It's possible to enjoy a variety of audio content, like music and podcasts, on your Amazon Echo device. However, due to Amazon and Google's historical tussles, listening to (or watching) YouTube videos on an Amazon Echo through Alexa isn't quite so easy.

Thankfully, playing YouTube videos with Alexa is still possible. We'll explain how to play YouTube audio through an Amazon Echo so you can enjoy YouTube-exclusive music or other content on your smart speaker. We'll also show you how to watch YouTube videos on your Echo Show.

echo dot with clock
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock

How to Play YouTube on an Amazon Echo Using Bluetooth

As it turns out, you can't just ask Alexa to play a YouTube video. Instead, you'll need to pair your phone, tablet, or similar device to your Echo and treat the Echo as a Bluetooth speaker. This isn't as well-integrated as a full connection to your YouTube account or a dedicated YouTube skill would be, but it's the best option at this time.

Pairing Your Phone With Your Amazon Echo

Begin saying "Alexa, pair Bluetooth." This will put your Echo into pairing mode. Next, you'll need to open the Bluetooth pairing settings on your phone.

On Android, you'll find these at Settings > Connected devices (this may differ depending on your device). Hit Pair new device and after a moment, you should see your Echo appear in the list.

On an iPhone, visit Settings > Bluetooth and the device should appear on this page.

On either platform, tap your Echo's name to pair your Alexa speaker and your phone. You can provide access to your contacts and call history if prompted, but it's not necessary.

During our testing, Alexa said that she couldn't find any devices to pair with. However, they did pair successfully, so don't worry if you hear this message. As long as your phone shows that it's connected to your Echo, you can move on to play YouTube videos through Alexa.

Connect Your Devices to Play YouTube Audio on Echo

Once you have your Echo and your phone paired, you'll need to connect them to start playing audio through your Echo. To do this easily, you can say "Alexa, connect Bluetooth."

This will cause your Echo to connect to your phone, since it's a previously paired device. Alexa will make a sound and say "Now connected to [Device Name]" if it's successful.

If that doesn't work, you can connect on your phone manually. On Android, visit Settings > Connected devices again and tap your Echo's name to connect. You may need to tap See all if you have many devices paired.

On an iPhone, visit Settings > Bluetooth and tap your Echo's name to connect to it. If you have trouble, see our full guide to using your Echo as a speaker.

You're Ready to Play YouTube Videos on Your Echo

After you've connected your phone and the Echo speaker, any audio or other media you start on your phone will play through the Echo. In this way, it acts like any other "dumb" Bluetooth speaker you might have used (see below for details on this).

Thus, you can now open the YouTube app or website and play whatever you'd like to hear; your Echo will play the audio from start to finish. Of course, if you have the Echo, Echo Dot, or another device that's only a speaker and doesn't have a screen, you won't be able to watch the YouTube video. You'll only hear the audio from the video, making it great for podcasts, speeches, or anything else where the visual element isn't important.

If you can't hear the video, make sure to turn up the volume on both your phone and the Echo itself. Depending on the Echo model you have and how loud the video is, not all videos may sound great on the Echo.

To disconnect when you're done playing the YouTube video on your Echo, say "Alexa, disconnect Bluetooth." Alternatively, visit the menus mentioned above and tap the Echo's name to access the disconnect option.

Limitations of the Echo as a Bluetooth Speaker

Echo voice commands are limited when you connect via Bluetooth. You can play and pause, skip to the next or previous video, and adjust the audio, but not much else. This isn't quite as good as native support, so you can't search for a specific video with your voice, but it's better than nothing.

In addition, using YouTube on your phone this way is still subject to YouTube's normal limitations. Most annoyingly, your video will stop if you turn the screen off. See how to play YouTube videos with the screen off to get around this. The easiest way is to consider joining YouTube Premium, though this isn't free.

For a workaround, you can load the video in your browser instead of the YouTube app.

How to Connect YouTube to Alexa Using a Workaround

If you'd prefer to better integrate YouTube with your Amazon Echo, you can use a more involved workaround for greater control. This requires creating your own Alexa skill and using Google's developer platform to access videos.

It takes a bit of effort, so it's beyond the scope of this guide. Check out the below video for a full walkthrough.

How to Watch YouTube Videos on an Echo Show

The above steps are great for listening to YouTube audio on an Echo speaker that doesn't have a screen. But if you have an Echo Show, you can watch YouTube videos in addition to hearing them. There's no dedicated app for doing so, but watching YouTube on your Echo Show only requires a small workaround.

First, it's a good idea to update your Echo Show to enable the best browsing functionality, especially if you have an older model. On your Echo Show, pull down from the top of the screen and go to Settings > Device Options > Check for Software Updates to update the system software.

From there, you can simply say "Alexa, open YouTube." In the past, this would show a prompt asking if you wanted to use the Silk browser or Firefox as your default. Since 2021, Firefox hasn't been supported on the Echo Show, however. Thus, you'll have to use the native Silk browser to access YouTube, and this command will open the mobile website.

Once you have YouTube open in the browser, you can navigate just like you have the page open on your phone or tablet. There's a search bar to look up anything you like, as well as tabs at the bottom for navigation. You can't cast videos to YouTube from your phone like you can with the TV YouTube apps, so it's basic but still works for loading up a quick video at the kitchen counter or similar.

Voice commands won't work, though you can say something like "Alexa, play Drew Gooden on YouTube" and the system will run a search for what you said. This will provide you with an easy shortcut to what you're looking for, reducing the amount of tapping required.

Enjoy Playing YouTube Videos With Echo

If you're a diehard fan of YouTube, the Echo devices probably aren't the best fit for you. The integration isn't nearly as smooth as it is with Google's devices or most other platforms.

But with these tips, you can still listen to or watch YouTube videos on your Amazon Echo using Alexa. It's a good way to catch up on podcasts or follow along with a cooking tutorial from time to time. Next, why not review more interesting Alexa commands you can use with other apps?