Multiple Echo and Sonos - play everywhere not an option

This entire setup is ridiculous… It’s obvious that there would be people who have both products and would expect them to play at the same time. They (Amazon/Sonos) should have been more explicit that both speakers would not play together at the same time. I as well as others it seems expected them to both to play together at the same time, nothing gave the impression otherwise. I also don’t want to spend hours fiddling around with this stuff trying to get it to work.

I never had that impression, and will be surprised if the new SDK can actually make it happen. There are significant technical differences in the way they sync, not to mention it would cut into either side's sales. I'm quite mystified that anyone would think it was possible, but YMMV.

I agree this could be mystifying if you view this with your Sonos googles on. There are several topics in the Sonos community, Amazon and feel free to Google “Sonos and echo play together” … Lots of discussion.
If both companies wanted to hop into bed together they should have considered this as a potential area of confusion for customers that have both products or want to expand on them. First question from my wife “why don’t they all play together…”.
I own several of both products and will continue to be a happy customer. I also don’t think either of them have to worry about profits as long as they continue to deliver quality products. This is just an annoyance.

Or it is a technical impossibility, not an annoyance.

And I don't wear googles, Sonos or otherwise. I understand why a layperson would think it is possible or probable, I also understand enough of the technical and financial side to know it may not be either possible, nor probable. I also know that as Amazon had just recently announced the SDK required for grouping would not be here until early next year, the probability of this feature being available upon launch was slim and none, and slim wasn't making the party. No googles needed for that analysis.

Or it is a technical impossibility, not an annoyance.

And I don't wear googles, Sonos or otherwise. I understand why a layperson would think it is possible or probable, I also understand enough of the technical and financial side to know it may not be either possible, nor probable. I also know that as Amazon had just recently announced the SDK required for grouping would not be here until early next year, the probability of this feature being available upon launch was slim and none, and slim wasn't making the party. No googles needed for that analysis.

As jgatie says and as someone who has spent the last 30+years in IT system integration, I can assure you that the real complexity comes in the Integration phase! My last IT change programme had 22 3rd parties and the work to keep everyone aligned is amazing compared to the technical challenge in a specific technical ecosystem.

@ Kumar- I don't think it is a new feature as I have seen this quite some time ago. It seems to be connected to the way the Echo tries to anticipate what you want to do. Once you start something in a group it assumes any subsequent commands to a group member are intended to also be applied to the group. I think this "grouped state" times out after some period of time after group playback ends.
Mike, thanks, that is useful to know. I am trying to defeat this by resetting the groups, and then making sure that the group name is not ever used as a suffix. Commands to use either no suffix for addressed to single unit play and use the name of the Dot+Connect Amp suffix for play directed to just that zone. I could still be defeated by a no suffix command getting Dot+Connect to play due to the "smart" thing; time will tell. The first tries were flawless. The group name is so awkward that no one but I would ever utter it in a voice command, so Amazon will never hear it voiced, so at least the mode with a distracting delay isn't ever initiated. So goes my logic that is to be tested!
If Amazon has something useful to comment/advise, I shall post here.

Amazon has asked for a phone consult, which I have to find time for - but as of now, the above described attempt is working out as intended, with both the Dot+Connect Amp and the Echo playing as standalone zones as desired, based on appropriate voice commands to just the Echo.

Deleting the group, making one afresh, and then making sure that the group name is never uttered seems to be working till now.

If Sonos were conferred the smarts to enforce the sync delay only when the line in fed Sonos unit is part of a Sonos group, even grouped play via Echo groups would work in addition, but that may be a stretched ask.

As an aside, when the Amazon units are grouped, what WiFi do they use? The existing home WiFi or a peer to peer dedicated to grouped devices network?

As an aside, when the Amazon units are grouped, what WiFi do they use? The existing home WiFi or a peer to peer dedicated to grouped devices network?

Existing home Wi-Fi.

I'm curious if anybody has tried the obvious "brute force" method of combining Echo and Sonos groups?

Plug a Dot into a Play5 or ZP120

Group the Play5 or ZP 120 with some other Sonos players

Create an Echo group including the Dot and some other Echos

Play something on the Echo group.

The music should play on all of the grouped Echos and all of the grouped Sonos players. There would be a little delay between the Sonos and Echo groups but that might not be an issue depending on the length of delay and how much the two areas overlap.

I'll probably try this out for myself but was wondering if somebody already has and has some feedback on how well it worked?


I understand the only way of doing this is to plug an Echo dot via 3.5mm jack into a Sonos - (is this an inferior quality of sound issue? i.e. less than ideal). What chance is there of Sonos /Amazon sorting this issue with the new API being released.

I am pretty certain I will return Sonos Play 1 and Sonos 3 unopened, other family members were given Echos 2nd gen for christmas and we grouped them immediately ('everywhere' group). I then had the thought . .. will the new Sonos also group with these Echos? Then googled, came here. Feeling the workaround with 3.5mm jack socket is not optimal compared to wifi connection. As I said I haven't opened the Sonos boxes, so please correct me if I am wrong as I haven't actually tried it via software/wifi pairing. thanks

not difficult, just group the speakers together, doesnt diminish the sound quality, it just wont be in stereo, but that should not matter if in different rooms

Has there been any movement on this subject?

I've read on a couple of posts that amazon was updating their SDK early this year but it's difficult to pin down if this has or will happen

I don't have any info, but this is very unlikely to happen.