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Alexa Song ID calls out the name of a song and the artist on Echo devices so you always know what is playing
Alexa has a multitude of features up its sleeve, from controlling your smart lights to waking you up with an alarm. It’s arguably the most comprehensive smart assistant out there, having had a huge head start on Google Assistant and Siri when it comes to the smart home especially.
One of the perhaps lesser known – or forgotten about – features is Alexa Song ID, which Amazon announced back in 2019. The feature is therefore not new, and as it is optional and off by default, it also might be one you don’t know about.
Alexa Song ID enables the assistant to announce the name of song and the artist before a song is played. There are a few caveats to the feature, however, one of which is that you will need to be using Amazon Music as your streaming service of choice. Here’s what you’ll need to turn Alexa Song ID on or off and how you do it. Don’t worry, it’s a piece of cake.
What you’ll need
- Your Echo device
- Your voice
- Amazon Music connected to your Echo device
The short version
- Say “Alexa turn on Alexa Song ID” to your Amazon Echo device
- Say “Alexa turn off Alexa Song ID” to your Amazon Echo device
How to turn Alexa Song ID on to know what song is playing on your Echo device
There are pros and cons to the Alexa Song ID feature. The great thing about it is that you will discover new music. Even if you consider yourself to be an expert in the world of music, there are still likely to be a few songs you might recognise the artist but not know the name of the song and vice versa.

The bad thing about Alexa Song ID is that it is only available for Amazon Music so it won’t work if you’re streaming from Spotify to your Echo, for example. It also interrupts the natural flow of what you’re listening to in order to tell you what is about to play when on so we can understand why you might not want it on all the time. If you are playing a music focus playlist for example, you probably don’t want Alexa piping up every time a new track comes on as that’s bound to disrupt your focus.
Still, if you want to turn Alexa Song ID on or off, here are the slightly longer instructions below to get you setup.
Time needed: 2 minutes
- Make sure your Amazon Echo device is connected and turned on
First things first, you’ll need to ensure your Amazon Echo device is connected to your Wi-Fi and turned on, otherwise Alexa won’t be telling you the name of any songs.
- Turn Song ID on
Simply say “Alexa, turn Song ID on” to turn Song ID on. Alexa will respond telling you its turned the feature on.
- Turn Song ID off
Simply say “Alexa, turn Song ID off” and Song ID will be turned off. It’s quick and simple so nice and easy to turn on or off depending on your mood.
- Make sure Amazon Music account is connected
In order to use Alexa Song ID, you’ll need to make sure you have an Amazon Music account connected to your Echo device. Head to the Alexa app and tap on the More tab. From here, head to Music & More at the top and make sure Amazon Music is listed. If it’s not, then scroll down to the bottom and tap on Link New Services.
That’s it. You should be good to go. If you have turned Alexa Song ID on, you will hear the name of the song and the artist before a song is played through Amazon Music on your Echo device.
If you have Song ID off, your music experience will be uninterrupted.
FAQs
All the latest Amazon Echo devices support Song ID. You’ll find it on the Echo Dot, Echo, Echo Pop and Echo Studio. The Echo devices with displays, like the Echo Show and Echo Hub, don’t need Song ID as their displays show the name of the song and artist.
You’ll find Alexa Song ID available in the US and the UK.