How to Tell Google Home to Play a Playlist

A voice command to your Google Home speaker is the quickest way to play your favorite song. You can issue the command from the comfort of your bed, or without interrupting any current activity.

The device is compatible with some of the best music platforms. If you have an active account, you can use the Google Home speaker to play music directly from the service.

You can also tell Google Home to play your favorite playlist. However, you need to know a few things first. This article will guide you through them.

Which Music Platforms Does Google Home Support?

Google supports several platforms that you can play music from. The features of those platforms depend on two factors – your location and your subscription plan.

If you want to play personalized playlists, you should have Spotify Premium, Pandora Premium, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, Deezer Premium, or Google Play Music Premium.

If you’re subscribed to one of these premium platforms, you may search for different genres, moods/activities playlists, personalized playlists, and even custom-made playlists on some.

On the other hand, YouTube Music, Spotify Free, Google Play Music Free, and Pandora give you a free radio service based on your interests. So, if you request a song by Radiohead, the service will play a radio service that tries to incorporate similar artists and songs into the shuffle.

The free versions of Spotify, Google Play Music, and YouTube Music are currently only available in the US, Canada, and India, as far as Google Home service is concerned. Additionally, some countries aren’t supported by these platforms at all, so it’s best to check regional availability beforehand.

Who Can Play Personalized Playlist on Google Home?

When you set up your Google Home speaker (or a Google Nest hub) you can link it with various streaming services.

However, you can only have one account on each of these services. This means that you and another member of your household can’t have separate Spotify accounts on your Google Home – only one. But, for example, if you don’t have a Deezer account, that other person can set up their own before you do.

Therefore, if you want to listen to your custom-made playlists on Spotify, you’ll need to set up your account beforehand. Otherwise, Google Home won’t notice your command.

How to Tell Google Home to Play a Playlist?

Google Home speaker follows a simple voice command: “OK Google, Play [name of playlist].” If you just want to start a playlist based on a genre, activity, or mood, follow that command (e.g. “OK Google, play rainy day music,” or “OK Google, play uplifting electronic music.”)

If you don’t specify the streaming platform, music will play on your designated music service. If you say “OK Google, play some rock music,” it will automatically start playing a playlist from your default player. But if you say “OK Google, play [name of playlist] on [music player],” then it will launch the desired service.

Which Platforms Support Personalized and Custom-Made Playlists

All the premium platforms mentioned in the first section support personalized and custom-made playlists. Of course, before you ask for the desired custom playlist, you should first make it on your favorite music platform. Then, make sure that your account is connected to the Google Home.

Let’s say you have a Spotify Premium and you made a playlist called “My Winter Favorites.” If your account is linked to Google Home speaker, you just have to say: “OK Google, play My Winter Favorites on Spotify.” The same goes for any playlist on any other platform.

Major platforms usually have personalized playlists and radios. These playlists are tailor-made for you, based on the music that you listen to most often. You can also play them with a simple voice command.

For example, if you say: “OK Google, play “Discover Weekly” on Spotify,” your speaker will start the playlist of artists that you never heard before, that are similar in genre and style to artists that you’ve listened to recently.

Choose Wisely, Create, and Play

All premium streaming platforms linked with Google Home allow you to create personal playlists and play them with voice commands. However, you need to pay some money and live in a country that supports at least one of the said services.

Free versions of these apps can be viable alternatives, too. However, you won’t be able to make and play personalized or custom-made playlists. But you can still pick a specific genre or artist and listen to your favorite songs as long as you want.

What is your favorite music streaming platform? Share your thoughts on free and premium platforms in the comments section below.