Answered

Alexa volume issue since 12.1

D
Userlevel 3

Hi folks,

I’m experiencing issues related to the volume of Alexa since the Sonos update to 12.1. I’m using a surround setup with one Sonos Beam and two Sonos Play:1 in my living room. Since a few years, the Alexa response volume was just static and not related to the music volume set by Sonos. This was a good thing because you could listen to music in very low volume while you could talk to Alexa and get a normal, relatively loud response.

Since 12.1, the Alexa volume seems to be related to the overall speaker volume. Now when the volume is set maybe between 1-20%, it is just impossible for me to communicate with Alexa because her responses are extremely quiet. I can only start to understand her again when the volume slider is maybe at 25-30% or higher, but then of course the music is also proportional louder, which is not good.

Is there any way to set the Alexa volume independent of the music volume?

Thank you very much in advance.

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Best answer by nabheet 28 December 2020, 04:57

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127 replies

S

If you make the process as cumbersome  as possible to file an issue or complaint, you will never have any issues! People will just take it for granted.

Big companies seem to have this stategy, make it as hard as possible: and "we will need more people to report the issue".

It's a strategy, and it works.

Well done Sonos.

I

Spoke with Sonos support and they've been able to repro this issue and escalate a bug to engineering, but said it won't get prioritized for resolution until more users file tickets complaining about it.

 

Moderator Note: Recorded and removed Case number. Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

R

Really disappointing..

Its not so great having alexa yelling at you when you leave the sound too high.

Alexa volume must be separated from the system, if that not do able from some reason please offer a work around, like auto set the volume to X% after 1 hour the system is idle.

S

I think it'll never be solved. If they were really there to help it would have already been fixed.

Think I know what is stands for.

So: no's.

 

That's what I experience.

K

Experiencing this as well with my Era 300. I think what is fundamentally missing is that it's very possible you may want your voice assistant coming out of one speaker to be at a different volume than your music coming from the entire system. 

Leaving some negative reviews on their products where I bought them. They can't claim to have voice assistants when it's this dysfunctional. This may be the only way to get them to listen.

alrostad

Ended up here after trying to figure out why the alarm I set on my sonos arc via alexa didn’t wake me up (the volume was whisper quiet when I tried to recreate the alarm).. It blows my damn mind that sonos refuses to fix this in software by separating the volume level of the digital assistant from the system volume.. Shame on you, sonos.. You need to remove your digital assistant feature listing from the specs of your devices if you refuse to make it functional for your customers that drop thousands upon thousands of dollars on your product.

S

Alexa is unusable when listening music on volume 2%. Please spilt alexa volume.

Ken_Griffiths

So it’s still completely locked to the volume of the audio output - for Apple Music it’s really jarring as the audio tends to be louder so I use a lower volume by default

Maybe use an echo dot by your seated position instead - that’s what I’ve seen others here choose to do … then you can set its volume independently.

Mayhew132
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

So it’s still completely locked to the volume of the audio output - for Apple Music it’s really jarring as the audio tends to be louder so I use a lower volume by default

Ken_Griffiths

Any news on this one?

It seems to be working fine here and is clearly dependent on the TV volume level - all seems okay with my LG C9 TV - volume level is around 35-40% in the Sonos App and Alexa sounds about the correct volume for that TV output level.

Mayhew132
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Any news on this one?

S
Badge

Two years on and this is still an issue with a new Arc ?!  Are sonos listening to customers ?

A

@Maddyindc I actually experienced Alexa on Sonos to be much much more sensitive than Google. Even a whisper can sometimes be enough. Google more frequently miss executed commands. While I can have Alexa enabled on both Sonos Ones, with Google I can only have it on one of the stereo pair. I have Alexa on Sonos One control soup to nuts at home without any problems (Lights/HUE, AV/Logitech Hub, Nest, etc.). So I am happy with the performance except that I can’t hear Alexa well with the volume being low.

M

That is just one of the many problems I have with Alexa on SONOS. The big one (which may me Amazon and not SONOS) is that it doesn’t have the same capabilities and the microphone is not very sensitive (alexa in the next room will frequently response rather than sonos). I can tell an Alexa device what to play and it will play correctly on my SONOS devices. It will give you usual responses. It will also control lights.  Alexa on SONOS is much more limited. I can start / stop, play a playlist and some basic questions. It will only control lights occasionally. 
 

I gave up with Alexa on sonos and put an Alexa device in the room. I may try Google or the sonos control but have never been happy doing much music control by voice anyway. 

A

Thanks for the suggestion. I still have two DOTs unused. I have also contacted support and asked to log and forward my enhancement request to the appropiate engineering department. I agree it is a missed capability.

T

I have resorted to keeping my Echos and set them for Sonos as speaker output (instead of itself) and then disable Alexa on the Sonos speakers.  The only real fix until they decide to may attention to this serious flaw that renders Alexa integration useless.  I use several Echo 4th gen - glad I didn’t throw them out when I upgraded to Sonos.  

A

I am waiting too for a alexa voice volume control.

And/or support for adaptive alexa voice volume (like on echo devices).

Thanks!

Fez33
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

This problem has now been going on since 12.1 and still not fixed

DO NOT BY SONOS IF YOU WANT ALEXA TO WORK PROPERLY 

H

Just bought beam sub and 2 one's....I too am disappointed with Alexa volume.

Will it be fixed?

D

Ugh maybe one day it’ll get fixed.  I’ve got the issue too.

Airgetlam

This is a community website, not a direct way to communicate with Sonos. If you want to speak with a Sonos employee, your best bet is to call Sonos Support directly.

Bruce
B
Userlevel 1

HEY… I AM NOW YELLING! 

SONOS, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS AND NO FIX FOR THIS ANNOYING PROBLEM.

THE ALEXA AND GOOGLE ASSISTANT REACT THE SAME. I HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT YOUR USELESS SUPPORT TEAM ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND EACH TIME I WAS ASKED TO GO THROUGH A SERIES OF STEPS…. AND THEY ADMIT THAT THEY NEVER HEARD ABOUT THE PROBLEM.  A TECH SUPERVISOR INFORMED ME THAT IT IS AN AMAZON PROBLEM BUT LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THIS HAPPENS WITH GOOGLE'S ASSISTANT AS WELL.


SO WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR SONOS TO START LISTENING TO IT'S CCUSTOMER!   SUCH PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR!  GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK! 

WHY ARE WE BEING IGNORED!? 😠😡🤬👎👎.

E

Still a huge proble on Sonos one in may 2022. Come on SONOS. I know you have jumped on the greed bandwagon and sold your souls but think about your customers or you won’t have any left!

B
Userlevel 1

I’m experiencing same issues related to the volume of Alexa  after the new update at 14.6.

Over two years later for this original post and several updates later and a old problem rears its ugly head at Ver. 14.6.  Premium prices with poor responses and no fix or solution to a long time problem 👎🤬

I joined this post so that Sonos can hear from one more.

 

Please fix the freaking problem!

D

I'm on 14.3 and it's still an issue.  So beyond frustrated with this.  Get your stuff * together sonos. It's going on 2 years now!!!!!

 

*Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.*

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