Spotify, a music streaming service, a podcast aggregator, a microblogging platform, and now a voice assistant, because why not? Spotify has introduced new microphone settings to its Android app, allowing users to say the wake words “Hey Spotify” and queue up a song, artist, album, or playlist completely hands-free.
The newest version of Spotify is currently running on the Pixel 5, but you don’t need one of the best Android phones to use this new hands-free voice command service. Any phone running the Spotify app version 8.6.14.975 should be able to allow “Hey Spotify” in the settings.
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Saying “Hey Spotify” won’t activate voice commands if the Spotify app isn’t available, unlike other voice assistants with deeper system-level integration, and its current capabilities are very minimal. You can’t ask Spotify questions about artists or release dates; when Spotify hears an artist or album name, it immediately starts playing music— but you can request Spotify to play the most recent album by a particular artist or band. These shortcomings are currently Spotify’s greatest drawback over YouTube Music, which integrates directly with Google Assistant.
After upgrading to the latest update, you should be prompted to allow “Hey Spotify” as soon as you open the app, but if you want to enable it manually, go to the app settings and enable microphone permissions under the Voice section, then enable “Hey Spotify.”
