How to Connect Alexa to a Bluetooth Speaker

Alexa is a great voice-activated virtual assistant from Amazon, but while the Echo and Echo Plus have respectable built-in speakers, other devices like the ​Echo Dot are more limited. You might prefer to connect an external Bluetooth speaker, especially when streaming music.

Check the manufacturer's website to see if the speaker you want to connect is Alexa-compatible. If so, Alexa could be used through the manufacturer's app (with a few caveats). If not, you can connect it through an Echo device.

This guide will walk you through how to connect Alexa to a Bluetooth speaker, depending on what devices you're using.

Ask Alexa

Alexa is meant to be a digital assistant controlled by your voice. Before digging through app menus, try asking Alexa to pair with your Bluetooth speaker.

Use one of the following commands to set your Alexa-powered device to pairing mode. It will respond with "Searching."

• Alexa, pair
• Alexa, Bluetooth

Now, put your speaker into pairing mode. This is typically done by pressing a physical button on the device called Pair or labeled with a Bluetooth icon.

If you successfully paired Alexa and the Bluetooth speaker, it will respond with "Now connected to (your device's name)."

If the device isn't found, Alexa will respond by reminding you to enable Bluetooth on the device or use the Alexa app to connect a new device.

Pair Bluetooth Speakers on Echo Devices

1. Download the Amazon Alexa app.

   Download For:

   iOS
   Android

2. Sign in to your Amazon account from within the Alexa app.

3. Tap Devices from the bottom of the app.

4. Choose the plus (+) icon at the top and select Add Device.

5. Put your Bluetooth speaker into pairing mode.

6. Tap Bluetooth Speaker from the Alexa app, follow any permission prompts if you see them, and then select the speaker from the list.

7. When successful, you should hear Alexa say "Now connected to (insert device name)."

Pair Fire TV Devices With Bluetooth Speakers

1. Power on your Fire TV device.

2. Scroll to Settings in the menu.

3. Go to Controllers & Bluetooth Devices > Other Bluetooth Devices > Add Bluetooth Devices.

4. Put your Bluetooth speaker into pairing mode. When connected, you'll see an on-screen confirmation, and the speaker will be listed as a paired device.

You can also connect your Echo device to your Fire TV. In this case, only one version of Alexa can be connected to the speaker at a time.

If you pair the Bluetooth speaker with the Fire TV, you’ll hear and talk to Alexa from your Echo speaker and hear content played through Fire TV on the speaker. Some Alexa tasks will still play through the Echo speaker, while Hulu, Netflix, etc., will play audio through the Bluetooth speaker.

In this configuration, you can use the Fire TV remote to control Pandora, Spotify, and other music services through the Bluetooth speaker. Voice controls like “Alexa, open Pandora” will still control Alexa on the Echo device, but commands like “Alexa, stop” or “Alexa, play” will control the Fire TV app.

Otherwise, the Echo Alexa will play from the Bluetooth speaker, while Fire TV content will play through the TV speakers.

Use Alexa on Compatible Third-Party Devices

If a third-party Bluetooth speaker (i.e., the Libratone Zipp, Sonos One, Onkyo P3, and most UE speakers) supports Alexa, you can control it with the manufacturer’s app. Be aware, however, that only Amazon Music can be used for these devices. To stream songs from Spotify, Pandora, or Apple Music (even with a paid account), you need an Amazon Echo-branded device.

The exceptions are speakers like the UE Boom 2 and Megaboom, which include a feature called “Say it to Play it.” These speakers access virtual assistance on iOS and Android devices to stream music from various services.

Sonos in the U.S. supports Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, and Deezer, although much of this content isn’t available in the UK or Canada.

Follow these steps to connect Alexa to your Bluetooth speaker:

1. Download the manufacturer’s app.

   New devices are constantly added, so if yours isn’t listed here, search for the speaker in the Play Store or App Store. These are links to the apps for just a few of the third-party speakers that include built-in Alexa support:

   UE Boom & Megaboom

   iOS
   Android

   UE Blast & Megablast

   iOS
   Android

   Libratone Zipp

   iOS
   Android

   Sonos One

   iOS
   Android

   Onkyo

   iOS
   Android

2. Scroll to Add Voice Control and select Add Amazon Alexa.

3. Connect your Amazon account using the email and password related to it.

4. Download the Alexa app when prompted.

5. Link the preferred music services (like Spotify) through the Alexa app: press the three-line icon on the bottom right corner, choose Settings, select Music & Podcasts, and then pick an item from the menu.

6. Link the preferred music services on your third-party app.