Sonos App controls no longer appear on your lock screen

Airgetlam wrote:

That will teach Sonos to release a “hack” unsupported by Apple in order to provide functionality to iOS users. Given the number of complaints, and anger generated by the fact that Apple made a change that stopped the “hack” from continuing to work, Sonos would have been better off not releasing it until they could get official support for the process from Apple, which I suspect they’re still waiting on.

But they still use this "hack" as you can re-enable lock screen controls by disabling Airplay on all devices that support it. Then magically this "hack" works again! So it is not that they removed it from their software to be in line with Apple's policy.

And what we all request is simply to add a switch within the Sonos app to enable/disable Airplay2 for Sonos. It is really arrogant from Sonos to suggest disabling Airplay everywhere except the Sonos system itself. I was planning to add another Sonos speaker to my system, but after this I decided to hold on.

It may not be something that Apple would allow Sonos to do.

Or, it may, and Sonos is just arrogant, and doesn't want to listen to the feedback from their consumers. Who knows?

This is awful 😞 I just want to disable airplay 2 completely within Sonos but keep the ability to airplay to my Apple TV or HomePod! I have no airplay-enabled Sonos gear...

Please make this optional Sonos! The lock screen and Apple Watch controls are too useful to lose :@

EDIT: I’m not sure it’s even possible to disable Airplay on the HomePod, so it sounds like as soon as you bring one of those into your network, it hobbles the lock screen functionality for all your non-airplay Sonos

As we all know, the lack of control from the lock screen now means to do basic tasks I need to unlock my phone, switch to the Sonos app and do whatever I need. Now this may be something wrong with my system, but I find when I switch to the Sonos app (and when I’m already playing music), it takes the app about 10-15 seconds to actually sync-up with the Sonos system and do what I want. There may be a couple of “system not found” messages during this time. But that’s the delay I experience.

If this is common with others, then surely the QA/testing at Sonos would have identified some sort of additional time delay between this and the lock-screen control. Whether this delay is 5 seconds or 20 seconds. It doesn’t matter. The lock-screen control was always there AND always very responsive.

As someone else has said, the Spotify app gives control at lock-screen so it can’t be something inherent within the iOS not allowing Sonos to do this.

My Sonos was working fine with the control screen until the upgrade to Sonos v9. I’d been on the latest iOS v11 for ages before upgrading to v9 and that’s when this disappeared. So in my view, there’s been no limitation in access to the iOS system. So it just seems like something underlying changed in the Sonos code which meant this feature broke and they couldn’t be arsed to fix it before the major v9 release.

So then Sonos, how come Spotify has the screen-lock control but you seem to blame Airplay2? Perhaps you should go pinch some of the Spotify app dev team to help you fix this and hopefully improve your image.

There is an app that solves this problem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njaDky_p6aM

This is a classic example of how upgrading to a new software version can be a step backwards. If it ain’t broke? I would urge everyone to email Sonos customer support to get this problem fixed ASAP.

This is exactly why we shouldn't buy expensive hardware that relies on an App (and the ongoing goodwill, support and even existence of the owner/developer) to use it. Lesson learned!

This is a total piss take - I hope Sonos staff are reading this!

Us users with the OLD SONOS kit (non airplay 2) - should be allowed to download an old legacy version of the Sonos app that still uses AirPlay 1.

You can’t just take away our features to suite new technology and just the new hardware users.

(Microsoft supports old OS for years after new ones come out! Because if you’ve paid for something you have a right for it to not be made worse just to force people to upgrade.)

What Sonos has basically done is screwed over all it’s long-time users by forcing them to use an app that isn’t compatible with old hardware.

Release a legacy app for your old users!

Yet another App/System update and a fix for this issue still nowhere in sight! Thanks for listening SONOS! Not!:@

Sonos knew exactly how much this would suck for loyal users.

It's like when Skittles replaced Lime with Green Apple... it'll never be the same, and even with the extra effort it's still not as good.

Sad.

Add it back!!! How hard can that be?!

New Apple terms w/ Sonos probably restrict adding this feature back in.

One of the things I liked best about having it on the lock screen is that my toddler could skip songs on Pandora without me unlocking my phone for her. Gave her some autonomy without her getting into my iPhone and wreaking havoc.

And no response from Sonos as to when and if this will be fixed. I am delaying adding any more speakers to my home until this is added back to the application. I am seriously considering putting the Sonos speakers that I have on eBay and going to Apple Homepods for my home audio system.

I'm starting to think like a few others on this forum.
Sell the speakers if we can't have the controllers that are needed. I have 2x Sonos 5 and a 1 along with a Bridge, but if I can't control them quickly form a clocked screen then what's the point?
if I get a call I need to b able to mute the speakers quickly.

Sort it out Sonos.

z.sonos wrote:

Ryan S wrote:

You may have heard this already, but iOS does not natively provide a way to control devices on your home network from the lock screen in iOS, the controls are only available for audio being played on the device itself. Because of this, the Sonos implementation of lock screen controls was built in a way that's no longer viable and with the launch of AirPlay 2 on Sonos.

Well, how do Spotify do it? Using Spotify connect, Spotify plays through Sonos Speakers. And you get the lockscreen controls after the Sonos 9.0 upgrade and with airplay 2 devices, like apple TV gen 4, running. Spotify is NOT playing on the device itself. You can remove spotify from memory, take the iPod to another location, even destroy it if you want, and Spotify continues playing through the Sonos Speakers. So your statement "the controls are only available for audio being played on the device itself" is incorrect. If we can have the lockscreen control when using Spotify connect with airplay enabled devices on the network, then why we have it when using the Sonos app? Perhaps the Sonos developers should ask Spotify how they do it.

And Deezer. I could control Deezer from the lock screen, Apple Watch and still allow Airplay to be enabled on my Apple TV. I use a mix of Bluesound Nodes in the office and studio and Sonos in the house. I think I'll just move to Bluesound.

Toonartist wrote:

z.sonos wrote:

Ryan S wrote:

You may have heard this already, but iOS does not natively provide a way to control devices on your home network from the lock screen in iOS, the controls are only available for audio being played on the device itself. Because of this, the Sonos implementation of lock screen controls was built in a way that's no longer viable and with the launch of AirPlay 2 on Sonos.

Well, how do Spotify do it? Using Spotify connect, Spotify plays through Sonos Speakers. And you get the lockscreen controls after the Sonos 9.0 upgrade and with airplay 2 devices, like apple TV gen 4, running. Spotify is NOT playing on the device itself. You can remove spotify from memory, take the iPod to another location, even destroy it if you want, and Spotify continues playing through the Sonos Speakers. So your statement "the controls are only available for audio being played on the device itself" is incorrect. If we can have the lockscreen control when using Spotify connect with airplay enabled devices on the network, then why we have it when using the Sonos app? Perhaps the Sonos developers should ask Spotify how they do it.

And Deezer. I could control Deezer from the lock screen, Apple Watch and still allow Airplay to be enabled on my Apple TV. I use a mix of Bluesound Nodes in the office and studio and Sonos in the house. I think I'll just move to Bluesound.

Just to add. I can also control my Bluesound Audio speakers from the lock screen, Apple Watch without having to disable Airplay on the Apple TV.

Even with a Sonos one in my setup i can’t do anything to have a control of Sonos out of the app. No lock screen or control panel possibilities... pffff. Just ridiculous as compared with Spotify handling on an IPhone ! Come on Sonos, bring us a real upgrade with IOS 12 please.

Sonos Staff member Edward R. replied on this thread and gave us a glimmer of hope they are working on a fix...

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/workaround-for-lock-screen-controls-6810135

Today the lock-screen control suddenly came back on my iPad and on me and my daughters iPhones:D 🆒
I havent noticed any updates for Sonos, but perhaps its been updated quiet without saying so ? I feel good now 😃

But today the control is gone again, I suspect the reason why the control suddenly functioned yesterday was caused by some restarts of our router because our internetprovider had problem with their system. Our Apple-TV’s was probably not reached proper connection with the network at the time I found the lock-screen control in function.
Today all units is connected to the network, an lock-screen controls is blocked again 😠

Try turning off AirPlay 2 on your Apple TV (unless you're using it all the time), that might resolve the issue.

Airgetlam wrote:

Try turning off AirPlay 2 on your Apple TV (unless you're using it all the time), that might resolve the issue.

I have only Apple TV gen 3 so I dont have option for AirPlay 2.

I've replaced mine at this point, so I can't check anymore, but do you have the ability to turn off AirPlay? There seems to be an Apple article about it here:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202618

Airgetlam wrote:

I've replaced mine at this point, so I can't check anymore, but do you have the ability to turn off AirPlay? There seems to be an Apple article about it here:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202618

Yes I know, but since we use AirPlay every day that is not a good solution for us. We have Apple-TV’s in different floors and in my daughters flat in the same house, and it would be too complicated to turn AirPlay on and off all the time.
I hope we can get a solution in Sonos meny to disable AirPlay 2 so we can get our lock-screen control back.:$

Do the various unauthorised Sonos apps mentioned over the past couple of years here work with lock screen control? Reports indicate they used to in which case the problem may be alleviated.

I wonder what Spotify does correctly to enable the controls in locked screen? I am using the Spotify app to play the songs through Sonos speakers and the controls for Spotify still works in locked screen mode (ironic) while the actual Sonos app doesn’t allow controls in the locked screen with the new update. So can we take a step back now? There is no sophistication on whether Airplay 2 is supported or not because with all things that remain the same, essentially it’s the software that is not working.

Spotify is direct control of a stream on the device. Sonos is a remote control of a external device, not an actual stream. Two different things, unfortunately. One causes the device to be in "use" constantly, the other occasionally sends commands to an outside entity.