Amazon Echo / Apple Music Skill - what are the commands?

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Amazon Echo / Apple Music Skill - what are the commands?

Alexa simulates AI but it uses very specific syntax. I can't find documentation, not even from an agent at Apple support. Amazon says it's Apple's skill, Apple's problem. So far, my guesses at syntax are not playing music from my iCloud Music Library. I have an account, I've installed the skill, and I can play Apple playlists. However, I cannot access playlists from my library. Some posts say "Play my [playlist name] playlist." This only plays an Apple Music playlist with a similar name. (My playlist - "All Songs"; Alexa plays "50 All Time Christmas Favorites") I don't know if I'm using the wrong syntax or if the skill needs some major work. There is no documentation and Apple support agents don't know of any resource. Any direction would be most welcome.

iPhone XS Max

Posted on Feb 3, 2019 9:50 AM

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Answer 1

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gary11 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 11, 2019 7:35 PM in response to gary11

OK, made some progress. Thanks to elkriverken over at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250090289, the key to playing a personal playlist is in the naming. Since Alexa is dependent on precise syntax, rename the playlist to include "my." For instance, "All Songs" becomes "My All Songs." It worked for me.

A few things to note: Alexa will not play a Smart Playlist. Also, Apple will not upload a playlist with videos (be sure to check the cloud status on your playlist in iTunes).

Now one more thing. Alexa will not shuffle the playlist, even when you give the shuffle command. She will say shuffle mode is on, but it isn't. This is a pretty common complaint in the other threads, so I'll just keep checking around and hope for the next update.

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Answer 2

Feb 7, 2019 8:01 AM in response to gary11

In your original post, you said,

However, I cannot access playlists from my library.

As understand it, you can't do that. You can only access Apple Music.

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Answer 3

Feb 4, 2019 12:27 PM in response to gary11

As I understand it, Alexa only plays Apple Music, not your personal music library.

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Answer 4

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Feb 4, 2019 12:05 PM in response to gary11

Hi gary11,

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. I see you have questions about how to use Apple Music with Alexa on Amazon Echo. There's a great article which has information on how to set it up and talk to Alexa: Play Apple Music with Alexa on Amazon Echo - Apple Support.

Happy listening!

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Answer 5

gary11 Author

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8 points

Feb 7, 2019 7:45 AM in response to gary11

I'm still stuck in the same place. The Community Specialist sent the same link I've consistently received from Apple. In it it says, "You can also play...playlists in your iCloud Music Library." However, there is no instruction for using the skill. I don't know how to state the question any more clearly.

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Answer 6

gary11 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 10, 2019 8:36 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

I was referring to the copy in Apple's support document, "You can also play...playlists in your iCloud Music Library." This may not be the same as "playlists from my library." Or it's just something in Apple's marketing that wasn't fact checked. Either way, you appear to be right.

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Amazon Echo / Apple Music Skill - what are the commands?

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