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Contributor II
January 19, 2022

Speakers keep changing room names

  • January 19, 2022
  • 20 replies
  • 5269 views

I’ll start by saying I DON’T use apple HomeKit with my Sonos and they aren’t even registered with the home app. 
 

I have a play 5 that always reverts to kitchen. I’ve removed it, factory reset, reinstalled and named living room. 24 hours later and it says kitchen again. 
 

I have a move that does the same thing except it always goes to dining room. 
 

sonos has no clue how to fix it. 
 

help!!!

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20 replies

Not An Opossum
Enthusiast I
February 7, 2023

“I have the same problem. No HomeKit. Sonos app runs the Sonos speaker and consistently changes the name of my kitchen speaker to speakers in the hall. Shows up in Alexa. The Sonos one has Alexa voice control but it’s names is kitchen there too.
 

any idea what is causing the rename?  And if someone is condescending and tells me to call Tim Cook so help me god.”

 

Have you tried calling Tim?

But seriously, I suddenly had one of my speakers changing names. I’d change it back, and a few days later it would change again. My first thought was HomeKit, but it wasn’t.
 

After a bit, I realized that I had angered Alexa recently when I started trying to rid myself of her. I remember being confused because I had disabled her on that particular speaker. SHE DOES NOT LIKE WHEN YOU TRY TO LEAVE HER. I used caps for that other poster just to be a little overdramatic. Anyway, I did not want Alexa involved in my new life with Sonos. I knew I could figure out why, but I just deleted the Sonos skill, and deleted all my Sonos speakers from devices in the Alexa app. That stopped the name changing for good. She tries to add every single device she senses. I need some time away from Alexa. She’s too controlling.

I also have a feeling the other poster has another app or piece of home automation changing their names too. I wouldn’t be surprised if google assistant does similar renaming. Sometimes I forget which made up name I gave a person. It happens.

- Not an opossum
Lyricist II
June 25, 2023

I am having the same issue. NO APPLE HOMEKIT, NO ALEXA. It’s supremely frustrating- the speaker/room names keep changing back to where I had previously named them. I even deleted the HomeKit app to make sure. Yet the only solution from Sonos support it this is caused by HomeKit. I don’t have HomeKit.

Ken_Griffiths
June 25, 2023

I am having the same issue. NO APPLE HOMEKIT, NO ALEXA. It’s supremely frustrating- the speaker/room names keep changing back to where I had previously named them. I even deleted the HomeKit app to make sure. Yet the only solution from Sonos support it this is caused by HomeKit. I don’t have HomeKit.

Admittedly, I’ve only ever personally seen Apple HomeKit cause this issue with some manufacturers products, including Sonos devices - I guess another way around the issue, is to perhaps factory reset the device, but that’s providing it’s not your one and only Sonos product setup on you Sonos system/household, otherwise you will lose the system settings. If you have more than one product in the system then maybe give that suggestion a try.

buzz
June 25, 2023

Something that I notice: As I add new units to my system, I must add them individually and give them a unique Room name. For units that I will eventually bond as stereo pair, or surrounds this initial name is arbitrary. I’ll give each new unit a characteristic Room name, such as “Move1_L” and “Move1_R”. After I bond the pair, I’ll rename the new stereo Room. I can see these arbitrary names in ALEXA. I imagine they will popup elsewhere. Prior to resorting to my arbitrary initial room names scheme I would get confused if I unbonded the pair and they reverted to their original Room name.

Now, at least I know which unit is being referenced.

Lyricist II
June 27, 2023

Thank you so much everyone for the helpful tips. I think I finally figured it out. My speakers were linked to Google voice assistant and therefore Google home. I had to go into Google home and unlink Sonos and my speakers stopped renaming, finally. 

Lyricist II
November 30, 2023

Hopefully someone sees this...I too have been vexed since adding an Era 300 in my kitchen (named ‘Kitchen’) and moving the previous One SL to my closet. I renamed the One SL at least 3 times to “Closet” only to see it revert to ‘Kitchen’ over and over. 

I was set to blame Sonos until I searched the bowels of my iPhone and found the Home app (and frankly do  not even know wtf it is even for) but sure enough in addn to numerous Lutron and other wireless devices (perhaps I set it up years ago) was the original name for that One SL. Literally as soon as I changed that device to ‘Closet’ it appeared accurately in the Sonos app on my Mac laptop.

Will see if it stays. Good luck to all.

Ken_Griffiths
November 30, 2023

Hopefully someone sees this...I too have been vexed since adding an Era 300 in my kitchen (named ‘Kitchen’) and moving the previous One SL to my closet. I renamed the One SL at least 3 times to “Closet” only to see it revert to ‘Kitchen’ over and over. 

I was set to blame Sonos until I searched the bowels of my iPhone and found the Home app (and frankly do  not even know wtf it is even for) but sure enough in addn to numerous Lutron and other wireless devices (perhaps I set it up years ago) was the original name for that One SL. Literally as soon as I changed that device to ‘Closet’ it appeared accurately in the Sonos app on my Mac laptop.

Will see if it stays. Good luck to all.

It’s not just Sonos products either!!… My TV HDMI inputs are listed in the Home App and if I change their names on our LG TV the iOS Home(kit) App renames them back - so it likes to take control. I have to rename them in the Home App to stop them being changed back.

Lyricist II
November 30, 2023

One additional tip - I had deleted the home app from my iPhone and was still having this issue and I FINALLY figured it out. Apple Home still existed on my wife’s iPhone and it was changing because of that! I deleted apple home off all remaining devices on the network and then this stopped happening. Hopefully this helps anyone who deleted it off their primary device and was still facing the issue.

Lyricist I
December 24, 2023

Would like a setting in the Sonos app, that blocks third party apps from renaming. Have deleted all third party apps (i think.. will double check on Alexa though), and the problem persists.

Airgetlam
December 24, 2023

I’d love that too….but I suspect is counter to the way those systems require things to work. It’s certainly frustrating to those of us on the other side, but I suspect required in order to integrate.

Bruce