Can Your Amazon Echo Dot Be Used as a Bluetooth Speaker?

Evan Gower November 28, 2019

Many people are still asking this simple question: can Echo Dot be used as a Bluetooth speaker? Well, the answer is yes, it can. If you haven’t tried it already, what are you waiting for?

Can Your Amazon Echo Dot Be Used as a Bluetooth Speaker?

Some say that the Echo Dot’s speaker isn’t loud enough, but that’s not necessarily true. For personal use, in a small room, it works perfectly well. Whilst the newest (third) generation of the Echo Dot, has its own new improved speaker.

Read on and find out how to turn your Echo Dot, or any other Echo, into a Bluetooth speaker.

How to Use an Echo Dot as a Bluetooth Speaker

Let’s not beat around the bush. To transform your Echo Dot into a Bluetooth speaker, you’ll need a couple of things. Firstly, download and install the Alexa app on your Android or iOS device (tablet or smartphone).

Next, your tablet or smartphone has to have a Bluetooth option – but nearly all modern devices have this option anyway. Place your device near the Echo Dot, so it’s within the Bluetooth range (several meters should be fine).

Follow the steps to pair your device with the Echo Dot:

First, you need to disconnect all the existing Bluetooth connection on your Echo Dot. Just say “Alexa, disconnect”.
Enable Bluetooth pairing on your device (you can find the icon in the quick menu when you swipe down from the top of the screen on most devices).
Then enable Bluetooth pairing on your Echo Dot. Just say “Alexa, pair”. She’ll respond with “searching” and it should soon locate your device.
On your device, select the Echo Dot using its Bluetooth settings. When the two devices are paired, Alexa will let you know.
Once you successfully pair your device with an Echo Dot, the connection will be saved. Next time you want to use it, just say something like “Alexa, pair/connect with John’s phone”.

How to Play Music on Your Echo Dot

Now you know how to connect your devices and make Echo Dot into a Bluetooth speaker. You’ll probably use it for audiobooks, podcasts, or playing music. There are two ways you can approach this, both of which will be thoroughly explained.

Using the Amazon Music App

Most people will use their Amazon Music App to play music on their devices, so let’s go over this method first. Here’s how to use your Echo Dot as a Bluetooth speaker via the Amazon Music App:

Launch the Amazon Music App on your device.
Select the track, album, or playlist you want to play.
Press the Cast icon (looks like a Wi-Fi icon inside a rectangle).
Select your Echo Dot as the casting device.
You can press the cast icon again to change the device at any time you want.

That is probably the easiest method, but you can also use the Alexa app.

Using the Alexa App

Alexa app is essential for any Echo device; that’s why people rely on it on a daily basis. To play music from the app, follow these steps:

Launch the Alexa app on your device.
Select an album or playlist you have recently played.
Choose Echo Dot as a casting device of choice.
You can switch up the Bluetooth devices any time you want if you have multiple Echo devices in different rooms.

That was easy too, right? Now you can enjoy playing music from your Alexa app on your Echo Dot instead of your smartphone or tablet. If your device’s speakers are worn out, or offer poor sound quality, this can be extremely useful.

We recommend getting the Echo Dot 3^rd generation because it has the most powerful speakers among the Echo Dot product line. Launch recently, it’s fairly inexpensive and offers great value for its price.

Have Fun with Echo Dot

Echo Dot may be puck-sized, but it’s very practical and intuitive. You can easily use it as a Bluetooth speaker and enjoy podcasts, music, or audiobooks. Don’t rely on smartphone or tablet speakers, which aren’t usually that great.

Remember that this tutorial applies to other Echo devices as well. Which one do you have? Is it serving you well? Let us know in the comments section below.