I have been using Alexa on our Sono One for months with no real issue but in the past couple of weeks the timers have become unreliable. It's not a consistent problem but it seems that most attempts to set a timer are now failing. There are three scenarios: say "Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes" > no audible response from Alexa to confirm that it has been set but if then asked "Alexa, how much time left on the timer?", Alexa confirms that timer is set. Timer goes off as expected. say "Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes" > no audible response from Alexa to confirm that it has been set but if then asked "Alexa, how much time left on the time", confirms that timer is set. Timer DOES NOT go off as expected. say "Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes" > audible response from Alexa to confirms that it has been set. Timer DOES NOT go off as expected. I tried turning off and on again but there is no change to the behaviour. This is one of the most used and useful features for Sonos/Alexa and I am loosing trust in the whole system at this rate. Any ideas why this is happening?

Contributor I

Answered

Alexa timers not working / unreliable

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
September 2, 2019
24 replies
6267 views

I have been using Alexa on our Sono One for months with no real issue but in the past couple of weeks the timers have become unreliable. It's not a consistent problem but it seems that most attempts to set a timer are now failing. There are three scenarios:

say "Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes" > no audible response from Alexa to confirm that it has been set but if then asked "Alexa, how much time left on the timer?", Alexa confirms that timer is set. Timer goes off as expected.
say "Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes" > no audible response from Alexa to confirm that it has been set but if then asked "Alexa, how much time left on the time", confirms that timer is set. Timer DOES NOT go off as expected.
say "Alexa, set timer for 10 minutes" > audible response from Alexa to confirms that it has been set. Timer DOES NOT go off as expected.

I tried turning off and on again but there is no change to the behaviour.

This is one of the most used and useful features for Sonos/Alexa and I am loosing trust in the whole system at this rate. Any ideas why this is happening?

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Best answer by Sebastien D.

Hi folks,

Few suggestions I’d like you to try regarding this issue. First, make sure that your Sonos System is currently up to date.

If that’s not the issue, try unplugging the power from your Sonos speakers and plug it back. Wait for few minutes for your Sonos products to come back online.

Lastly, check and make sure your time zone is set under Date & Time within the Sonos app. If that doesn't work, I'd recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of trying to set an alarm, and contact Sonos Technical Support as there may be underlying network issues.

Moderator edit: provided link to tech support

Show previous replies

A

aschafer

Lyricist I

I have the same exact problem with my Sonos One (Gen 1) and I’m surprised there has not been an acknowlegement of this from Sonos.

I have to unplug and plug the unit back in to get reliable timer behavior. I have suspected, but have not confirmed, that the behavior starts after someone plays music (usually from Amazon Music) or a radio station on the speaker.

Sebastien D.Answer

Sonos Staff

Hi folks,

Few suggestions I’d like you to try regarding this issue. First, make sure that your Sonos System is currently up to date.

If that’s not the issue, try unplugging the power from your Sonos speakers and plug it back. Wait for few minutes for your Sonos products to come back online.

Lastly, check and make sure your time zone is set under Date & Time within the Sonos app. If that doesn't work, I'd recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of trying to set an alarm, and contact Sonos Technical Support as there may be underlying network issues.

Moderator edit: provided link to tech support

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J

jeff vici

Lyricist I

Same issue here. Disappointing this has still not been resolved. I try really hard to convince my wife to use Alexa in the kitchen and this pretty much destroys her confidence in the product. Can’t say I blame her.

J

jtelmos

Contributor I

YES. This is a huge issue for us, and has been for quite a while. The inconsistency from Sonos/Alexa has made my smart home advances much more difficult with the family. Everytime Alexa doesn’t, or responds incorrectly, I get a collective eye roll from my wife and kids 🤦‍♂️

Oddly enough, I ended up buying a new Echo dot to try and “fix” the situation, but I’ve started getting similar results. Wondering if it’s actually as much as an Amazon problem as it is Sonos?

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