Any news on Echo - Sonos?

[madcodger]

Sonos announced this last year, but we're now in April and unless I've just missed it, nada. Anyone heard anything? I'm beginning to doubt them. We have a house full of Sonos that rarely gets used these days as Echo has decent quality and is 10x easier. But it would be nice to get even better sound (and some value out of the previous Sonos purchases).

 

 

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[rossarmstrong]

Just recieved a new Beta signup from Sonos yesterday.

 

Survey included questions regarding Echo/Dot ownership and a list of Home Automation protocols (including Insteon) that are being used in the home.

 

I expect this round of Beta software to include this much desired integration with Sonos.

 

Last round of Beta lasted 3-4 months if that is any precursor to when it might go live to the public.

[pinuz]

+1 I have been a beta for long time and I will be probably part of the next too which should introduce Alexa supoort

 

 

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[madcodger]

Hi , and thanks for the comments/replies. Any updates? Did you receive Alaexa integration in the beta? I am beginning to doubt Sonos' follow through on this...

[mwester]

I've participated in many other Sonos beta tests up to now, but I figured I'd been passed over for this one since I've not heard from them in months.

[Bumbershoot]

The Sonos - Echo beta testing has ended, and your Alexa devices can now control your Sonos devices.  From the emailed announcement (10/5/2017):

 

"Today, we introduced voice control for Sonos and released the re-designed app that you’ve been testing to the world. You can finally tell all your friends about what you’ve been testing for the last 3 or 4 months! Anyone who owns an Amazon Alexa device and is located in a region that supports voice (US, UK, and Germany), can now install the Sonos skill from the Amazon Alexa store and begin controlling their Sonos system with their voice. 

We’ve fixed all major bugs, established the right experience, and after reading thousands of suggestions, we’ve created a roadmap of changes to further improve the experience and add some of the new features you suggested. 

On behalf of Sonos and all the Sonos owners downloading the new Sonos app right now—thanks for your time and dedication to testing."

[Rob]

I have a Play:5 on order and am looking forward to trying out Alexa with it. Too bad the "rich" integration doesn't work with local libraries, though transport, volume, and power controls will.

[Bumbershoot]

I'm looking forward to the new Sonos One with Alexa built in.  I have a couple of spaces left without either Sonos or Alexa that could one of both, so this would fill the gap very nicely at the cost of the Sonos One only.  Anyway you slice it, it should be a very nice sounding Alexa.

[larryllix]

My son just got his Dot  working with Sonos. The skill is marked beta and has some snags, yet.  It only works with some Amazon music sources, for now.

 

The music only comes out the grouping of speakers set in the Sonos App. If you say "Echo...play Beatles music in Kitchen" and your Sonos speaker systems are  grouped it will report there is no such thing as Beatles music.

 

If you talk to Alexa further while music is playing it interrupts the music playing, indicating it is completely Alexa dependent for sources. Your Sonos sources do not appear to be accessible, only your Alexa music sources.

 

IOW: The jobs are not passed to your Sonos system to function. Sonos only acts as a slave speaker(s) for Alexa.

[Bumbershoot]

My son just got his Dot  working with Sonos. The skill is marked beta and has some snags, yet.  It only works with some Amazon music sources, for now.

 

The music only comes out the grouping of speakers set in the Sonos App. If you say "Echo...play Beatles music in Kitchen" and your Sonos speaker systems are  grouped it will report there is no such thing as Beatles music.

 

If you talk to Alexa further while music is playing it interrupts the music playing, indicating it is completely Alexa dependent for sources. Your Sonos sources do not appear to be accessible, only your Alexa music sources.

 

IOW: The jobs are not passed to your Sonos system to function. Sonos only acts as a slave speaker(s) for Alexa.

 

The skill is out of private beta, and now is in open beta testing.

 

Some of these issues, such as the limited music sources, should be improved before long (adding Spotify, etc.), though I have no information about the full gamut of possible Sonos sources.  

Here are the currently available sources:

...Amazon Music (Prime or Unlimited), TuneIn, Pandora, SiriusXM and iHeartRadio.

Alexa can add Pandora stations to Sonos, and they appear, and persist, in both the Sonos and Pandora apps, so there is some interaction between the three systems beyond just directly control of the speakers.  This ability isn't currently listed in the Customer Support Page for this skill, which indicates to me that it is under active development.

 

I'm not having any issues with grouped speakers.  I simply direct a command at one of the group members and they all respond in sync.  I'm primarily using Pandora as a music source, however.

 

This skill depends upon two cloud systems, and as a result it doesn't have any access to any of your local playlists or queues.  Sort of a deal breaker in some regards, but it's in some ways an improvement to using network resources in my ISY.

Your Amazon Alexa devices are listening for you to say the wake word, “Alexa”. When they hear that word, the microphones record what you say and send the audio to the Amazon Alexa cloud to be translated.

That voice line turns into a string of text. The Amazon protocols determine if it’s meant for Amazon Alexa or for a Sonos player. If it’s for Sonos, that text is then sent directly, and securely, 
over to the Sonos cloud to be turned into a command using our own codes. 

Finally, the Sonos intended command goes down to the system.

[larryllix]

 

<snipped>

Your Amazon Alexa devices are listening for you to say the wake word, “Alexa”. When they hear that word, the microphones record what you say and send the audio to the Amazon Alexa cloud to be translated.

That voice line turns into a string of text. The Amazon protocols determine if it’s meant for Amazon Alexa or for a Sonos player. If it’s for Sonos, that text is then sent directly, and securely, 
over to the Sonos cloud to be turned into a command using our own codes. 

Finally, the Sonos intended command goes down to the system.

 

I am sure this will improve. It has been a long time coming.

 

However the statement  "over to the Sonos cloud to be turned into a command"  has proven, in this case, to be false, at this point. If Sonos was handed a string of text as a command, the sonos sytem would not have to stop while Alexa answers every question and the Sonos sources should be available for selection. Only the Alexa sources were available.

 

The way it is described in your supplied information text box, is the way I would have expected it to work and the way it should work IMHO.

 

If you group your speakers in the Sonos app, Alexa is done. Any music you achieve will be whatever each speaker was left playing previously. His whole house was playing different sources. This seems opposite f what I posted above.  Still some quirks yet.. Hopefully it will get worked out. Sonos has a lot to lose, if they don't get with the technology.

Edited October 9, 2017 by larryllix

[Paulk8]

I have no issues with the grouping.

[larryllix]

We may have bumped into the Canadian cross-border thing again with Alexa.  In Canada the intercom feature, local weather, and many other features do not work, or do not work properly.

 

I had to get a virgin tablet with no trace of google anything with ID on it, before amazon  would even allow me to download the Alexa App. It seemed to scrape google ID out of it every time and refuse to allow access to the app, despite my location (and IP address) n the US.  Now I believe amazon is allowing their  app equivalent webpage to be used 'cross-border.