Can Alexa Play a Song at a Certain Time? Yes, and Here’s How to Set It Up

If you’re just using your Alexa-enabled device to check the weather or set timers, you’re barely scratching the surface of its potential. Alexa, the brain inside Amazon Echo and other smart speakers, is a powerful tool for automating your home and simplifying your daily life. One of its most useful features is the ability to schedule tasks using Routines, including playing your favorite music right when you want it. Imagine waking up to your energizing playlist every morning, or having calming tunes automatically start as you wind down for bed. This is all easily achievable with Alexa Routines.

Alexa Routines are essentially shortcuts that allow you to trigger one or multiple actions with a single command or event. These actions can range from turning on smart lights and adjusting your thermostat to providing you with a daily briefing and, crucially, playing music. Instead of manually asking Alexa to play music every time, you can set up a Routine to automatically start your chosen songs at a specific time each day, or even based on other triggers.

Think of setting up an Alexa Routine like creating a personalized radio station that plays exactly what you want, exactly when you want it. For example, you can create a “Morning Music” Routine that not only plays your favorite upbeat playlist at 7 AM but also gradually brightens your smart lights and tells you the day’s weather forecast. Or, a “Relaxing Evening” Routine could dim the lights, adjust the thermostat to a comfortable temperature, and start playing calming ambient music at 9 PM. The possibilities are vast and customizable to fit your lifestyle.

The fourth-gen Echo smart speaker on a wooden desk

Amazon Echo fourth generation smart speaker on a desk, demonstrating its capability to schedule music playback through Alexa Routines.

Setting up an Alexa Routine to play music at a specific time is straightforward. You can trigger these routines in various ways. The most common and relevant trigger for playing music at a certain time is, unsurprisingly, time itself. However, you can also use other triggers like voice commands, smart home device interactions, or even sounds. For instance, you could have a Routine start playing energizing music when your smart coffee maker turns on in the morning, or trigger relaxing music when you say “Alexa, bedtime.”

Let’s dive into the step-by-step process of setting up an Alexa Routine to play music at your desired time.

How to Schedule Music Playback with Alexa Routines

Creating an Alexa Routine to play music at a certain time involves a few simple steps within the Alexa app. The process is intuitive and allows for a high degree of customization, ensuring your music plays exactly when and how you want it.

Creating a Routine is easy; it’s choosing from all the things it can do that can get hard.

Alexa app screenshots demonstrating the ease of creating Routines, highlighting the music scheduling feature.

Here’s a detailed guide to get your music scheduled:

1. Open the Alexa App: Launch the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet. This is your control center for managing all things Alexa, including Routines.
2. Navigate to Routines: Tap on “More” located at the bottom navigation panel. From the menu that appears, select “Routines”.
3. Create a New Routine: Look for the “Plus” icon, usually in the top-right corner of the screen, and tap it. This will start the process of creating a new Routine.
4. Name Your Routine: Give your Routine a descriptive name. Something like “Morning Playlist,” “Evening Music,” or “7 AM Tunes” works well. Enter the name and tap “Next”.
5. Choose a Trigger – Time: Select “Schedule” as the trigger. This will allow you to set a specific time for your music to start playing. Tap “At time” and then set your desired time of day and days of the week you want the Routine to run. Tap “Next” after setting the time.
6. Add an Action – Music: Now, it’s time to tell Alexa what to do when the Routine is triggered. Tap “Add action”, then scroll down and select “Music & Podcasts”.
7. Customize Music Playback: Here you have several options. You can choose a specific service like Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, or others linked to your Alexa account. Then, you can specify what to play. You can select a playlist, a station, a song, or even a podcast. Type in the name of your desired music content.
8. Select Playback Device (Optional): If you have multiple Echo devices, you can choose which device will play the music. If you leave it as “This device,” the music will play on the Echo device that last responded to your voice or the one you are currently interacting with through the app.
9. Save Your Routine: Once you’ve configured the trigger and the music action, tap “Save” in the top-right corner. Your new music Routine is now set up and will run according to the schedule you defined.

You can always go back to the “Routines” section in the Alexa app to modify, disable, or even manually start your newly created music Routine by pressing the “Play” button next to it.

Exploring Different Triggers for Music Routines

While scheduling music playback at a specific time is a primary use case, Alexa Routines offer flexibility with various triggers. Understanding these triggers can help you create even more personalized and automated music experiences.

• Voice Commands: You can create a Routine that starts playing music when you say a specific phrase. For example, “Alexa, start my workout mix” could trigger a Routine to play your favorite high-energy playlist.
• Smart Home Device Interactions: Integrate your music Routines with other smart home devices. Imagine your smart lights dimming and calming music starting when you activate your “Bedtime” smart home scene.
• Sound Detection: Alexa can be triggered by certain sounds. While less common for music, you could theoretically set up a Routine to play upbeat music if Alexa detects the sound of your alarm clock turning off, though time-based scheduling is generally more reliable for this scenario.

Actions Beyond Just Playing Music in Routines

While the focus here is on scheduling music, remember that Alexa Routines are capable of much more. You can combine music playback with other actions to create truly immersive and helpful automations.

• Smart Home Control: Combine music with controlling smart lights, thermostats, and other devices. A “Wake Up” Routine could turn on the lights, start your coffee maker, and play your morning playlist.
• Alexa Speaks: Have Alexa announce something before or after your music plays. For example, “Good morning! Here’s your daily dose of music” before your morning playlist begins.
• News and Information: Include actions to get a weather update, news briefing, or calendar summary as part of your music Routine.

Example of a bedtime routine on an Echo Dot Kids Edition, showcasing how music can be combined with other actions like dimming lights for a relaxing bedtime atmosphere.

Enhance Your Day with Scheduled Music

Scheduling music with Alexa Routines is a simple yet powerful way to automate your daily audio experiences. Whether you want to wake up to your favorite tunes, set a relaxing mood in the evening, or have background music automatically play during specific times of the day, Alexa Routines make it easy. Experiment with different triggers and actions to create Routines that perfectly fit your lifestyle and musical preferences. Once you start automating your music playback, you’ll discover just how much more convenient and enjoyable your smart home can be.