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I have a Sonos AMP which was added to Apple Home app. I have an Apple HomePod too. I can control the Apple music on the HomePod with my iPhone and with my MacBook. I’m not AirPlaying to the HomePod, I can select it from the “Control Other Speakers & TVs” list and the HomePod streams from Apple Music itself. I would like to achieve this with the Sonos AMP. I know it is possible, but just via a very tricky way.

Normally the AMP doesn’t show up on the “Control Other Speakers & TVs” list when I used it with other source (ex.: HDMI ARC). If I select as an AirPlay destination on my iPhone, I can AirPlay to it but in this case the iPhone sends a stream to the AMP. If I close the music app on the iPhone the music stops on the AMP.  But if I ask Siri on the HomePod (not on iPhone) to play something on Sonos, a music played back on sonos, and the AMP shows up on “Control Other Speakers & TVs” list. In this case the AMP streams directly from Apple Music. I tried to disconnect the HomePod from the power, and to switch off my iPhone and the AMP played the music itself. In this mode I can control the music from any Apple device on my network, I can see the now playing widget on every Apple device. This would be an ideal mode. There is another way to enter this mode. If I select the HomePod from the “Control Other Speakers & TVs” list and start an airplay stream from the HomePod to the Sonos AMP, and I ungroup the HomePod. In this case the AMP stays alone and works as described before.

Is there any solution for the Sonos AMP always stays in the “Control Other Speakers & TVs” list? Or how can I enter this mode with just use my iPhone (without HomePod or without Siri)?

There’s no solution to this, as Apple’s own brand of devices play direct from their iCloud, but Apple do not ‘technically’ allow this with 3rd-party devices, which ‘normally’ are only allowed to AirPlay audio via the Apple mobile device. In a similar way, if you were to play your audio sources (including Apple Music) via the Sonos App to Sonos products - then those sources play direct on the Sonos devices, rather than going via the mobile device. So I think you are stuck with the ‘workarounds’ you mention and it would likely need Apple to change their own policies to get 3rd-party Sonos devices to perhaps play in the way you want them to. 

There’s no solution to this, as Apple’s own brand of devices play direct from their iCloud, but Apple do not ‘technically’ allow this with 3rd-party devices, which ‘normally’ are only allowed to AirPlay audio via the Apple mobile device. In a similar way, if you were to play your audio sources (including Apple Music) via the Sonos App to Sonos products - then those sources play direct on the Sonos devices, rather than going via the mobile device. So I think you are stuck with the ‘workarounds’ you mention and it would likely need Apple to change their own policies to get 3rd-party Sonos devices to perhaps play in the way you want them to. 

I knew the same too, but with this workaround the Sonos AMP can directly play the Apple Music not from a mobil device. I started the music with the route described before and turned all my Apple device (including HomePod) off and the Sonos AMP continued to play from AppleMusic.

So I think it should be technically possible, but there is no easy way to enter the Sonos to this mode. If I enter this mode and not change the source to other service or HDMi on Sonos, it stays there “forever”.

I knew the same too, but with this workaround the Sonos AMP can directly play the Apple Music not from a mobil device. I started the music with the route described before and turned all my Apple device (including HomePod) off and the Sonos AMP continued to play from AppleMusic.

So I think it should be technically possible, but there is no easy way to enter the Sonos to this mode. If I enter this mode and not change the source to other service or HDMi on Sonos, it stays there “forever”.

I’m absolutely sure these things are ‘technically’ possible - you have already proved that, it seems, with the ‘workarounds’ you mention, but I suspect it’s probably not what Apple wants here, as they seem to prefer to keep the Airplay audio stream on 3rd party devices playing from/through their own mobile devices, rather than direct from an iCloud server connection. It’s probably a decision that perhaps has security in mind and keeping such 3rd party connections direct to their audio source to a minimum and only when their own iOS devices have authorised the link. At least that’s what I suspect, personally speaking …and it would need to be Apple that changes how these connections work with their music service. 

I often consume my music in the same way: Hey Siri (via HomePod) play playlist xxx on Sonos (name in Apple Home).

But my experience is that when I turn the HomePod off, after a while the music stops.

So I do think that it remains the HomePod streaming the music to Sonos… It might have the song playing cached (or maybe even more).

For all this I have keep HomePod mini around, so that when I leave the music is not stopping… My “big” HomePods got thrown out of the window due to frustrations... 

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