Spotify rolls out its own hands-free voice assistant on iOS and Android

Spotify users on iOS and Android have another way to quickly play something. The audio streaming service has an in-app voice assistant you can operate hands free, building on the existing voice search function. After saying the "Hey, Spotify" wake word, you can ask the app to fire up a song or playlist or play music from a certain artist.

You'll need to grant Spotify permission to access your microphone if you want to use the feature, which you can switch on from the voice interactions section of the menu. As GSM Arena notes, Spotify’s privacy policy states that the service only stores recordings and transcriptions of your searches after you say the wake word or tap the voice button.

Of course, this isn't a system-wide voice assistant like Siri or Google Assistant. It'll only work when you have the Spotify app open. Spotify has been testing the feature for a few weeks and the company appears to be rolling it out more broadly. Engadget has contacted Spotify for more details.

Spotify's in-app voice assistant doesn't appear to do a whole lot that Siri and Google Assistant can't already handle. However, it could pave the way for voice control in Spotify's Car Thing, a long-rumored device for vehicles that could rival CarPlay, Android Auto and Echo Auto. Recent leaks suggested that Spotfify is still working on the Car Thing, but time will tell whether it actually hits the market.