You Can Now Control Spotify Using Your Voice With Cortana in Windows 10

Following the retirement of Groove Music Pass, Microsoft quietly introduced the ability to control Spotify using your voice with Cortana in Windows 10. The feature initially debuted as a feature in the Windows Insider Program last month, but it’s now available to all Windows 10 PCs running the Creators Update (1703) or newer.

The feature works through Cortana’s Spotify integration which is only limited to some regions — but you can easily set your PC’s region to the United States and then connect Cortana to Spotify to start using the smart assistant to control Spotify. Once connected, you can ask Cortana to start playing a certain playlist, track, or songs from an artist using your voice. If you happen to own the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker, you will be able to use the exact same commands are available on the speaker with Cortana on your PC.

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Some of the example commands include:

  • Play Christmas music on Spotify
  • Play my discover weekly playlist on Spotify
  • Play <Artist/Track/Title/Genre/Mood> on <AppName>
  • Play some Drake
  • Play focus music
  • Play rock music
  • Play my tracks
  • Play the next track
  • Pause/Play

Cortana’s Spotify integration can also tell you what song is currently playing on Spotify. This could be considered a fairly good replacement for Cortana’s music recognition feature which has been removed since the retirement of Groove Music — but it only works with songs that are playing only on Spotify.

Thanks for the tip, Mohammad! 

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  • Clarkb

    Premium Member
    07 January, 2018 - 1:06 pm

    <p>Not sure the point of adding this feature. Aside from a few devoted Windows fans it would be interesting to see the stats on how many people and what % of time/usage actually use a Windows machine to stream music versus phone (Android/iOS), Amazon Echo devices or Google Home devices. </p><p><br></p><p>And it only controls one music service, Spotify. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">With Echo and Home I can control all of my music sources: Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn radion, iHeart Radio, etc with my voice.</span></p><p><br></p><p>For years i had a spare Windows laptop plugged into my home stereo system for streaming but it was awkward for others in the house to use. And my attempt to solve this by loading Remote Desktop on everyone's phones and tablets resulted in total failure.</p><p><br></p><p>When i replaced it with an Echo Dot it totally opened up how family and visitors interact with music in our house. And with multiple Echo devices now across most primary rooms in the house we can do it from anywhere. "Alexa, play xyz music on home stereo".</p><p><br></p><p>The vast majority of people i know use their phone for streaming when they're mobile, often times also when they're at home, or they use Amazon Echo device connected to home speakers/stereo, with a few I know starting to use Google Home.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • JSkardzius

      07 January, 2018 - 5:12 pm

      <blockquote><em>I was going to buy more dots… Now I use my office PC to stream Spotify and use Spotify connect to move the music to the room where the dot is. I already have a PC there, why bother with another device? Tunein works fine with Cortana. I see the cortana use case… she is more integrated into my overall activities and becoming more proactive to my needs. For general purpose queries, Google Home has them both beat, so here it is GH, Cortana, Alexa. </em></blockquote><blockquote><a href="#235688"><em>eply to Clarkb:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • SvenJ

      07 January, 2018 - 6:28 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235688"><em>In reply to Clarkb:</em></a> Cortana on the Invoke works with Spotify, TuneIn and iHeart, and of course worked with Groove. I have a PC dedicated to sound, and other media in my office, with a 5+1 speaker system. I used to enjoy the visualizations/music videos that Groove provided with the playlists and radio stations. I may actually try interacting with that PC via Cortana, given the option. Have begrudgingly opted into Spotify, though Groove still plays local and OneDrive content just fine. </blockquote><blockquote>The Invoke really does produce excellent sound, so it could have a chance if MS makes an effort. (Not holding my breath) I recall during the Invoke beta when we were asked to make an effort testing Spotify interaction. That was before the Groove sunset announcement. We wondered why the emphasis, but soon found out.</blockquote><blockquote>The biggest issue Cortana needs to resolve, IMHO, is coordination between Cortanas. In my office, I have the main PC, the music PC, an Invoke, a couple of Windows phones (950/950XL). They all really want to help when I ask, so most are set to not listen. If I could call them different things, Invoke, set a timer, Media, play Clapton on Spotify, PC, find the spreadsheets I was working on yesterday, that would certainly help. Funny that the proliferation of Cortanas is actually a problem.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • Renato Golia

    07 January, 2018 - 1:07 pm

    <p>Yet another feature only for the American market. Probably the thing that pisses me the most about Microsoft.</p><p><br></p><p>Even edge for android is only available in us and some other selected countries. </p>

  • PeteB

    07 January, 2018 - 1:42 pm

    <p>Til they abandon Cortana like they abandoned groove, and still doesn't work outside the US. </p><p><br></p><p>This is useless on the desktop anyway. I don't need to yell at my PC when I'm already at the keyboard – faster just using mouse and keyboard.</p><p><br></p><p>MS abandoned mobile and now there's really no use case for Cortana that consumers actually care about, so they're trying to crowbar in on desktop where it's unwanted and ignored.</p>

  • dontbe evil

    07 January, 2018 - 2:42 pm

    <p>1- not everybody has a spy home assistant device, also at home I prefer better quality speakers for music</p><p>2- not everybody is always in one place</p><p>3- not everybody prefere listen to the music from the smartphone instead a more comfortable and better audio pc when he's at work</p>

    • Bats

      07 January, 2018 - 9:29 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235697"><em>In reply to dontbe_evil:</em></a></blockquote><ol><li>Not everybody has a spy home assistant device? WHY? They were super cheap this past holiday season. Those tech people who don't have one, need to get a better paying job. Since, the economy is roaring now, it's time to update the resume, so one can afford a Google Home or Amazon Echo.</li><li>Not everybody is always in one place? Do you know who is not in one place? The Google Assistant and Alexa. Cortana is a home-body.</li><li>Yeah…….good luck setting up the PC right next to all the exercise equipment in the gym.</li></ol>

  • Bats

    07 January, 2018 - 9:25 pm

    <p>That's it? Spotify?</p><p>Google is ready to announce a boatload of smart devices that can/will be operated by the Google Assistant. I just read one product by Schlage that does door locks. I just bought a new car, that can remotely start and do other a couple more tricks from my phone, Google Home, AND Amazon Alexa.</p><p>Cortana and Spotify is like….NOTHING, at this point.</p>

    • rameshthanikodi

      08 January, 2018 - 12:45 am

      <blockquote><a href="#235784"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p>better than nothing I guess</p>

  • gregsedwards

    Premium Member
    07 January, 2018 - 11:26 pm

    <p>Great. Yet another interaction that requires me to be cautious about interacting with my Invoke while my PC is in earshot. Because of course, Microsoft can’t be bothered to figure out how to intelligently suppress multiple devices that might be running Cortana. Don’t get me wrong… I’m glad to see more investments in making Cortana easier to use and more integrated. I just wish they’d make it a little more elegant at the same time.</p>

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