi’s Channel to Reduce Congestion

Another potential cause of Alexa not connecting to Apple Music is your WiFi connection. For these to work seamlessly, they need to communicate via your WiFi network.

If there is congestion, it can slow down your entire network and stop Alexa from playing from your Apple Music account.

To quickly resolve this issue, you want to change your WiFi channel to one that’s not the default. Doing this will help free your network and allow both platforms to link faster.

Here’s how to change your WiFi channel on your router:

1. On your browser, enter your router’s IP address.
2. Enter your router’s username and password.
3. Go to your router’s Wireless Settings.
4. Select Channels.
5. On the drop box, select 1, 6, or 11, then click Save.

Tip: Type ipconfig in Command Prompt and look for Default Gateway to determine your router’s IP address.

Solution #5: Open These Ports on Your Firewall

If you can’t get your Alexa to connect with Apple Music, you want to check your network’s firewall settings.

It can be a factor, especially concerning connectivity issues, as it can prevent both platforms from communicating with each other.

Here’s how to open ports on your firewall:

1. Open your Windows Firewall, then select Advanced Settings.
2. Go to Inbound Rules, then select New Rule.
3. Choose Port, then click on Next.
4. Select TCP, then under Specific local ports, enter the ports you want to open.
5. Open these ports: 123, 443, 4070, 5353, 33434, 40317, 49317.

Note: Restart your computer to ensure that these new settings will take effect immediately.

Solution #6: Re-Link Your Apple Music and Alexa

Bugs and glitches can occur that can affect the link between Alexa and Apple Music.

Re-linking them both will restore the connection allowing you to use Alexa with Apple Music without any issues.

Doing this will flush out any configuration errors and restore the settings between the two platforms.

Here’s how to unlink Alexa and Apple Music:

1. Go to the Alexa app on your phone, then select More.
2. Go to Settings, then Music and Podcast.
3. For Services, select Apple Music.
4. Choose Disable Skill.

Here’s how to relink Alexa to Apple Music:

1. Install the Apple Music Skill (see Solution #3).
2. After Enabling the skill, go to Settings.
3. Select Link Account.
4. Sign in using your Apple ID.

Note: Don’t skip any of these steps to successfully re-link Alexa to your Apple Music account and get it to work.

These solutions should resolve the connection issues between Alexa and Apple Music. However, if these don’t fix the problem, you can try to reset your Echo to factory settings.

You’ll need to set it up again, but doing this will improve the connection between the two platforms.

Bottom Line

Now that you know why won’t my Alexa connect to Apple Music and the steps to fix it, you will now be able to resolve it in no time.

Enjoying music from your iPhone should not be a problem with your Echo as long as you follow these steps.

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