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Voice control

For: Mobile and Car Thing

Use your voice with Spotify for hands-free play control.

Pick your device for how to switch voice control on or off.

Switch voice control on

  1. Tap Search .
  2. Tap the microphone .
  3. Give Spotify permission to record audio or access your microphone. 

Now just say “Hey Spotify” (when the app is open and on your screen) to ask for music and podcasts, control what plays, and more. 

Switch voice control off

  1. Tap Home .
  2. Tap Settings .
  3. Tap Voice interactions (iPhone) or scroll to Voice (android). 
  4. You can either: 
    • Turn off the “Hey Spotify” wake word. This means you’ll need to tap  every time you want to make a voice request.
    • Tap Mic permissions to disable the voice feature completely.

Tip: You can also change your mic permissions in your phone’s app settings.

You don’t need to do anything to start using your voice with Car Thing, just say “Hey Spotify” to get started.

Switch voice control off

Unless you say “Hey Spotify”, Car Thing isn’t listening.

You can turn the microphone off if you don’t want Car Thing to take voice requests:

  1. Press the settings button.
  2. Select Microphone.
  3. Tap or press the dial to turn the microphone off.
    Tip: Repeat the steps to turn the microphone on again.

Or, use your voice to ask Car Thing to turn the mic off. Say “Hey Spotify, mic off”.

Note: Once the mic is off, you can’t use your voice to turn it back on.

What can you ask?

Use your voice to play, show, save, and control music and podcasts. You can also use it to get to Car Thing screens and settings. Check out some examples of each below.

We’re always adding new features and commands, so check back for new additions.

Play or show

Ask to: 

  • Play anything to listen instantly.
  • Show anything to see results to choose.

Tip: Play results are based on your listening history. If it's not what you wanted, you can select a different result on-screen or try a different request.

  "Hey Spotify, play... “Hey Spotify, show…
Artists, albums, songs ...Dua Lipa”
...Abbey Road”
...On the road again”
Podcasts ...Crime Junkie”
...Last podcast on the left”
Playlists ...Discover Weekly”
...The Listening Post”
Genres and moods ...hip hop”
...happy music”
Recommendations ...something”
...a podcast”
Something related to what’s playing ...more like this”
...something else”
...this artist”
...this album”

Play or show: Car Thing tips

All play or show commands work for Car Thing, but there are also more ways to use your voice for Car Thing shortcuts:

“Hey Spotify play...

  • ...my Daily Drive"
  • ... preset 4”
    Tip: You can also save presets with your voice.

“Hey Spotify show...

  • ...my library”
  • ...my playlists”
  • ...my podcasts”
  • ...my albums”
  • ...my artists”
  • ...my saved songs”
  • ...my episodes”
  • ...my Daily Mixes”
  • ...my recently played”
  • ...my settings”

You can also use your voice for some Car Thing settings: 

“Hey Spotify…

  • …volume up” 
  • ...mute mic” 

Save

Add to Your Library collections. 

“Hey Spotify…

  • ...add this to a playlist” (coming soon on Car Thing) 
  • ...I like this song”
  • ...follow this podcast”
  • ...save to preset 3” (Car Thing only)

Control

The same controls you get in the app, without the need to tap.

“Hey Spotify…

  • ...skip this”
  • ...pause”
  • ...resume”
  • ...previous” (Premium only)
  • ...turn on shuffle” (Premium only)
  • ...turn on repeat” (Premium only)

Not working?

  • Check the microphone is on in the app/device settings.
  • Reduce any background noise. 
  • Make sure your app/device is online.
  • Try rephrasing your request. Remember to start with “Hey Spotify”.

Your voice data

Spotify uses your voice data to recognize what you say, to understand you better, and to help us provide a response or take an action.

Learn more about your data rights and controls when using voice on Spotify.

Last updated: 6 May, 2021

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