Skip to main content

How to use Multi-Room Music with Amazon Alexa

If you’ve built up a small army of Amazon Echo devices over the years, you should consider turning them into a surround system to fill your entire smart home with music. Amazon has given many of its devices the ability to sync their performance together with a feature known as Multi-Room Music, allowing you to quickly pump out tunes through every compatible device in your home. What’s even more impressive is how simple it is to use.

Here's how to use Multi-Room Music on your Amazon Echo devices, along with a few tips to customize and optimize its performance.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Amazon Alexa app

  • Amazon Echo devices (More than one is required)

The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock.

How to use Multi-Room Music with Amazon Echo devices

There are a few different ways to start using Multi-Room Music with your Amazon devices. The fastest is by saying, “Alexa, play music everywhere.” By default, Alexa will group everything in your home together and give it the group name “everywhere.” This means you won’t have to tinker with any menus or create any additional groups. As long as your devices are connected to the same network, they’ll start playing music with the above command.

If you’d like to make a custom group for Multi-Room Music, here’s how it works.

Step 1: Open your Alexa app.

Step 2: Select the Devices menu.

Step 3: Select the plus button, then select Combine Speakers.

Step 4: Choose the Multi-Room Music option, then follow the rest of the on-screen prompts to finish your grouping.

Step 5: Now, instead of saying “Alexa, play music everywhere,” you can simply ask Alexa to play music for your new group.

Amazon Echo Studio.
Amazon

Common issues with Multi-Room Music

Having trouble with Multi-Room Music? The feature is designed to be simple and intuitive, but things don’t always go as expected.

A common issue encountered by users is attempting to use a service that’s not supported by the feature. Keep in mind not all music streaming services are compatible with Multi-Room Music – Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Audible are all guaranteed to work, while other services will be hit-or-miss.

You’ll also want to make sure all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Specifically, you might encounter issues if some are connected to the 5GHz version of your network while others are on the 2.4GHz network. Try connecting them all to the same Wi-Fi network before attempting to use the feature.

It’s also important to make sure you’re using Multi-Room Music with a compatible device. This includes both current and older generations of the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Studio, and Echo Show lineup. If you’re still having issues, consider reaching out to the Amazon support team.

Editors' Recommendations

Get two Alexa and Google Assistant smart bulbs for $5 today
Two Lenovo Smart Bulbs sitting next to each other on a white background.

If you're looking to add some smart lighting to your home without spending a fortune, Lenovo has a great deal right now on its Lenovo Smart Bulbs. You can buy two for just $5 saving you $23 off the regular price of $28. A saving of 82% is not to be missed and these light bulbs are a great way to dip your toe into smart lighting for less. Let's take a look at why they're worth it.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Smart Bulb
It's easy to think you need to spend a fortune on the best smart light bulbs but that's not always the case. The market for the best cheap smart bulbs is steadily growing with Lenovo keeping things super cheap here. The Lenovo Smart Color Light Bulb is compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant. It's possible to adjust brightness and temperature to suit the mood throughout the day. You can also dim the lights or change colors to get things just how you like them. There's a choice of 16 million colors as well as unable white which adjusts the light temperature from 2700K to 6500K.

Read more
Sonos One vs. Google Nest Audio: which is the best smart speaker?
The Google Nest Audio speaker on a table.

The Sonos One and Google Nest Audio are two of the best smart speakers of 2023. Both can pump out impressive sound, respond to a wide variety of voice commands, and easily sync up with the rest of your smart home. But with the Sonos One costing more than $200 and the Google Nest Audio clocking in at just $100, you might be wondering if the Sonos One is truly worth your money -- or if you’d be better off saving $100 and opting for the cheaper Google product.

Before picking up either smart speaker, here’s a closer look at the Sonos One and Google Nest Audio.
Pricing and availability

Read more
How to choose a robot vacuum
Roborock S4 Max cleaning a carpet.

A robot vacuum is a great way to automate your chores and keep your home free of dust, debris, and other allergens. Whether you’re shopping for a budget-friendly model with the basics or a premium gadget that can atomatically empty its dustbin after each cleaning, there’s bound to be something that catches your eye. Here are a few things to consider when shopping for a new robot vacuum, such as available features, the best available brands, price points, and more.

Once you’re done checking out this list, be sure to read through our roundup of the best robot vacuums.
Features to consider in a robot vacuum
Sensory sophistication and virtual mapping
Most modern robot vacuums use sensor technology to navigate around a room, but some models are more advanced than others. Basic robots have infrared sensors to stop them from bumping into things and changing direction when they collide with something, whereas more sophisticated models will map out a room using laser-guided scanners or a combination of cameras and sensors. These high-tech robots also sometimes have "dirt sensors" to be sure they have cleaned properly, and can add additional cleaning passes to dirty or high-traffic areas.

Read more