How compatible is the Amazon Echo with an iPhone?

Apple + Amazon

Apple and Amazon are competitors. Despite this, in recent years, they've learned to work together better (within reason) for the greater good. Nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to Amazon's Echo devices finally gaining support for Apple Music in late 2018.

With this compatibility, you can now tie Apple's music subscription service to the Amazon Alexa app. In doing so, you can play your favorite Apple Music titles to your Amazon Echo products. Before this, you could only tie together the two through Bluetooth, which came with limitations.

Thanks to this compatibility, you can ask Alexa to play songs, artists, albums, or genres from Apple Music. You can also play Beats 1 radio, playlists from Apple Music's editors, or playlists in your iCloud Music Library. Say something like "Alexa, play Pop Throwback on Apple Music," or "Alexa, play Cass McCombs on Apple Music."

You can also listen to Apple Music in stereo or across multiple rooms by adding a Multi-Room Music group in the Alexa app. Apple Music for Alexa is currently available only in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Your Echo product and iPhone don't just make beautiful music together. You can also use the Alexa app to introduce Amazon Skills to your home. These third-party applets help your Amazon Echo to respond to thousands of commands that cover a wide array of tasks. For example, you can use Skills to get movie times or track packages, control home automation devices, tell jokes, and much more.

Fun fact

Did you know you can now use Amazon Alexa on your iPhone without an Echo product in your home? Indeed you can! Since 2018, this has been an option in the Amazon Alexa app for iOS. To get started, you'll first need to give Alexa permission to access your iPhone microphone and location by pushing on the Alexa button in the app.

To ask Alexa a question after that, you'll need to use the same button. As long as your iPhone has internet access, Alexa will answer your questions. If you're in your home, those questions are responded to directly from your Amazon Echo. Otherwise, the response comes through the Alexa app.

Are you looking for more? Amazon Alexa is also baked into the Amazon shopping app so you can order stuff just by using your voice.

Lots of choices

It seems each passing year brings with it new Amazon Echo devices with Amazon Alexa baked in. Since the first Amazon Echo launched in 2014, Amazon has introduced other smart speakers and speaker-related products with Amazon Alexa built-in. The voice assistant is also found on third-party products too which also work with iOS devices.