Amazon Alexa Cast | What It is and How to Use it

Alexa Cast is a new feature included in Amazon products for streaming and controlling multimedia content. Similar to Google’s Chromecast and Apple ‘s AirPlay, Amazon Alexa Cast allows users to transfer media playback from a smartphone or tablet to a compatible device.

It is available in the Amazon Music app at launch, which you will need to download and install if you haven’t already. The feature can control Amazon Echo’s smart speakers, Alexa compatible third-party speakers – such as the Sonos One and Sonos Beam soundbar, and Apple AirPlay devices.

How to use Amazon Alexa Cast

To use the feature, look for the “ casting ” logo in the Amazon Music app. It will appear on the top right of the music selection screen and then on the right at the bottom of the playback window.

Tapping the logo on an Android device will display a list that includes all Amazon Echo and Google Chromecast compatible devices on your network.

On an iOS device, it will show all Amazon Echo and Apple AirPlay compatible devices. Note that AirPlay devices will not appear in the Android app and Chromecast devices will not appear in the iOS app.

If you’ve grouped multiple Echo or compatible speakers using the Alexa app, you can broadcast to the entire speaker group at the same time. But you can’t stream to multiple speakers associated with the three available platforms (Alexa, Chromecast, and AirPlay).

Tapping the AirPlay icon on the iOS app brings up a separate window with a list of AirPlay devices on the network (you can stream to all of them or using combinations).

Alexa Cast works with both Amazon Prime Music (a library of two million songs included with the Prime membership) and Amazon Music Unlimited. The latter is a more complete subscription service with an extra: € 9.99 per month or via annual subscription € 99 / year only for Amazon Prime customers.

What are the future prospects for Alexa Cast?

Amazon hasn’t said much about Alexa Cast or its future, but it’s hard to imagine that development will stop with streaming music. Amazon has already sunk its claws in the video field with the Fire TV, and it looks likely that the company will expand Alexa Cast to support streaming video on Prime Video.

The company hasn’t revealed whether Alexa Cast will be open to other streaming services, but this looks like a real possibility for the future, especially given the stiff competition between Amazon and Google.