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Apple Music comes to the Amazon Echo: How to get Apple Music on Alexa in the UK

You can now get Apple Music on the Alexa UK Skill store and set the service as your default music player. Here's how

Apple Music is finally available on the Amazon Echo as well as the retailer’s myriad Alexa-powered devices in the UK, including the Amazon Fire tablet.

The tech giant introduced Apple Music to Echo devices in the US in December via an Alexa Skill and this Skill is now available on the UK version of the store. 

Amazon has its own music subscription service, called Amazon Music, and seeing as Apple Music is a direct competitor, you could see why Amazon was hesitant to support it. 

However, with other services including Spotify already being available via Alexa in the UK, it was only a matter of time before Amazon accepted the Skill.

This partnership may also be indicative of the fact Apple’s HomePod speaker isn’t selling as it may like. By keeping Apple Music exclusive to the Homepod, it formed a selling point for people with subscriptions on the iPhone, or people looking to get a subscription, to buy Apple’s own smart speaker. 

READ NEXT: Spotify vs Amazon Music vs Apple Music vs YouTube Music

With reports last year suggesting only 600,000 Homepods were sold versus 4 million Echo devices in 2018, Apple may be looking to boost subscribers to Apple Music rather than sell speakers as the music subscription market is a more lucrative market. 

These figures should be caveated by the fact there is only one HomePod in the range, versus the multiple Echo devices on sale. 

READ NEXT: Amazon Echo review

Apple Music on Echo UK

Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Music on the Amazon Echo. 

When is Apple Music coming to Alexa UK?

It’s already here! The service launched in the US in December 2018 and the Apple Music Alexa Skill appeared on the Amazon Skill Store on 4 April 2019. 

How to get Apple Music on Alexa UK

If you’re an Apple Music subscriber already, you’ll need to enable the Apple Music Alexa Skill on any of your Amazon Echo devices. Once the Apple Music Alexa Skill is enabled, it will work on any Echos linked to your Amazon account.

If you’re not an Apple Music subscriber, you can sign up via your iPhone or iPad, or via Android

If you don’t already own an Amazon Echo and this has inspired you to get one, you can buy it here. 

Buy an Amazon Echo 

Once your subscription is set up you’ll need to do the following to get Apple Music on Echo devices. 

  • Open the Amazon Alexa app on the phone or tablet you’ve set the subscription up on 
  • Go to Settings
  • In Alexa Preferences, select Music
  • Choose Link New Service and tap Apple Music
  • Press Enable To Use and sign in with your Apple ID
  • If you want to listen to Apple Music in stereo or on multiple Echo devices, create a Multi-Room Music group while in the Alexa app  

You can also repeat this process on the web version of the Alexa Skill Store, or go straight to the Apple Music on Alexa Skill page.

Once set up, to start playing music, say: “Alexa play Apple Music.” You can also ask for specific songs, artists, albums and genres. Alternatively, play Beats 1 radio by saying “Alexa play Beats 1”.

How to set Apple Music as your default service on Echo devices

If you’d rather not say “on Apple Music” each time you ask Alexa to play your music, make Apple Music your default music service on Alexa. 

  • Open the Amazon Alexa app and go to Settings
  • Select Music.
  • Under Account Settings, tap Default Services and choose Apple Music.

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