How to Connect an Amazon Echo to a Bluetooth Speaker for Better Sound
Take any Amazon Echo smart speaker or display as part of an Alexa smart home system , and it will, of course, have its own built-in audio output so you can hear Alexa replies, play your tunes and podcasts, etc. on. However, these built-in speakers aren’t necessarily top of the line in terms of sound quality.
Sure, the $199.99 Amazon Echo Studio can give some serious competition to the best wireless speakers, but that’s not true across the entire lineup. Take the new $79.99 Amazon Echo Spot : a compact and useful little bedside smart device, but only has a 1.73-inch front-facing speaker.
This is where Bluetooth speakers come to the rescue. In addition to connecting to your Echo as a Bluetooth speaker , you can also connect these Amazon devices to other Bluetooth speakers to output audio—Bluetooth speakers, which are larger and more expensive, and offer more options in audio. in terms of the sound they can produce.
While this won’t make a big difference when it comes to podcasts or responses from Alexa, it’s definitely worth considering if you listen to a lot of music through your Echo speaker. Here’s how to do it.
Pairing Amazon Echo with a Bluetooth Speaker
To get started, you’ll obviously need an Amazon Echo and a Bluetooth speaker. For a Bluetooth speaker, you’ll also need to know how to put it into pairing mode: the process will vary depending on the speaker, but it often involves pressing a button somewhere – if you’re not sure, check online or read up. documentation included with the speaker.
When the Bluetooth speaker is in pairing mode, you’re ready to connect your Echo speaker. Open the Alexa app for Android or iOS (which you used to set up the speaker in the first place), then open the Devices tab. Click on your Echo speaker, then click on the gear icon to open its settings.
Select Bluetooth Devices , then Connect a New Device, and follow the onscreen instructions. Depending on the Bluetooth speaker you’re using, you may have to confirm pairing by pressing another button on the speaker itself. Once the connection is established, Alexa will notify you that the link has been established.
Managing speaker connections
Every audio output from the Echo speaker will now be routed through the Bluetooth speaker, be it responses from Alexa or music. If for some reason it doesn’t, make sure your Bluetooth speaker is turned on, select Echo from the Devices tab in the Alexa app, and then tap the speaker to reconnect.
Once the connection has been established the first time, you can also use voice commands to control it: try “Alexa, disconnect” to turn off the Bluetooth speaker (and return to using the built-in speaker for audio), or “Alexa, connect” to pair the Bluetooth speaker and Echo again.
If you go back to Bluetooth Devices in the Amazon Echo speaker settings menu, you’ll see all your paired devices. Tap the little arrow next to any speaker to reconnect to it, or to have the Echo forget about the Bluetooth connection (so you’ll have to go through the pairing process again if you ever need to reconnect).