Cortana can now control Spotify playback on Windows 10

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
published

Just in time to take over Groove Music's spot, Spotify can now be controller by Cortana on Windows 10.

Groove Music and Spotify
Groove Music and Spotify (Image credit: Windows Central)

As Groove Music streaming sails off into the sunset, Microsoft has been pushing Spotify as its replacement, even going so far as to offer a way for Groove users to migrate over. It makes sense, then, that Spotify would also replace Groove in another are: Cortana.

Cortana can now control music playback through Spotify as part of an integration that was already in testing with Insiders but is now available to everyone – provided your region is set to U.S. (via Reddit). All you have to do to get started is head to Cortana's Notebook from the search bar on your desktop, select "Music," and then log in with your Spotify credentials. Afterwards, you'll be able to ask Cortana to play artists, tracks, and otherwise control playback with a number of different commands. Examples include:

  • Play dance music on Spotify
  • Play my discover weekly playlist on Spotify
  • Play <Artist/Track/Title/Genre/Mood> on [[ appname ]]
  • Play some Drake
  • Play focus music
  • Play rock music
  • Play my tracks

If you've made the jump from Groove to Spotify, this integration will no doubt come in handy. It's a shame it's currently limited to people located in the U.S., but that limitation is easily circumvented by changing your system regiuon and language.

See at Microsoft (opens in new tab)

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

40 Comments
  • But Cortana is dead. And blah blah blah... :D
  • I know.  It only has 150-million users according to MS.... However, I did find that Cortana on W10 is more accurate than Alexa to do voice search for Spotify music.  I frequently used Cortana on PC to search for music on Spotify and then play on different Alexa speakers connected to the same wiri.
  • Cortana isn't dead yet...... But, MS scares me with anything cool.
  • That's very unfair Rodney. Ol' Nads has been busy cancelling Kinetik and the music service. He's only one man you know, give him a chance, I'm sure he'll be free to cancel Cortana soon.
  • it's currently limited to people located in the U.S., but that limitation is easily circumvented by changing your system regiuon and language.
    Yeah, always the same crap. I wonder if you'd change it if it was only available in French, Spanish, or Polish. 
  • As a Dane, my greatest problem is not the English language, but the fact that changing the regional setting changes a number of fundamental functionalities, making it a no go. If they would just release Cortana in English in Denmark, I would be happy. Never understood why Apple/Google can, but Microsoft refuses 
  • Exactly, it's not only the language. But it IS the language. If Cortana is supposed to be a natural language interpreter that's immersed in every aspect of your daily life, how can they ask you to use it in a totally different language than you speak? I've actually used Cortana in English back in the early days of the Windows Phone 8.1 preview. But it's no good. Sending and receiving dictated and narrated messages through bluetooth while I drive is a big part of what I use Cortana for. And of course it's no good mixing languages. I'm really disappointed.
  • If you ever move off W10M just be aware Cortana can not be used when driving in the same way on Android (and definitely not on iOS). If that is important to you, on Android the feature set is much smaller than W10M
  • I know. That's another reason I wouldn't ever move to Android if I still have a choice. Also, Cortana herself is not available for my country in Android. So go figure.
  • As Chris Capossela stated in Windows Weekly, it is limited not only because of speech recognition, but the fact, that Cortana knowledge is based on Bing, which is admittedly lousy outside of supported regions.
  • But setting reminders, adding calendar events, dictating SMS/Email messages, controlling music should all be do-able without any local Bing knowledge
  • Sure, but Cortana functions are a matter of software programming, not relying on Bing results or cultural differences. There's no excuse not to have Cortana for Spotify for every supported region.
  • As a Brit, I still don't want to change my region as it mucks many things about. I'm even more annoyed when they piddle about 'translating' these things from US English to, well, English English. We cope with US film and TV without subtitles so I'm not sure why the delays.
  • FINALLY!!!! BEEN WAITING FOR THIS EVER SINCE I SWITCHED FROM GROOVE!!!!!
  • Doesn't work on mobile though.
  • That's a shame. Controlling music with your voice was something unique in Windows 10 Mobile.
  • I wouldn't say unique, as Google Assistant lets you do that. The way W10M worked with Groove was better than how Spotify works in Android though - Not sure if it's on the Spotify side or the Google Assistant side but the results can be unusual at times in terms of what ends up in the list of tracks after you ask it
  • That's what I mean. Cortana works really well in a car setting through BT.
  • Thank you for saving me time with this statement.
  • Doesn't work in Germany. Cortana can't even control the volume fine enough! When i say "hey cortana set the volume at 45 it will be set at 0, 33, 66 or 100." thats pretty bad ...
  • You can do that? Wow! Let me try it out.
  • Hey volume control DOES work on PC like it did/does on Xbox One - I can't say set it to a specific setting but I can say "Volume up 10" etc. to adjust it
  • This must be one of those fabled skills Microsoft was talking about, never going to see that outside the US then!!!
  • Who cares for Cortana any more? Especially outside of US.
  • Xiaomi does. https://www.voicebot.ai/2017/12/29/xiaomi-yeelight-offers-30-cortana-pow...
  • We care exactly as much as users care in the US. After all, Cortana is a big part of how Windows 10 works and plans to evolve.
  • I will buy tickets for satya so he can see the world has different countries.
  • One way tickets.... please.
  • 😂😂😂
  • .... and it can't tag your music anymore. So who cares.
  • Too bad Spotify sucks bottox butt.
  • On iOS, and Android? Or just Windows?
  • I would like to have Cortana still be able to recognize songs AND them add it to a Spotify paylist automatically.
  • It also does not work on Xbox and will never work on phone I bet
  • Actually, I think that capability has been there for a while on W10 Mobile.  I noticed Spotify as an option Cortana's notebook shortly after Groove began pushing us to Spotify.  I don't have it turned on, of course, because I don't care for Spotify.  But the option is there, just the same.
  • Yep. My invoke has been able to do this since well before Christmas.
  • Ugh the people on this site are just awful. I'm going to set up Cortana and Spotify as soon as I grab my Surface. I knew I should have taken it to work today!
  • Are they gonna use Spotify to bring back song recognition?
  • I have been doing this on the invoke since well before Christmas. did I miss something?
  • sigh. Still No Cortana region and language support. .