Tips & Tricks

Step by Step Guide to Play BBC Radio Station via Voice Control

  • 4 January 2020
  • 41 replies
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41 replies

Userlevel 7
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That's strange 🤔 If you run the routine within the Alexa App/Routines and they press the play icon for the correct routine, does that work?

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I don’t have any routines listed in my Android alexa app. Should something I set up on the IFTTT web page appear in toutines?

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Update. I have made a routine on my phone that calls the IFTTT applet to play BBC Radio 2 on my Sonos system and that works if I play it from the phone routine list. However, if I say “Alexa trigger play radio two” then I get the “Sorry...” response again. There is something silly missing, but I can’t work out what!

However, if I just say “Alexa play radio 2” it works and I get radio two on my sonos system.

Does your applet require the phrase 'play radio 2' or just 'radio 2'?

Your  final comment makes me wonder why you are bothering with IFTTT.

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Thanks for the replies

The applet requires “play radio 2” but I have just made another with just “radio 2” and the result is the same.

My wording of the “last comment” is a bit ambiguous. Things work the way I would like after I have embedded the IFTTT applet in an alexa routine called “play radio two”. So, I say “Alexa play radio 2” and I get the response “OK” and a second or so later radio 2 starts playing on my sonos speaker. A direct call of the IFTTT applet using the trigger command fails.

Userlevel 7
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Thanks for the replies

The applet requires “play radio 2” but I have just made another with just “radio 2” and the result is the same.

My wording of the “last comment” is a bit ambiguous. Things work the way I would like after I have embedded the IFTTT applet in an alexa routine called “play radio two”. So, I say “Alexa play radio 2” and I get the response “OK” and a second or so later radio 2 starts playing on my sonos speaker. A direct call of the IFTTT applet using the trigger command fails.

As per part two of the steps listed, this is now working as intended. 😁

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Thank you, UKMedia :wink: .  No joy using trigger though. There is a notable time lag between the alexa routine being invoked and the radio stream starting. Is there a similar lag using IFTTT directly?

Userlevel 2

Awesome. Thanks for this.

 

One limitation of the method is that you have to tell IFTT what room  is to play in. Do you know if it’s possible to create multiple IFTT rules? Ie. ‘play radio 6 in the bedroom’, ‘play radio 6 in the kitchen’.

I’m new to IFTT and I can’t see a way of duplicating the applet in IFTT.

 

Cheers,

Chris.

Userlevel 2

Thanks. It was easy in the end. Great instructions!

Userlevel 2
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I don't use IFTTT anymore and I don't have any routines for this. I do have the BBC Sounds skill installed on Amazon Alexa.

On my Alexa-enabled Sonos speakers I say, 'Alexa, play BBC Radio 6 Music' and it works.

My non-Alexa-enabled speakers are set up in groups with the Sonos speaker as preferred speaker in each group and a Dot providing voice capability. If I say 'Alexa, play Radio 6 Music from the BBC' the music plays on the Sonos.

Everyone's setup is different,  but this works perfectly for me.

This is an excellent solution and one I shall be using myself as I think IFTTT appears to be moving to some sort of charging structure if you have more than 3 applets with them, so I can at least get rid of the applets I currently use for BBC stations.

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Thanks so much for this. Never used IFTTT before but followed your instructions and now just have to say play radio 4 in bathroom and IT WORKS! I have been very frustrated by the BBC removing the old system but now it is all back thanks to you - a v grateful listener.

Userlevel 2
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I don't use IFTTT anymore and I don't have any routines for this. I do have the BBC Sounds skill installed on Amazon Alexa.

On my Alexa-enabled Sonos speakers I say, 'Alexa, play BBC Radio 6 Music' and it works.

My non-Alexa-enabled speakers are set up in groups with the Sonos speaker as preferred speaker in each group and a Dot providing voice capability. If I say 'Alexa, play Radio 6 Music from the BBC' the music plays on the Sonos.

Everyone's setup is different,  but this works perfectly for me.

It looks like the trick of adding “…. from the BBC” to the Alexa command to a Dot for asking for a BBC radio station to be played on a Sonos Device in the same room has been disabled - temporarily or permanently. 

If anyone does work out a way to do this again, please post - I don’t want to have to replace my old non-Alexa Connect with the new Alexa enabled version (first world pains I know)

Userlevel 7
Badge +20

I don't use IFTTT anymore and I don't have any routines for this. I do have the BBC Sounds skill installed on Amazon Alexa.

On my Alexa-enabled Sonos speakers I say, 'Alexa, play BBC Radio 6 Music' and it works.

My non-Alexa-enabled speakers are set up in groups with the Sonos speaker as preferred speaker in each group and a Dot providing voice capability. If I say 'Alexa, play Radio 6 Music from the BBC' the music plays on the Sonos.

Everyone's setup is different,  but this works perfectly for me.

It looks like the trick of adding “…. from the BBC” to the Alexa command to a Dot for asking for a BBC radio station to be played on a Sonos Device in the same room has been disabled - temporarily or permanently. 

If anyone does work out a way to do this again, please post - I don’t want to have to replace my old non-Alexa Connect with the new Alexa enabled version (first world pains I know)

This is caused by the BBC, a new Sonos One will experience the issue.

Userlevel 7
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@UKMedia . I don't think this issue arises at all on voice enabled Sonos speakers. 

You’re correct @John B as always!😁 Just tested and it works fine on my Beam. Sorry for the mis-information @Martin Banham 

Thanks so much, this worked brilliantly.

To note, as I understand it, the problem described here is only a problem if you’re trying to control non voice enabled Sonos speakers (e.g play 5 gen 2 or play 1) so not one, beam etc.

Only problem I can see is that IFTTT have started charging for anymore than 3 applets. Anyone got a work around for this or an alternative to IFTTT? I don’t mind paying a bit but £60 a year for this very first world problem is far too much (for me)!

There have been a lot of threads and questions asking how to initiate the playing of BBC Radio Stations after the BBC removed voice control of their stations from within TuneIn. So I thought I would bring all of the recommended steps together in one thread.

  1. Open the Sonos App and click on the Search icon and then select ‘Stations’ below the Search Text box;
  2. Type into the Search Text box, the name of the BBC radio station that you want to listen to and against the station in the list below click on the three vertical buttons and then select ‘Add to My Radio Stations’. Then click ‘Done’ (For the purposes of this example, I will use Radio 2);
  3. Open www.IFTTT.com and either create an account or log-in to your existing account;
  4. If using a Web Browser, click on your profile picture in the top right hand corner of the screen, to the left of the Explore button, and select ‘Create’;
  5. Click on the ‘+’ symbol and enter ‘Alexa’ in the Search Text Box, then select the Amazon Alexa icon;
  6. Select ‘Say a Specific Phase’ and enter ‘play radio two’ before clicking ‘Create trigger’;
  7. Click on the newly positioned ‘+’ symbol and enter ‘Sonos’ in the Search Text Box, then select the Sonos icon;
  8. Choose the Action ‘Play Favorite’ from the list displayed;
  9. Select BBC Radio 2 from the Favorites list and then choose which Sonos Device and what Group of Sonos Players to include.  Then click ‘Create trigger’ and Finish;

This will now work with the Alexa command ‘Alexa, Trigger Play Radio Two’

If you don’t want to introduce the additional ‘Trigger’ Command within the Alexa phrase, then in addition please:

  1. Open the Alexa App and select the three vertical lines in the top left of your screen and select ‘Routines’;
  2. Select the ‘+’ symbol in the top right-hand screen to create a new Routine;
  3. Click ‘Enter routine name’ and type in ‘play radio two’ and then ‘Next’ in the top right-hand of your screen;
  4. Click ‘When this happens’ and ‘Voice’ and then type ‘play radio two’ and then ‘Next’ in the top right-hand of your screen;
  5. Now select ‘Add action’ and select ‘IFTTT’.  You will now see all of the SONOS applets that you have created within IFTTT, please select ‘play radio two’ and then select ‘Next’ in the top right hand of your screen;
  6. Now click ‘Save’ in the top right hand of your screen

This will now work with the command ‘Alexa, Play Radio Two’

EDIT:

Just repeat the instructions for different Radio Stations or different Sonos Rooms.

This is totally brilliant. It works. Thanks so much for this! :)