Hi everyone!
This article will be focusing on Music Services available within the Sonos app - if you have any further questions on this subject, feel free to post a reply, and we’ll update the article
What Music Services are available on Sonos?
You can find here a full list of Music Services on Sonos - it’s worth noting however that not all music services are available in all regions, you can check where any given service is available to be added to Sonos by clicking the link for that music service.
If you should have access to a music service, but it doesn’t show up in the list when adding a music service , then we recommend double checking that you have the correct location set on your Sonos Profile, and then performing a manual check for updates from the Sonos App - this will update the list of available Music Services in the app.
What content is available via Music Services?
Not all music services offer the same selection of content, and this may even change within the same service over time. As such, you may find that you get different results from different services when using the same search parameters.
This is particularly noticeable when using Radio streaming services - if you find that TuneIn or Sonos Radio don’t have a station that you want to listen to, you may be able to find it via an alternative service such as MyTuner, Radio.net, or Radioplayer.
Another option is to manually add the streaming URL, you can find some guidance on doing so on our help page - Add an Internet radio station to Sonos
How are new Music Services added to Sonos?
If a Music Service appears in the list of available Music Services on Sonos, and is available in your region, you can find here the steps to add a music service. You can also use multiple accounts for the same music service!
If a service that you’re interested in doesn’t show up in the list, however, then we can’t add it in ourselves.
In this case, the music service in question would need to reach out to us, and use our API to create an integration. What we would recommend is to reach out to the developers of that music service, share your interest in bringing their service in to the Sonos ecosystem, and point them towards our Music Partners on-boarding page*.
In the meantime, if you have an iOS device and AirPlay capable Sonos speakers, you can AirPlay the audio directly from your device. Alternatively if you have a Roam or Move, you can find some information here on how to Use Bluetooth on Sonos.
*the on-boarding page is currently undergoing maintenance, however there are contact details listed for any music services to get in touch
What Music Service features are available within Sonos?
What music service features you can access from within the Sonos app are decided by the music service itself - for example Spotify’s “Made for you" playlists, and adding tracks to your Deezer favourite’s have both been implemented by their respective developers, when integrating with the Sonos API.
If there are features such as these that you’d like to see added to the Sonos app, that are available via the native music service app, then your best course of action is to reach out to the music service developers to share your interest.
Are there ways to play from music services without using the Sonos app?
Depending on the music services involved, you may have a few options:
AirPlay
As we’ve touched on already, if you have an iOS device, and AirPlay compatible Sonos speakers, you can stream the audio to your Sonos system via AirPlay. You can even group your non-AirPlay speakers within the Sonos app, and stream audio from your phone to the whole system!
Bluetooth
Similar to AirPlay, if you have either a Move or Roam, you can connect your phone, tablet, or computer via Bluetooth to stream audio directly. As the Move is not able to exist on Bluetooth and WiFi simultaneously, you won’t be able to group other speakers, however this is possible with the Roam.
For more information, see our guide on how to Use Bluetooth with Sonos :)
Direct Control
Some music services have built a Direct Control function in to their native apps, allowing you to play to Sonos while having access to all of the features that the music service provides. You can find here some guidance on using Direct Control with;
Voice Assistants
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant both allow you to use voice commands to start music, so you don’t even need to look at your phone!
The setup for this must be done within the respective voice assistant apps - once you’ve linked your Sonos system to either Alexa or Google Assistant, you’ll be able to use voice commands to start playback from any supported services - you can find out what services are supported here for Alexa, and here for Google Assistant.
Problems with Music Services?
If you’re having trouble playing from a music service via Sonos, then here are some helpful tips;
- Check the Sonos Status page for any ongoing outages.
- Reboot your router and Sonos speakers, by removing power for about 10 seconds before plugging back in
- Reauthorize the music service account within Sonos (Settings > Services > Choose the Music Service > Reauthorize Account)
If you’re still having trouble, feel free to reach out either by starting a new topic in the Troubleshooting forum, or by getting in touch with our Support Team via live chat or phone call.