Spotify is now available in more countries than ever providing both Ad-sponsored free and paid plans. I love Spotify because it has a wide library of music and it’s universally available in almost any platform — Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox, Playstation, Roku, Fire TV. It’s everywhere. You can also integrate Spotify with Smart speakers which makes playing music even more convenient.
However, for the longest time, I was not able to Link my Spotify account with Google Home or Assistant. When I ask Google Assistant to play some smooth jazz or white noise or whatever, it would launch Youtube which isn’t a music app. That’s apparently because Spotify isn’t available in my country of residence.
But that’s not true because Spotify recently launched in Uganda. Being unable to link Google Home to Spotify left me very frustrated until recently. I know many people are having a similar issue. I can’t guarantee that this will work for you, but here’s what I did.
- Clear your location data on Google Home. Go to Google Home App > Home App settings > Clear App location. Google might have already cached your current location, so even if you use a VPN, it will ignore your masked IP address and use your saved location instead.
- Restart your smartphone if that’s what you’re using to setup Google Home with Spotify. This completely clears out any Cached data, temporal preferences and settings.
- Connect to a VPN with U.S location. Even if Spotify might be available in your country, the Google Home app or Assistant might still not allow you to link your account. This feature is only available in a few select countries including the U.S. So start by connecting to a U.S VPN. In my case, I used ExpressVPN.
- Open the Google Home App again and tap on the plus(+) sign on the top left corner and select Music. You should now see a list of Music services including Spotify, Youtube, iHeartRadio, Apple Music, Pandora and Deezer. Select Spotify and Link it with your Google Home App.
That’s it. Those steps might or might not work. Also try to change your country to the U.S under your profile in Spotify settings on their website. You can now ask the Google Assistant on your Smartphone or Google Home Mini/Next or any Google Assistant-supported Smart speaker to play music. It’ll query Spotify instead of the default Youtube App. Once your Spotify is linked to your Google Home App, you don’t need a VPN to continue streaming directly through the Assistant.