Spotify Launched A Voice Command Feature In The App, & Here's How To Listen Hands-Free

Queuing up your favorite jams on Spotify is about to get a lot easier, thanks to the launch of the company's in-app virtual voice assistant. As the feature rolls out, users can harness a pretty significant list of commands — from playing a certain song to pulling up a specific playlist — to get the tune they want hands-free. Here's how to use the "Hey Spotify" voice command for the app and try the feature yourself.

While the new feature was spotted over a year ago, the "Hey Spotify" voice assistant officially launched to some iOS and Android listeners the week of April 5, according to Spotify. This means there's a chance you won't have access to it yet, but you can easily check if you have it. To do so, open your Spotify app and look for a prompt to give Spotify permission to use your microphone to access all of the "Hey Spotify" capabilities. You can also check if you have it by going to your Spotify Settings, tapping on "Voice Interactions," then checking "Microphone permissions." There, you can see if you have a "Hey Spotify" button. If you're not seeing it, a good rule of thumb is to make sure you have the latest version of Spotify downloaded on your iOS or Android device. Don't fret if you don't see it: More users will have access to the feature in the coming weeks.

If you are currently able to access the feature, make sure to give Spotify permission to use your microphone to use the voice assistant. Keep in mind that unlike other voice assistants like Siri or Bixby, "Hey Spotify" is only available while you're actually using the app, so you'll have to have it open when you're ready to give your voice command. Other than that, the feature works pretty much like any other voice assistant. You can ask Spotify to play a certain song, music by a certain artist, a radio station, genre, or playlist by prefacing your request with "Hey Spotify." You can also access basic commands like skip, pause, or play. In the mood to be surprised? Ask Spotify to "Play something I like" for the app to shuffle one of its Daily Mix playlists.

While it is handy you can make commands without needing to access the voice command from the search bar, keep in mind it's only available while you're actively using the Spotify app. So, you'll need to make sure you manually open Spotify on your phone to get going. (You can also try utilizing your phone's voice commands to open Spotify hands-free and then use the "Hey Spotify" command.) However, it'll definitely come in handy for those times when you're listening to music and want to switch things up hands-free, because sometimes you don't want to stop dancing and just want to say, "Hey Spotify, play Beyoncé."