Apple iOS 13: Spotify Getting Siri Support In New Update

Spotify’s latest beta versions now include support for Siri and will allow iPhone users to play their music simply by asking Apple’s voice assistant

Siri allows users to do a lot of things on their iPhones. They can ask her about the weather, get her to give them driving instructions going to their location, and tell her to reply to text messages. If there’s one thing Siri couldn’t or wouldn’t do, however, it’s to play songs on Spotify.

Apple Insider noted that previously, Siri normally played songs via Apple Music “with no option to change the music provider.” This is about to change as Spotify is gaining support for Siri on iOS 13, allowing users to play their songs, albums and playlists with a simple “Hey Siri” request.

The Verge reported that the feature comes with Spotify’s latest beta versions. The feature works on iPhones running iOS 13, but doesn’t work with the Apple Watch as the wearable doesn’t have a full dedicated Spotify app. Those who try tell Siri to play Spotify songs on the Apple Watch will be met with a a response saying “I’m sorry, I can’t do that on your Apple Watch.”

The new feature, interestingly, works with the AirPods. All users need to do is to tell Siri while wearing their AirPods, and the voice assistant will play the songs, albums and playlists they have on Spotify. The Verge noted, however, that Siri is unable to play podcasts because it searches for music instead of podcasts.

The Spotify-Siri integration is currently under testing, but can be expected to launch in the coming weeks in the Spotify app on iOS 13. The Verge said Spotify refused to comment about the new feature at this time, but a spokeman for the music streaming platform said “we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience.”

“Some of those tests,” the spokesman continued, “end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning.”

This new functionality means that Spotify is now on the same level as Apple’s own apps, at least in terms of Siri integration. It comes after Apple “handicapped” its own apps on the App Store, following complaints from third-party app developers.