Contributor I

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Alexa announcements and routines

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
January 4, 2023
25 replies
3451 views

Alexa announcements generated from Alexa routines do not work on my Sonos One (2nd Gen). Although, announcements do work from voice activated commands.

Announcement through routines also seem to work fine on Beam and Arc, it's just my Ones that it does not work. Confirmed the Ones have alexa setup properly.

This was a previous tropic, but that topic was closed, and no resolutions were provided. So, I’m re-opening this issue. The last one got a response that it would be investigated, but I could not find any additional follow up.

Alexa announcements not working from routines | Sonos Community

Thanks for your help!

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Best answer by Corry P

Hi @cyhefe

We’ve been tracking this issue since your last post, and so far it literally has just been you and myself that have reported this happening - and I only knew about it because I was checking for you! For resources to be deployed on this issue, we’d need to see more than one complaint, to be honest.

I don’t know if this is because hardly anyone uses the feature, or if it is because people do, but don’t have an issue. My more-qualified colleagues are in Europe and could not replicate the problem, whereas I am in the UK and could - this may be relevant, it may not be.

I’m sorry I can’t help you more. You could try reaching out to Amazon, but I can well imagine their (not unjustified) response will be to contact us.

C

cyhefeAuthor

Contributor I

Just me having this issue now? :)

Corry PAnswer

Sonos Staff

Hi @cyhefe

We’ve been tracking this issue since your last post, and so far it literally has just been you and myself that have reported this happening - and I only knew about it because I was checking for you! For resources to be deployed on this issue, we’d need to see more than one complaint, to be honest.

I don’t know if this is because hardly anyone uses the feature, or if it is because people do, but don’t have an issue. My more-qualified colleagues are in Europe and could not replicate the problem, whereas I am in the UK and could - this may be relevant, it may not be.

I’m sorry I can’t help you more. You could try reaching out to Amazon, but I can well imagine their (not unjustified) response will be to contact us.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

melvimbe

Would it be useful to remove Alexa as a voice control assistant from the specific speaker that is having an issue, and then re-add it as a reboot of sorts? You could also remove and re-add the Sonos skill on Alexa, but I suspect that may damage your existing routines and force you to recreate them.

Danny

Ken_Griffiths

When I step through an Alexa routine, using the ‘Announcement’ option to say things like it’s Sunset/Lunchtime etc. then the Alexa App only lists the Amazon echo devices only as per the screenshot attached. I presume therefore this feature is just for Amazon echo devices only and not for third-party Alexa ‘enabled’ Speakers, but there are perhaps some workarounds to this using the ‘Alexa Says’ option for routines, but it’s not easy, as it requires a routine for each Sonos speaker that has Alexa built-in.

melvimbe

@Ken_Griffiths I see all my echo and third party alexa enabled devices listed, including Sonos. I do not see my Sonos rooms where none of the speakers has Alexa enabled, such as a room with amp.

Danny

Ken_Griffiths

@Ken_Griffiths I see all my echo and third party alexa enabled devices listed, including Sonos. I do not see my Sonos rooms where none of the speakers has Alexa enabled, such as a room with amp.

Yes… as mentioned, for the ‘Alexa Says’ action its just those Sonos devices with Alexa on-board, in fact it uses the Alexa component, rather than the speaker component. It also only allows one device only to be selected, so you have to create multiple routines to mimic the Alexa ‘Announcement’ routine action, which (as also mentioned) only supports Amazon echo devices only and not third-party speakers.

These things are definitely something that Amazon would need to change, rather Sonos.. I’m not sure however if it applies just to the UK as @Corry P mentions 🤔?

melvimbe

@Ken_Griffiths I see all my echo and third party alexa enabled devices listed, including Sonos. I do not see my Sonos rooms where none of the speakers has Alexa enabled, such as a room with amp.

Yes… as mentioned, for the ‘Alexa Says’ action its just those Sonos devices with Alexa on-board, in fact it uses the Alexa component, rather than the speaker component. It also only allows one device only to be selected, so you have to create multiple routines to mimic the Alexa ‘Announcement’ routine action, which (as also mentioned) only supports Amazon echo devices only and not third-party speakers.

I was referring to the Announcement routine action. In the Announcement routine action section, I can see all alexa enabled speakers, rather then be echos, Sonos, or other 3rd party devices….anything that has alexa voice enabled.

These things are definitely something that Amazon would need to change, rather Sonos.. I’m not sure however if it applies just to the UK as @Corry P mentions 🤔?

Since I’m on the left side of the Atlantic, and you guys are on the right, it makes me think the difference is geographically related.

Danny

Ken_Griffiths

I was referring to the Announcement routine action. In the Announcement routine action section, I can see all alexa enabled speakers, rather then be echos, Sonos, or other 3rd party devices….anything that has alexa voice enabled.

These things are definitely something that Amazon would need to change, rather Sonos.. I’m not sure however if it applies just to the UK as @Corry P mentions 🤔?

Since I’m on the left side of the Atlantic, and you guys are on the right, it makes me think the difference is geographically related.

Ah I see, thanks @melvimbe🙏, that at least provides some hope that it’s just a ‘bug’ in the Alexa App over here and that Amazon will perhaps fix this.

C

cyhefeAuthor

Contributor I

Thanks all! I’m in AMER as well, so don’t believe it is geo related. It’s also unique that the announcements work on my beam and arc just fine. It’s just the standalone Ones that do not announce and only through premade routines. If I ask Alexa to announce either by voice or through the app, then the Ones will announce just fine.

I have tried disabling the Sonos skill (which did not blow away my routines as they are all stored in Alexa app), and then re-adding but that did not help.

I have several Ones so I wondered if that could be an issue, but again since it works on beam/arc, certainly not.

I’m using the option to send announcement to all speakers, so I’m not picking and choosing specific speakers but my sonos ones do show up for me.

I appreciate the poking at this, it’s not the end of the world for me, but would certainly love to have my routines rocking through the Ones.

I

Ish33

Lyricist I

I haven’t read through all the posts yet. I am having the same issue with my Sonos One (2nd gen). My Alexa routine will not play through the speakers. The Alexa app sees the speaker in devices yet does not allow it to be selected in the routines set up.

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