Spotify has a new voice assistant in its Android and iOS applications. Shout “Hey Spotify” to your device and you’ll be able to control every aspect of the Spotify app hands-free – useful when driving or cleaning your home. The first batch of users in the US should have access to the feature now, and the company says it will launch on more devices in the coming weeks.
While you can control Spotify with your voice via Android Audio and Google Assistant on Android and to a limited extent via Siri and CarPlay on Apple devices, “Hey Spotify” interacts directly with the Spotify app. This means that you can use voice commands without you need to instruct your device’s digital assistant to recognize Spotify-specific commands.
Once “Hey Spotify” is available on your device, you’ll need to turn on voice commands in the app to use:
How to turn on “Hey Spotify” voice commands
- Open the Spotify app.
- Go to “Search” tab.
- Touch the microphone icon next to the search bar.
- Select “Start ‘Hey Spotify.’
- Give Spotify permission to record audio.
You can now use Spotify’s built-in voice commands. Just say “Hey Spotify”, followed by a command. Ask them to play a specific artist or playlist you made, pause or skip tracks, or upload the latest episode of a podcast. You can also perform voice searches without having to switch a special voice mode the first.
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If you want to disable the feature, go to Sign in Settings> Voice interactions and deactivate “Hey Spotify.” This will prevent accidental activations and is smart for personal privacy if you never use your feature after activating it.
Like other voice apps, Spotify will listen in the background to say “Hey Spotify”. Spotify says the app only listens in short bursts that are deleted immediately. If it recognizes an order, in-app notifications and audio tones are played to let you know that the app is recording you at that time. Registration is required for the application to process your orders, but you can read Spotify’s voice data privacy policy if you want to learn more about how your voice sound is handled.