How to Listen to iTunes with an Amazon Echo

When Amazon launched its Echo line of home assistants, consumers everywhere were excited about the ability to get their news, favorite recipes, and shopping lists on demand. Music is just another benefit to Alexa’s hundreds of features. As an Amazon product, one may wonder if they have to have an Amazon Music subscription to enjoy perfect musical harmony.

Here are two pieces of good news. One, just because you’re using an Echo doesn’t mean you have to abandon your iTunes collection. Two, Amazon and Apple work quite well together. Therefore, streaming your library through Alexa speakers will work without latency, without a drop in quality, and without too much preparation beforehand.

How to Configure Alexa

iTunes isn’t enabled by default. To get it to work with your Echo speaker, you need to configure your Alexa app in a specific way.

Launch the Alexa app on your device.

Tap ‘Link Music Services’ at the top

Tap on ‘Link New Service.’

Browse the list and select Apple Music as the new service.

Tap ‘Enable to Use’

Select “Enable to Use” on the Skill Menu. You’ll need to log in with your Apple ID, but if you’re on an iOS device, your phone should automatically prompt you to log in.

Allow your Alexa device to access your Apple Music library, then hit Done.

How to Play iTunes on Alexa

Go back to the Music menu.

Tap on the ‘Default Services’ menu.

Tap ‘Apple Music’

Select Apple Music as your default service and be sure to sign in to your Apple Music subscription.

Now use Alexa voice commands to trigger your favorite tunes.

How to Stream iTunes from Offline Storage

You don’t always need an internet connection to listen to your favorite iTunes. Say you still have plenty of purchased songs on some of your mobile devices or Mac, or PC. You can also use Alexa to play those iTunes.

What do you need? A Bluetooth connection between your Echo speaker and the device where the songs are stored. Of course, some minor Alexa app configurations.

Make sure both your devices are Bluetooth enabled by going to the Settings menu on your Mac or in Windows. From the menu, search for Bluetooth and ensure that it’s on.

Get your phone and give Alexa the following command: Say – “Connect to a new Bluetooth device.”

Enable the Echo connection on your device when prompted.

This allows you to play your iTunes from your other device and have the audio come out of the Echo speaker. Therefore, you won’t be limited to hearing your favorite music in just one room. As long as the connection is stable enough of course.

You can also connect your iPhone or Android device to your Echo using the same steps.

Is There an Alternative?

Amazon Echo devices work best with Amazon Music. There’s no doubt about that. So if you notice a drop in quality when streaming from another music platform, know that there’s another route you can take. If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you already have access to millions of songs for free, without having to sign up for an additional subscription. While you can’t transfer your iTunes library to Amazon Music, you may be able to stream many of your favorite songs without any work on your end.

More Options You May Not Know About

Although it’s clear that Echo and iTunes have native support for one another and work well hand in hand, there are other alternative routes you can take. If you’re looking to stream from one platform to a device designed for another there are third-party services that might also help.

Such alternatives are called media servers and are offered by Drobo, Plex, Seagate, and others. You can use them to store your iTunes files and then link the server to your Alexa-enabled speakers and use voice commands to access and manipulate your playlist.

This is an interesting option if you want to keep your iTunes files and cancel your iTunes subscription at the same time. Plus, it can be a great alternative if you don’t want to always be limited to using a computer or laptop. But it will also involve some additional costs.

Here’s to Amazon Making Some Things Easy

Not everyone is ready to switch music platforms just to accommodate a new device. Luckily, in the case of iTunes and Amazon Echo speakers, you don’t really have to. You can keep everything as is and enjoy cross-platform streaming at no real loss in terms of audio quality.­