Add Account Linking for Alexa

Account linking connects the identity of an Alexa user with their account or identity in your system, enabling integration between Alexa and your service. An account is user information or data that you possess or create to be used by your Alexa skill.

For example, suppose you own a web-based service, called Ride Hailer, that lets users order taxis. If you want to enable a user to say, Alexa, ask Ride Hailer to order a taxi, Alexa must be allowed to access your Ride Hailer service as a specific Ride Hailer user for profile and payment information. Therefore, you need a link between the user's Amazon account for the Alexa device and the Ride Hailer account for the user.

Learn when to use account linking, understand how users experience the account linking process, and access resources to implement account linking.

When to use account linking

The type of Alexa experience you build determines whether you need account linking.

The following Alexa-connected experiences require account linking:

Smart home – When a user enables your smart home skill, Alexa prompts the user to link their Amazon account with their account in your service, so that the user can control their smart devices with Alexa.
Video – When a user enables your video skill, Alexa takes the user through account linking to connect their Amazon account with their account in your video service, so that the user can control video playback with Alexa.

Account linking is optional for the following experiences:

Custom skills – Users can enable the skill without linking their account. The skill can provide both functionality that requires authentication and functionality that doesn't. For example, a ride-sharing skill might let any user view wait times, but require account linking to book a ride.
Music skills – Users can enable some music skills without linking their account. For example, some content might be available to all users and other content requires a paid account. For music skills that do require account linking, Alexa prompts the user to link their account before enabling the skill.
HIPAA-Eligible skills – Users can enable the skill without linking their account. Account linking is required before the skill recites any Personal Health Information (PHI) data. For example, a clinic skill might let any user ask for clinic locations, but require account linking to access appointment information.

Account linking isn't supported for the following Alexa-connected experiences:

Flash briefing skills – Flash briefing skills deliver content to all users without personalization. Account linking isn't required.
Child-directed skills – Account linking isn't supported for skills directed toward children.

Note: Non-child-directed skills that add account linking don't appear in the Parent Dashboard and aren't accessible by child-enabled devices.

Account linking methods

Alexa supports the following methods for account linking. All methods support the OAuth 2.0 authorization code grant type.

Standard account linking – The user initiates account linking from the Alexa app. The Alexa app opens your authorization URI in a web view, where the user signs in with their credentials. After the user authenticates and grants consent, your authorization server redirects the user back to the Alexa app with an authorization code.
App-to-app account linking – Instead of signing in through a web view, the Alexa app redirects the user to your native mobile app to authenticate. This method provides a better user experience because the user might have already signed in to your app, eliminating the step to re-enter credentials. After the user authenticates and grants consent in your app, your app redirects the user back to the Alexa app with an authorization code.

Alexa supports app-to-app account linking from two starting points:
1. Starting from your app – The user initiates account linking from within your mobile app or website. Your app redirects the user to the Alexa app to complete the linking process, and then the Alexa app redirects the user back to your app. For details, see App-Initiated App-to-App Account Linking.
2. Starting from the Alexa app – The user enables a skill in the Alexa app. Instead of opening a web view, the Alexa app redirects the user to your mobile app for authentication. After the user authenticates, your app redirects the user back to the Alexa app. For details, see Alexa-Initiated App-to-App Account Linking.

In all cases, after account linking succeeds, requests from Alexa include an access token to identify the user in your system.

Which flow to implement

The primary account linking flow that you implement depends on the experience you want your users to have, and whether you have an app or website.

The flow you implement depends on whether you expect your users to have your app installed on their mobile device:

Users have your app installed – Implement the app flow as the primary flow, and the browser flow as the fallback.
Users don't have your app installed – Implement standard account linking.

The following table shows a comparison between these linking flows.

Feature	Standard	Your app to the Alexa app	Alexa app to your app
Where account linking starts	Alexa app	Your app or website	Alexa app
Where the user authenticates	Your website (in browser)	Alexa app	Your app or website
Grant types supported	Authorization code grant, implicit grant	Authorization code grant	Authorization code grant, implicit grant
Fallback when your app isn't installed	—	Login with Amazon (LWA) opens in the browser	Alexa app opens your authorization page in the browser
Additional setup required	—	Configure App Links and Universal Links; call the Skill Enablement API	Configure App Links / Universal Links
Best for	Skills without a companion app	Onboarding users who are already in your app	Users who discover your skill in the Alexa app

To see what each flow looks like from the user's perspective, see How Users Experience Account Linking.

Personalization and account linking

Account linking focuses on connecting one user account in your system to the Amazon account to which the Alexa device is registered. For more advanced personalization, your skill can let users link multiple voice profiles within a single Amazon account or family account to their individual accounts in your system. For more details, see Personalization and Account Linking. Personalization with multiple voice profiles is available for Alexa skills only.

Next steps

To learn more about account linking, review the following topics:

For account linking concepts, see Account Linking Concepts.
For account link requirements, see Requirements for Account Linking.
For examples of account linking from a user's perspective, see How Users Experience Account Linking.
For guidance on account linking implementation, see Best Practices for Account Linking.
For questions about account linking, see Account Linking FAQ.

Or, to get started with implementation, see Steps to Implement Account Linking.

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Last updated: Jul 14, 2026