How to Ask HomePod to Play Spotify Music [Video Guide]

In HomePod settings, you won’t find the option to add Spotify to HomePod or HomePod Mini. Luckily, there is a workaround to stream Spotify from HomePod. Keep reading to find out how I can ask my HomePod Mini to play Spotify music. 

Can HomePod Play Spotify?

The short answer is yes, the HomePod can play Spotify, but with some limitations. In early 2021, Apple released a software update that added support for third-party music services, including Spotify. This means that you can now use Siri to control your Spotify playback on your HomePod, just like you would with Apple Music.

To get started, you’ll need to make sure that your HomePod and your iOS device are updated to the latest software version. You’ll also need to have the Spotify app installed on your iOS device. Once you’ve done that, follow these steps:

1. Open the Spotify app on your iOS device.
2. Start playing a song, album, or playlist.
3. Tap on the “Devices Available” icon (it looks like a speaker with a Wi-Fi signal).
4. Select your HomePod from the list of available devices.
5. Your Spotify playback should now be playing through your HomePod.

While you can now use Spotify with your HomePod, there are some limitations to keep in mind. However, you’ll need to start the playback through the Spotify app on your iOS device and then select your HomePod as the playback device. 

Luckily, I didn’t stop there. After some digging, I have found a workaround to ask my HomePod Mini to start playing a Spotify playlist. 

Ask HomePod to Play a Certain Spotify Playlist, Track, or Album

About 2 years ago when Siri does not support Spotify, I saw some people could ask Siri to play Spotify music through Shortcuts. I also learned from Apple that Siri can launch shortcuts from HomePod. 

Based on these 2 things, I come to the idea to ask HomePod to Spotify music through shortcuts. You can refer to the steps below to set it up.

Step 1. Ask Siri to play Spotify music on your iPhone or iPad. You can ask Siri to play a track, album, or playlist. 

Step 2. Open Shortcuts app on your iOS device, and tap the “+” icon to create a new shortcut. Give the shortcut a name, for example, Play Spotify On HomePod. 

Step 3. Search for Spotify action and add it to your shortcut. If you cannot find one, repeat Step 1 a couple of times. For me, I added a Play Spotify playlist action. 

Step 4. Add a Hand Off Playback action. Set it to Handoff playback from your iOS device to your HomePod. 

That’s it. You can run the shortcut to see if your HomePod will start playing Spotify music. Then, you can say “Hey Siri, Play Spotify On HomePod” to your HomePod. Voila, your HomePod will start playing Spotify music. While playing, you can also ask HomePod to pause, skip, seek, etc. 

What’s more, you can also create an automation task to run this shortcut. This way, your Homepod automation for Spotify is set up. You set Homepod to play Spotify music in the morning to wake you.

Ask HomePod to Play Anything on Spotify

The above method can only ask HomePod to play a pre-defined Spotify track, album, or playlist. If you want HomePod to play anything you want on Spotify, you can follow the steps below: 

Step 1. Install the Google Assistant app from App Store. 

Step 2. Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut. Give it a name, for example, Play Music On Spotify. 

Step 3. Add the “Dictate text action” and choose your language. 

Step 4. Add Ask Google action into the shortcut. In the question line, select the Variable Dictated Text. You can also add text like the screenshot below: Play Dictated Text on Spotify. 

Step 5. Add the Hand off playback action and Hand off playback from your iPhone to HomePod. 

Step 6. With your iOS device unlocked, you can say: “Hey Siri, Play Music on Spotify (the name your give to the shortcut)” to your HomePod. 

Step 7. Your HomePod will ask you what the text is. Then you can say any Spotify music that you want to play.

This way, your iOS device will launch Spotify and hand off playback to your HomePod. Since Google Assistant is a third-party app, this will only work if your iPhone or iPad is unlocked. 

The Shortcuts app has a lot of possibilities. If you want to explore more, you can also check my other Spotify Shortcuts for iOS.

Conclusion

With these workarounds, HomePod can play Spotify, but with some limitations. With the latest software update, you can now use Siri to control your Spotify playback on your HomePod and enjoy high-quality sound from the speaker. 

I don’t know when will Spotify ever support HomePod Mini. These are the best ways I can think of to add Spotify to my HomePod Mini. While with limitations, the ability to use Spotify with the HomePod is a welcome addition for those who prefer the music streaming service over Apple Music.