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Contributor I
Oct 1, 2021 3:48 PM UTC
Answered

Sonos One won't group with other Sonos speakers

I'm trying (and failing) to get my Alexa-enabled Sonos One to play music through my other Sonos speakers (six in all). I've set up a group on the Alexa app (whole house), added devices (all Sonos speakers), added my Alexa device (Sonos One), selected “always” so I don't have to specify each room … and when I ask Alexa to play music it only plays on my Sonos One, the rest of the speakers are silent.

I've seen lots of references to setting a preferred speaker but can only find this option on the Sonos One settings and my choices are either “built-in speaker" or, under wifi speakers, my Sonos speaker in the Living Room. The option “Let Alexa choose: Alexa will select speakers in the Whole house ...” is greyed out. Clicking on “Learn more" tells me to go to Devices, select the group I want to change, go to the Preferred Speaker section - and that's where I get stuck, I can't find the Preferred Speaker section.

Can anyone help, please. I've been messing about with this for the best part of a day and am getting nowhere.

Many thanks

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ratty
rattyAnswer
Oct 1, 2021 6:23 PM UTC

On some devices the Sonos app might not sleep in the background. Force-quit it and it’s gone. 

By the way, to be clear, a grouping operation is persistent. The controller sends commands. They get executed. The controller doesn’t need to be running thereafter at all. 

5 replies

ratty
Oct 1, 2021 4:38 PM UTC

Why not simply group the speakers with the One, using the Sonos controller app? 

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janesdsgAuthor
Contributor I
Oct 1, 2021 5:21 PM UTC

I was trying to find a way round using the Sonos app as it seems to drain the battery on my tablet.

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ratty
rattyAnswer
Oct 1, 2021 6:23 PM UTC

On some devices the Sonos app might not sleep in the background. Force-quit it and it’s gone. 

By the way, to be clear, a grouping operation is persistent. The controller sends commands. They get executed. The controller doesn’t need to be running thereafter at all. 

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janesdsgAuthor
Contributor I
Oct 2, 2021 7:37 AM UTC

Tks, Ratty, that's useful info.

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Contributor I
Nov 6, 2021 2:47 PM UTC

Just as an FYI for anyone looking for an answer to this, I've owned two Sonos ones for 3 years now and I can not get the two to play music via alexa. It simply doesn't work. Countless attempts, no real answer from Sonos on it. I've grouped them together as a group in alexa app (the preferred speaker option isn't there anymore) and still won't work. It's like it's not compatible despite saying it is. I love the Sonos products for their audio quality but voice integration is very poor and poorly advertised as alexa compatible. I know you can't link alexa products with Sonos in a group but can't understand why the Sonos groups won't work. If anymore has ever got this working I would love to know how. 

 

Shame really as if I want a full voice activated multiroom system, I won't put anymore money into Sonos products as they just don't work and Sonos don't really care. Their customer support is terrible. 

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