Alexa - Now Playing on Sonos

Ryan S
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Available with Sonos version 8.0, you can control your entire Sonos system with Amazon Alexa enabled devices. It’s as easy as saying, “Alexa, play music in the kitchen,” and music will play on your Sonos speaker in the kitchen.




A beta Sonos skill for Alexa is available to use today. For step by step instructions, take a look here.

In short, update to Sonos 8.0. Then, search for and add the Alexa Skill for Sonos in the Alexa app. Sign in through Alexa to your system and authenticate with Sonos and Amazon. Finally, discover devices on Alexa and you’ll be ready to go.

Check out our step by step video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMvTF_pFw5w


Don’t have an Alexa device yet? Coming October 24th, Sonos One will be available with Amazon Alexa built in. Read more about the new smart speaker for music lovers here.

Read more here about Alexa and Sonos in our blog, Alexa, meet Sonos.

What can Alexa do on Sonos?


You can use Alexa to start playing from Amazon Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, and as of November 22nd, Spotify is working with Alexa on Sonos.

Also, any Alexa device on your account can use basic controls, such as play, pause, volume, and skip, on your Sonos players. This works for all services and music on Sonos, started through the Sonos app.

We have a list of the commands that your Alexa is listening for to control Sonos here, check them out and share your favorites.

Alexa will use your default music app, but you can change which one that is in the Alexa app. You can tell Alexa to play using a different music service on Sonos just by asking. There are steps here to set or change your default music service in Alexa.


If you have any trouble, please feel free to take a look here to start, or ask any question in the Amazon Alexa and Sonos forum.
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126 replies

Malcolm_10
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Great work Sonos and Amazon. Bring on Spotify!
Wharf_Rat
Does this mean that we will again be able to play Audible files across Sonos?
Ryan S
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Wharf_Rat wrote:

Does this mean that we will again be able to play Audible files across Sonos?


It's coming. You'll also be able to use the Audible app to play directly to Sonos. That's further out, but should be ready this year.
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KeithF1138
Hurray. So far working very well
billythepuppet
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Will Google music ever work with this? Don't tell me I've waited a year and will have to move to Spotify :@
brik74
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Can I speak to an Echo Dot and have Alexa respond through a dedicated Sonos speaker?
Ryan S
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brik74 wrote:

Can I speak to an Echo Dot and have Alexa respond through a dedicated Sonos speaker?


No, not at this time. The Echo Dot will still respond to commands, though it can control your whole Sonos system.
billythepuppet wrote:

Will Google music ever work with this? Don't tell me I've waited a year and will have to move to Spotify :@


We don't have any specific news to share on this one. We are working with Google Assistant to bring their voice control to the Sonos One however.
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Skelton
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billythepuppet wrote:

Will Google music ever work with this? Don't tell me I've waited a year and will have to move to Spotify :@


Billy, you'll probably need to be more specific here. If you mean will Google Music ever support streaming via Google Home voice control onto Sonos... that's Sonos goal, but I don't know that it's a near-term release.

brik74 wrote:

Can I speak to an Echo Dot and have Alexa respond through a dedicated Sonos speaker?


Really good question. I know that's the behavior when you pair with a Bluetooth speaker, but I'd almost expect the answer to be "no" here (unless it's the Sonos One of course). I'm not sure of the answer though, and like you would love to know. Ryan is going to be so busy on here all day :)

Edit: Oops, thanks Ryan, I didn't even have a chance to summon you Beetlejuice-style before you responded.
billythepuppet
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Skelton wrote:

billythepuppet wrote:

Will Google music ever work with this? Don't tell me I've waited a year and will have to move to Spotify :@


Billy, you'll probably need to be more specific here. If you mean will Google Music ever support streaming via Google Home voice control onto Sonos... that's Sonos goal, but I don't know that it's a near-term release.



No I mean asking alexa to play specific music on sonos and it plays via google music, shocking that only a few music services are supported after this long wait.

Functionality wise it works great though
terk
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Can Alexa be used to start and pause your own mp3s being served up by the SONOS app, can I ask it to play my Jazz playlist? Thanks.
Ryan S
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terk wrote:

Can Alexa be used to start and pause your own mp3s being served up by the SONOS app, can I ask it to play my Jazz playlist? Thanks.


Hi Terk, not that this time. Alexa only has access to the Alexa music services at this time.
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joe-sononos-567890
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Ryan S wrote:

Wharf_Rat wrote:

Does this mean that we will again be able to play Audible files across Sonos?


It's coming. You'll also be able to use the Audible app to play directly to Sonos. That's further out, but should be ready this year.


...so the "summer 2017" commitment to Audible is now "further out"??????
Dave
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Ryan S

I love you guys and the amazing work you do, great job with bringing voice control to Amazon Echo. So far so good for me but could do with a comprehensive list of voice commands.

Looking forward to seeing this grow.....

Dave
Sonos Boost - PlayBar with Surround Sound Play 1's (Living Room) - Stereo Pair Play 1's (Dining Room) - Stereo Pair Play 1's (Kitchen) - Connect:Amp with two Canton 845 ceiling speakers (Bathroom) - Amazon Echo - Amazon Dot
dsamworth
Following on from terk’s message - is there a plan for Alexa be able to access songs in my Sonos music library (mp3s)? If so, any idea when this is scheduled to happen?

Also, I note that grouping rooms isn’t available at the mo. Is this planned for a future update?

Loving the work so far though. Working well :-)
joe-sononos-567890
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Ryan S wrote:

terk wrote:

Can Alexa be used to start and pause your own mp3s being served up by the SONOS app, can I ask it to play my Jazz playlist? Thanks.


Hi Terk, not that this time. Alexa only has access to the Alexa music services at this time.



Is playing a local library on the roadmap? The alexa thing is pretty underwhelming in that it does less than an echo. Maybe cool for those who don't have one yet, but most people who are real "Alexa music services" users probably already have an echo.
Skelton
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billythepuppet wrote:


No I mean asking alexa to play specific music on sonos and it plays via google music, shocking that only a few music services are supported after this long wait.


Sorry, I wasn't clear with my framing.

If you think about what's happening with the Alexa integration it shouldn't be too surprising that only items supported by Alexa are supported. Again, Alexa is doing the heavy lifting of answering your requests, so it's not a separate entity from Sonos that can process it.

I won't pretend to understand the finer points of the integration enough to declare that it's possible for "special triggers" that Alexa could listen for and initiate processes back down in Sonos to work around that limitation. It seems logically possible, but undoubtedly cumbersome. There may also be some murky legal issues about back-dooring into a service, but also not a lawyer.

Is playing a local library on the roadmap?


I hope this is the first priority for these "non-Alexa" items myself.

Hi Terk, not that this time. Alexa only has access to the Alexa music services at this time.


For clarification Ryan, it is possible to perform basic controls (volume, next track, etc) once opened through the Sonos app, correct? Not ideal but much better than nothing.
Eds89
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Ryan S wrote:

brik74 wrote:

Can I speak to an Echo Dot and have Alexa respond through a dedicated Sonos speaker?


No, not at this time. The Echo Dot will still respond to commands, though it can control your whole Sonos system.



Does this mean that it is a planned feature? I, like a lot of other people I would imagine, have an Echo dot in each room I have a Sonos speaker. For me, that is my living room, bedroom and kitchen. The devices are basically sat right next to each other. It would be great if each device could tied to a specific Sonos device and have it output the Echo's audio. I have no desire to go around and replace each device pair with a Sonos One, as I already have an investment in hardware that does essentially what a One will do.

I also decided to head on over to the Sonos and Alexa forum, and boy was that a mistake. Already a large number of questions being posted in there.

I must admit I wish I had been accepted into the private beta, as I already have feedback on some odd behaviour that would need fixing (e.g if an echo dot has a music queue that is paused, you ask Alexa to play some music on a Sonos speaker, you ask her to pause, and then ask her to play, rather than resuming the Sonos music, it resumes the Echo music :S Also, if you have a group of speakers set in the Sonos app, and ask Alex to play in a specific room, it still plays on all previously grouped speakers).

Hoping this gets better, quickly, as I have been dying for this to come to fruition.
Ryan S
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Skelton wrote:

Hi Terk, not that this time. Alexa only has access to the Alexa music services at this time.


For clarification Ryan, it is possible to perform basic controls (volume, next track, etc) once opened through the Sonos app, correct? Not ideal but much better than nothing.


That's absolutely correct.

From this very announcement post:
Ryan S wrote:


You can use Alexa to start playing from Amazon Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, and we’re working to bring Spotify controls in the future too.

Also, any Alexa device on your account can use basic controls, such as play, pause, volume, and skip, on your Sonos players. This works for all services and music on Sonos, started through the Sonos app.

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KeithF1138
So our Sono's setup is our speakers for the family room TV. I was able to tell Alexa to play music in the Family Room. Is there a way to switch the Sono's back to the TV as the source? Or do I need to use the Sono's App to do that?
KSonos
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Ryan S wrote:

terk wrote:

Can Alexa be used to start and pause your own mp3s being served up by the SONOS app, can I ask it to play my Jazz playlist? Thanks.


Hi Terk, not that this time. Alexa only has access to the Alexa music services at this time.



Ryan,

I listen to some music via our Echo's: "Alexa, play Jack Johnson" (And she plays songs by Jack Johnson).

This will work (music via Amazon music).

But...listing via our Sonos, most of the music I listen to is via my iTunes playlists that are stored on a NAS. Sonos grabs this music from our home NAS. You're saying that we cannot say: "Alexa, play 90's music playlist" (and it would then play the 90's Music playlist that I have setup in iTunes on our NAS)?
brucemac
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Neat this is finally here and anxious to try it out this evening. Must admit though a little disappointed to see the that you cannot group rooms. Is there a workaround; i.e., if all rooms are currently grouped prior to Alexa command? Will it ever be a feature?
jgatie
brucemac wrote:

Neat this is finally here and anxious to try it out this evening. Must admit though a little disappointed to see the that you cannot group rooms. Is there a workaround; i.e., if all rooms are currently grouped prior to Alexa command? Will it ever be a feature?



Alexa will play to any grouped rooms if you tell her to play on any of the rooms in the group. You can use the app to group before or after the voice commands.
ainsley002
You are having a laugh! We’ve waited all this time for this integration and can’t even play the music in our own Sonos music libraries? I have my Sonos library, a copy of it in Google Music, I use Pocket Casts because it syncs with Sonos and I can’t play any of them. This is hugely disappointing. Is it going to be resolved?
Ryan S
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KeithF1138 wrote:

So our Sono's setup is our speakers for the family room TV. I was able to tell Alexa to play music in the Family Room. Is there a way to switch the Sono's back to the TV as the source? Or do I need to use the Sono's App to do that?


You'd need to use the Sonos app for that one. Alexa doesn't have access to the TV input just yet.

KSonos wrote:

I listen to some music via our Echo's: "Alexa, play Jack Johnson" (And she plays songs by Jack Johnson).

This will work (music via Amazon music).

But...listing via our Sonos, most of the music I listen to is via my iTunes playlists that are stored on a NAS. Sonos grabs this music from our home NAS. You're saying that we cannot say: "Alexa, play 90's music playlist" (and it would then play the 90's Music playlist that I have setup in iTunes on our NAS)?


When you say "Alexa, play 90's music playlist", it'll start looking for a playlist called 90's music on Amazon Music (assuming that's your default music app for Alexa). Alexa isn't searching your local music.
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Skelton
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KeithF1138 wrote:

So our Sono's setup is our speakers for the family room TV. I was able to tell Alexa to play music in the Family Room. Is there a way to switch the Sono's back to the TV as the source? Or do I need to use the Sono's App to do that?


At this time, you will have to use the app to switch back. Unless the TV is turned off and autoplay would switch it back to the source you want (maybe?).

Edit: Sorry Ryan beat me to the punch again. He should look into doing this professionally.

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