Amazon Alexa Radio Skill Requirements: Everything Your Internet Station Needs

Amazon's certification team reviews every Alexa Skill before it goes live in the Skills Store. For internet radio stations, this means your stream, logo, invocation name, and listing description all need to meet specific standards — or your submission gets rejected and you start the waiting process over again.

Having submitted hundreds of radio skills through Amazon's review process, we've learned exactly what gets approved and what gets rejected. Here's a complete breakdown of every requirement you need to know.

Stream URL Requirements

Must Be HTTPS

This is the most common rejection reason. Your stream URL must use HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption). An HTTP-only stream URL will be rejected without exception. Amazon's certification notes will say something like: "The skill's audio stream does not use a secure connection."

Must Be Stable and Available 24/7

Amazon's certification team tests your stream multiple times during the review process. If your stream is offline, intermittent, or has frequent dropouts during the review period, your skill will be rejected with a note about stream availability. Make sure your station is reliably up before submitting.

Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, HLS

Amazon officially supports MP3 (most compatible), AAC, and HLS (M3U8) streams. Other formats like OGG Vorbis are not supported. If you're broadcasting in OGG (common with some Icecast setups), you'll need to add an MP3 or AAC mount point before submitting.

Invocation Name Requirements

The invocation name is what listeners say to open your skill — "Alexa, open [Invocation Name]". Amazon has strict rules about what's allowed:

• Must be at least 2 words (single-word invocation names are almost always rejected)
• Must not be generic (e.g., "internet radio" or "music station" alone are not acceptable)
• Must not infringe on Amazon trademarks or other major brand names
• Must not contain inappropriate language
• Should match your station name closely and naturally
• Cannot be the same as an existing skill's invocation name
• Letters and numbers only — special characters are not allowed in invocation names

Logo / Icon Requirements

Amazon requires two sizes of your logo for the Alexa Skills Store:

• Small icon: 108×108 pixels, PNG format
• Large icon: 512×512 pixels, PNG format
• Background must NOT be transparent — use a solid color background
• Logo must accurately represent your station (no misleading imagery)
• No Amazon branding or logos in your icon
• No offensive or inappropriate images

Store Listing Requirements

Your Alexa Skill listing in the Amazon Skills Store requires:

• Skill name: must match or be closely related to your invocation name
• One-line description: 60–160 characters summarizing the skill
• Full description: 4,000 characters maximum describing what your station plays and who it's for
• Example phrases: 3 example voice commands (e.g., "Alexa, open Loaded Radio UK")
• Privacy policy URL: required — can be a simple page on your website
• Category: Music & Audio is the correct category for radio skills

Content Policy Requirements

Amazon checks the content your station broadcasts during the certification review. Any station broadcasting explicit content (adult language, explicit lyrics without warning) should declare this clearly in the listing. Amazon may require age restrictions or additional content warnings for explicit-content stations.

Technical Skill Configuration Requirements

For the technical side of the Alexa Skill (which your developer or setup service handles):

• The skill must use the AudioPlayer interface for streaming
• Audio must start playing within 8 seconds of the launch command
• The skill must handle interruption (another Alexa command) gracefully
• Background playback must work (audio continues when Alexa is not actively responding)
• The skill must not crash or throw errors during standard certification test scenarios

How Long Does Certification Take?

Amazon's certification review typically takes 3–5 business days from submission. If your skill is rejected, you'll receive specific feedback via email explaining what needs to be fixed. You then resubmit and the clock resets.

Common resubmission turnarounds: HTTPS fix (1 day), invocation name change (1–2 days), logo fix (same day). If your stream was down during review, fix the stability issue and resubmit the next business day.