Sonos app constantly running

I am having a similar problem on my new Pixel 2. Getting constant 'SONOS is using battery' notifications, even after rebooting and not restarting the SONOS app. Also, can't get rid of the notification unless I 'Force Stop' and even then, sometimes the notification won't go away. Can't slide right to delete it. Yours is the first post anywhere that is of recent vintage, so thanks for posting. Very frustrating, please help us out!

Try going into the Sonos settings and you can disable the notification, that'll turn off the background usage.

Settings > Advanced Settings > Show Notifications

You might want to turn off Lock Screen Controls as well.

Hi Ryan, thanks for getting back to me. That's done the trick!! Cheers 😃

Thanks Ryan, this helped me too. I found the notification at the top of my phone screen annoying, unnecessary and wondering if it was also using up battery.

I've disabled, as you suggested. However I see that it also disables the lock-screen controls, which I found useful.

Can we have the lock-screen controls and also stop the notifications, they are two separate things.

Glad that helped you too, Damian. I'll pass along the suggestion to separate them.

I'm still a bit perplexed by this. Our household had the same issue (we own a pixel and a pixel 2) and we turned off notifications and that seems to work. BUT... why? Is it a bug? Presumably the "Notifications" referenced in that setting aren't supposed to be the "Using battery" notifications that we and other users were *constantly* seeing, right? Or if they were, then was the app constantly using battery? And would turning off notifications change that fact? Of course, none of my other apps have this behavior. Sure feels buggy. Would be nice to understand what's happening.

(Not to mention the fact that turning off notifications just to get rid of these annoying, constant battery warnings also means users can't take advantage of any of the features that are nested under notifications, as the previous poster also lamented)

I'm experiencing this as well. It seems to have started with the most recent update.

I definitely agree with the above comment. There's no reason that I should need to opt out of notifications. This is very clearly a new problem with the app.

Please let me know if there is any information I can provide you guys that would help you troubleshoot this issue. I'm happy to help!

This is a problem because of how android manages memory, and clearing closed/backgrounder apps.

Would be nice if Sonos stated this in their settings, but oh well.

Since Android 6.0 (IIRC), in order to ensure that the android system doesn't close an inactive app, and dump it from memory, it needs to create a notification, as a kind of "keep alive" signal.

Because of this change to android itself, without the notification being present, the Sonos app is unable to keep itself alive, and therefore can't insure that the lock screen controls, etc. will work. That's why the options get disabled when you turn off the notifications.

This sounds like a pain, and it kind of is. Sonos could have the notification active, but hide it so you'd get what you're after, but this would only work on rooted phones. However, this is a good feature, and you do want it! Your battery and performance levels will thank you!

https://developer.android.com/guide/components/services.html

For more info.

This message started as part of the Android 8.1 release, its not limited to Sonos. In previous releases the message would state that "Application name" is running in the background. Now it just says its using battery.

I've tried everything above and it still can't be killed. So I uninstalled it again. (I keep adding it back to see if this problem is fixed and then deleting the app when it isn't. It is a pain to have to use an old phone just to control the speakers but it is better than having it running all the time, draining batter, probably spying on me...)

I got a Sonos one set up (4 of) a few days ago.
I'm using a Moto G5 on Android 7 + updates and even with the Sonos app cleared (shutdown) and notifications off and not starting the app for hours it's still using just 1% less or equal to the screen at any given time! The screen is on bright BTW as it's a sunny summer!

I'll try reinstalling it but as I only added it a few days ago I don't expect any difference.

Pretty bad for a music app to drain the battery flat in a few hours. It's not the only beef I have with the Sonos set up but that involves Alexa so I won't go into it here.

Forgot to say, we also have the Sonos app on a Lenovo Yoga tablet that's running Andoid 6 - Sonos doesn't even feature in the most battery using apps under the same usage conditions!
Updates are not not always improvements!

Sonos app is now the biggest battery drain on my Android phone, even on days where I have not used the app at all from my phone. No choice but to uninstall. Since last charge, Sonos app 13% battery use, screen, 4%. Totally unacceptable. I dont expect to have to find the secret magic combo of settings to make an app work correctly, I have a right to expect it to work and not have a detrimental effect on the device it is installed on.

Same here - more battery usage than the screen. Even with notifications and lock screen off! No choice but to uninstall the app.. I've only noticed this behaviour since the latest update 9.0.1.

The plot thickens.
I downloaded 9.0.1 to my wife's Nokia 5 phone. That runs Android 7.1.1.
After a whole day of using Sonos and leaving it in the background running, it doesn't even feature on the battery usage list!

It's the 9.0.1 version on her Android 6.0 tablet too btw.

I've just reinstalled it on my Moto G5 (Android 7.0) to see what it does..

Previously it was using similar and sometimes more than the screens 15%, even when closed and notifications blocked.
I'll be back..

I'm running Android 7.1.2 (Lineage 14.1) on a Samsung Galaxy S5, if that's any help. But I'm not sure if here is the right place to expect help from Sonos as the original question has been marked as answered. I suggest you start another question (I've done that too). BTW - if you look at the reviews for the Sonos app on the Google Play site, there are loads of people all saying the same thing about 9.0.1.

Thanks for that is not noticed 😉

I have been in contact with customer services. They wanted more information.
I did a clean install of the app at 09:15 this morning. Opened the Sonos app. Cleared it, stopped the notification and let it run. By 14:45 it had eaten 15% of my battery and 462mAh. Screen had used 568 - been using it in bright light..
All the other processes were down in the 4 or 5% territory.

I took screen shots of everything. Also the battery screen shots of the Nokia phone and Lenovo tablet that work just fine.
By 15:30 battery was vetting critical.
Diagnostic was sent as requested.
Sent in all the details.

Sonos customer support came back and requested I call the support line.

After a bit of a wait and going through things, seeing the high battery usage, low network use, the best 'workaround' they supplied was to go into into settings / developer / Running services and stop the Sonis entries from there.
Not much better than uninstalling and reinstalling really.
Still I have a bug report number and it will be going to the developers for analysis.

Thanks for the feedback. I sent support a tweet but they haven't got back to me yet. Might as well just phone the helpline, I suppose. If enough of us log this fault maybe they'll get around to fixing it.

I've been discussing with them on messenger. Very responsive..
Yes, the more the merrier!

In desperation I download a third party app. Macronous for Sonos. It's a bit strange but once you get it, it's easy to control volumes, rooms, what music, and for me the best thing from favourites. There are some radio stations where the skills are messed up so Alexa can't find them.. a working app is a must.
Best of all, after 3 hours of use Macronous for Sonos doesn't even show up on the battery usage list!
It's used 3mA according to the app data.
Come on Sonos!!

SonosOneSteve wrote:

I've been discussing with them on messenger. Very responsive..
Yes, the more the merrier!

They're ignoring me on Twitter and Messenger!

The Macronous for Sonos app uses no juice to speak of. Had I running all day in use and in the background.
Granted it can't do all the Sonos app does, but how could Sonos get battery management so wrong?

I got pretty much the same response as you - I did a diagnostic and sent them screenshots of battery use. 200mAh in 3 hours, so not quite as greedy as yours. They suggested I should Force Close the app when not in use. I did that, but it made no difference, the app is still gobbling power so I told them that and they haven't replied since. In the past three hours I've used the phone for nothing but screenshots of battery usage and Sonos has used 9%, the screen 3% - Sonos was in actual use for around one minute at the start of that three hours, but no music playing. Think I might have to lash out and buy Macronos.

Yeah, I've worked in major telecoms SW dev and testing all my working life!
This sort of thing just shouldn't happen! Any Tom, Dick and Harry third party app developer can get power management across different OS versions right!!