Besides Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana and Bixby, Spotify also has a new voice assist command that lets users toggle the app without pushing a button. The latest feature from the audio-streaming platform is now launching for iOS devices.
"Hey Spotify" Command for iPhone Users
According to 9to5Mac, the Spotify hands-free toggle feature has been tested for some time and is currently rolling out for iPhone users. The publication noted that other users may not try out this feature since it just started to be implemented, but it has easy steps to follow to enable the voice command feature.
First, users must open the Spotify app on their mobile devices. After which, go to Settings on the Spotify homepage. Users then must navigate through the Settings menu and find Voice Interactions and tap on the "Hey Spotify" toggle.
When users finish the setup, they can toggle the Spotify wake word and improve their listening experience. Note that the new "Hey Spotify" feature will only be available when the app is running or has already been opened. Users cannot launch the app when saying "Hey Spotify."
If users want to open the Spotify app, they must use other voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana or Bixby to launch it.
The Verge reported that the latest Spotify voice command is less handy than some native voice assistants in one's smartphone like the ones mentioned above since users tend to leave the music app open for it to work. The voice assistant is not something that the app will launch in the phone's background but a simple toggle feature for the audio streaming platform.
However, the "Hey Spotify" feature is still a significant update for the platform. Skipping, pausing, and selecting a song hands-free is still a helpful feature while doing household chores, cooking, and especially driving or anything related to work.
Using the voice command on Spotify will simply let users ask it to play a song, play a podcast, skip, pause, or play, all that without touching the phone. It is also found that saying "Play something I like" will pop up a random Daily Mix playlist from the user's go-to jams.
Spotify has been working with its voice command for months now, as app researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovered this feature in March this year as she noted on Twitter. The "Hey Spotify" feature is the latest addition to the voice search function that was previously available for Premium users.
Spotify Working With Upcoming Projects
MacRumors reported that Spotify has been planning to add the voice command for months in smartphones, but its original purpose is to add this feature with its "Car Thing," a device from the company that toggles with voice commands a user's car.
The publication pointed out that the "Car Thing" showed up in FCC filings back in January and is recently in the Spotify app code. The device's description is a voice-controlled accessory for a phone or Spotify App with a supporting display and buttons. The "Car Thing" is a Bluetooth-enabled device that communicates with in-car head units, and it is powered from a 12V outlet.
However, Spotify stated that there were no plans to make the device available to consumers and added that it was just a test device to understand how people listen to music and podcasts.
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