Why cant you have a speaker in a group and as a single setup simultaneously?

By definition a player can't be standalone and in a group at the same time. It's simple and quick to group and ungroup in the app.

You can also use a long-press/touch on the physical play/pause button on a player to make it join a playing group. Long-press/touch again to join another group (if any). And again to detach from a group.

Alexa groups can be used to make a group too, though I'm unsure whether it can also ungroup.

By definition... that's like saying the tree disappears when its in a forest. It makes no sense. Its a matter of setting up two separate identities and choosing between them. This feature is implemented in many different other systems. Having a voice controlled system implies that you shouldn't have to physically interact with the device.

let alone run from room to room to do so....

Voice control over groups is partial. Sonos app control, which is of course complete, means no running between rooms. Take your pick.

I offered the suggestion of pressing physical buttons as it was once a user request, for situations where no controller was to hand.

@talismier. That is a really dumb thing to say. It is a system which offers a range of means of control. The arrival of voice control does not make other means redundant.

@ratty is correct to say that given the current nature of groups, it is impossible for a speaker to be both standalone and in a group. What you are asking for is pre-defined groups rather than just grouping on the fly. Thst is a reasonablr request and has been requested for years. Maybe Sonos will implement it one day.

I agree... I didn't suggest that the other previous methods were obsolete and should be removed. I said that when using a system as a voice controlled system... there is no need to read between the lines. I was explicit.
Since writing this i have read other threads on the same topic, so I guess there are others out there that also would like to see this functionality in the system. As for whether it was a dumb thing to say or not, i guess you're entitled to your opinion, though i question its veracity.

@Talismier

You're not the first to request that Alexa do things with Sonos. No offense intended toward you; but everyone seems to forget that Alexa is a service that is licensed from Amazon. Some licenses give the user complete access to every feature while others are restricted.

For example...with Sonos you still can't change the "wake" word. Sonos has no control over that feature as the license precludes it. The same applies to asking Sonos to implement skills within Alexa that currently aren't available. If they become available it will be Amazon that releases them to Sonos.

I'll try to be more constructive. My set up includes an Alexa group controlled by an Echo Dot, with three Sonos speakers as devices and all three as 'preferred speakers'. Living Room, Dining Room and Office. If i say to the Dot, 'Alexa, play X' it will group the three rooms. If I stop that, and say 'Play Y on Living Room'.I have a single speaker playing. Another request to play without specifying a room regroups. Is that of any use to you or are you already doing that?

Talismire,

In support of John B's post above, that’s exactly what I do too. The 'Alexa Enabled Groups' work really well with Sonos and will automatically group and ungroup speakers, dependant on the voice utterance given.

To ungroup a speaker/room from a larger group, you first need to stop the playing audio and then target the required Sonos Room in your instruction.

There are lots of posts on the grouping feature and I would recommend starting with this thread, that’s if you do need any further information on the topic.

https://en.community.sonos.com/announcements-228985/sonos-now-playing-with-alexa-groups-6817588