Contributor I

Alexa. Alexa. Alexa? Alexa.. ALEXA. ALEXA?!!

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
December 18, 2017
23 replies
1041 views

Convincing the Sonos One to respond to the wake word is intermittent at best, utterly useless at worst. On some rare occasions, it’ll pick it up first time. Great! But other times I’m stood there repeating Alexa over and over again. I’ve just said Alexa twenty times. Nothing.
My echo dot in the kitchen responds first time, every time.
So, is the One broke? Will it ever function as advertised? Will it be updated to function properly or shall I just give up hope as Sonos have given up making decent products??

Sonos One

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jgatie

Private betas have NDAs, open public betas do not. The Sonos skill for Alexa is an open beta. In the announcement of the new Alexa/Sonos integration:

A beta Sonos skill for Alexa is available to use today. For step by step instructions, take a look here.

https://en.community.sonos.com/announcements-228985/alexa-now-playing-on-sonos-6791301

And on the Amazon Sonos skill product page:

Now in Open Beta, wirelessly connect all of your Sonos speakers to any Amazon Alexa enabled device, like the Echo or Echo Dot, then just ask for the music you love.

https://www.amazon.com/Sonos-Inc/dp/B072ML3N6K

Any more questions?

D

dasym

Prominent Collaborator II

Private betas have NDAs, open public betas do not. The Sonos skill for Alexa is an open beta. I don't think anyone disputes that the Sonos skill for Alexa is in open beta. What isn't so clear from the marketing hype is that the Sonos One depends fundamentally on the Sonos skill for Alexa and that, therefore, the Alexa capabilities of the Sonos One that you are purchasing are in open beta, ie, do not work properly.

jgatie

Uhhhh, the post right above mine disputed the Sonos Alexa skill is in open beta. To quote:

There’s zero mention of voice detection being in beta on the product page. Did you read my quote? That’s directly from the product page. I’ve run Sonos Betas. Even simple new features have strict NDA. This Alexa Support on the Sonos One has the opposite of an NDA.

D

dasym

Prominent Collaborator II

Uhhhh, the post right above mine disputed the Sonos Alexa skill is in open beta. To quote:

There’s zero mention of voice detection being in beta on the product page. Did you read my quote? That’s directly from the product page. I’ve run Sonos Betas. Even simple new features have strict NDA. This Alexa Support on the Sonos One has the opposite of an NDA.

I took the post to mean that it was disputing voice detection on the Sonos One being in beta, not that the Sonos skill for Alexa was in open beta, but I didn't mean to argue with you. I was just making the point that a lot of people, me included, wouldn't realise when they purchased the Sonos One that they were accepting that its voice recognition - that is, its main additional functionality over the Play 1 - was in open beta.

jgatie

I took the post to mean that it was disputing voice detection on the Sonos One being in beta, not that the Sonos skill for Alexa was in open beta, but I didn't mean to argue with you. I was just making the point that a lot of people, me included, wouldn't realise when they purchased the Sonos One that they were accepting that its voice recognition - that is, its main additional functionality over the Play 1 - was in open beta.

I'm sorry, but this type of semantics is silly. Without the Sonos skill, there is no voice detection on the Sonos One. Try it. Disable the skill and talk to the Sonos One. So disputing that voice detection is in open beta is disputing that the skill is in open beta.

I can see your point that it is not stated right up front that it is in open beta. However, the product page at Amazon, the app itself, the Sonos announcement of voice control via Alexa, and the blog post announcing the skill all plainly state that it is a beta. They may not be putting it on the product page, but it's not like Sonos or Amazon are hiding the information in the fine print.

Ryan S

Retired Sonos Staff

Hi everyone, we just released Sonos version 8.2.3 for the Sonos One. This update improves Alexa responsiveness for Sonos One users in US, UK, Germany, and Austria.

You should find that Alexa is getting better at listening, with a decrease in the times Alexa speaks up when not called. Alexa on Sonos One is now more likely to carry out your desired action when requested; especially when it’s noisy, when the speaker is further away, or when speaking quietly.

Update within your Sonos app by going to More > Settings > Online Updates.

We’re continuing to work with Amazon and the Alexa team to improve Sonos One voice control. You can expect to see more developments as we go. Let us know what you think of the changes. We’d love to hear from you.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

Master T

Prodigy I

Wow, the difference in sensitivity, especially in a noisy room, is dramatic. Obviously very early yet, but this looks to be a significant improvement. Nice! I'll anxious to see if the decrease in false activations is equally as significant.

K

Kumar

Is Alexa on Sonos still said to be in beta even now?

jgatie

Yes. The skill is still listed as beta on the Amazon product page.

U

urseberhard

Lyricist III

Definitely an improvement. Before I had to make an effort and call "Alexa" in quite a demanding voice. Now, I can say "Alexa" in a normal conversational tone and I get a reaction - thank you for the update.

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