Six months ago, we proudly made Alexa available on Sonos giving the power of voice control to our existing users through Amazon Echo devices. With the launch of Sonos One, we built Alexa right into our speakers - giving customers a new way to fill their homes with music by bringing voice control into their whole Sonos system.
When we announced Sonos One and cemented our partnership with Amazon Alexa, we made a commitment to continue enhancing and bringing the best of Alexa to Sonos. The launch was just the beginning and our teams have continued working together to launch new features.
Today we’re excited to share that 20 of the most popular Alexa skills are now available with full support and amazing sound on Sonos One!
- Absolute Radio (available in the UK)
- Amazon Storytime
- Ambient Sounds (Thunderstorm, Rain, Babbling Brook, Rainforest, Ocean & Fireplace)
- BBC (available in the UK)
- Bible
- CNN
- Free Ambient Noise
- Headspace: Guided Meditation for Everybody
- MLB.com At Bat
- NPR One
- Sleep and Relaxation Sounds
- Sleep Sounds (Ocean & Rainforest)
- Stitcher
- 40+ Sleep Sounds
These are just a handful of new ways to enjoy Alexa on Sonos. Since launch we’ve made incredible strides together, bringing more music, Alexa skills, features and improvements to Sonos. Here’s a quick summary:
- Shortly after launch we added full Spotify support, making it even more convenient to get your favorite playlists like Discover Weekly pumping in your home. Pro Tip: Make Spotify your default service in the Alexa app for even easier playback.
- In November, we brought the popular Flash Briefing and Sports Update features to Sonos One. Configure your news sources and favorite sports teams directly in the Alexa app, then say “Alexa, what’s my Flash Briefing” to your Sonos One.
- In time for those unwrapping Sonos for the holidays, we made the setup better and significantly improved Alexa’s responsiveness. That means she is more likely to respond when you need her to.
- This year we’ve launched Alexa on Sonos support in several new countries. In addition to the US, UK, Germany, and Austria, Sonos with Alexa was also made available in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with more countries to be announced. Our integration requires Alexa to be available in countries just prior to our launch so stay tuned for more global availability!
There are still many more desired Alexa features we’re bringing to the home sound system. We have a deep commitment toward building the premium listening experience, but some Alexa features will require more time to bring to Sonos. This often means that features remain off of our speakers until we get it right. Our clear focus has been to bring music and listening features sooner while other complimenting Alexa features will take longer to arrive.
We know that our user community appreciates the unparalleled sound quality, the uninterrupted experience and enjoyment of streaming music throughout their home. We don’t want to do anything to jeopardize this. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll continue releasing more skills and features truly optimized for the premium, Alexa-enabled Sonos experience.
We want to thank our community for giving us feedback, helping us focus on the most important features to bring to you next. On behalf of our dedicated teams across Sonos and the many brilliant folks we work with on the Amazon Voice Services team, we hope you continue enjoying Alexa on Sonos throughout your homes, listening to whatever makes you happy.
-Chuck Freedman and Ryan Myers, Partner & Integration Product Managers for Voice at Sonos
