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Question

Who is responsible for BBC Sounds running on my SONOS?

  • 17 July 2024
  • 7 replies
  • 90 views

I sent this to the BBC at the beginning of July:

YOUR ENQUIRY:

Feedback Summary - Sounds stopped working 
Feedback Description - Up 'til 23/6 BBC Sounds was working through my SONOS system but it abruptly stopped and all attempts to access it since have failed. I can listen to R4 via the MyTuner addon to my SONOS controller. I have tried uninstalling BBC Sounds on SONOS but when I try to reinstall and connect I get
Check your network connection
There was a problem getting started. Please check your network connection, then try again.
This persists. 

 

They replied with generic system advice and suggested getting in touch with Sonos if this didn’t work. I tried various things and described the results:

Hi,

I have tried the advice in the last reply you sent but, as I thought, it didn't help.

I am convinced that it is a problem with the BBC Sounds App on SONOS and not my equipment or setup because:

1. It was working well and then suddenly it stopped as I previously reported.

 

2. I was talking to a friend on Friday and he said he'd got exactly the same situation.

 

3. When seeking advice on the web I have found various reports of this problem in the past that have  then mysteriously resolved themselves.

 

4. I have tried resetting every component of the setup - being an ex systems programmer I know this can sometimes help:

a) I have ensured that my SONOS system is up to date. It is SONOS 1 but I get the messages "No update required" and "Your Sonos system is up to date"

b) I have left the SONOS switched off for half an hour and restarted it.

c) I have done the same (though for only 5 minutes) with our router

d) I have deleted and attempted to reinstall the BBC Sounds service on my SONOS. This fails: I immediately get the message "Check your network connection. There was a problem getting started. Please check your network connection then try again. If the problem persists and your network connection is working, please try again later". If I reclick the button I immediately get the same message again. If I reclick again there is a pause of a few seconds before I get the same message and this pattern repeats: 2 immediate responses and 1 delayed 1.

e) Knowing that when I last successfully installed the BBC Sounds service I was asked for a username and password I have tried d) above logged out of the BBC and also logged in under 2 usernames.

f) I have tried steps a) d) and e) above on both our laptops and on my iPhone.

 

5) I can install other services on my SONOS. As part of my search described in 3) above I saw that BBC Radio 4 was available via the myTuner service. I installed it and can, indeed, listen to BBC R3, R4 and the World Service

 

Points 1) and 2) above are, in my experience, the most salient evidence that the problem is not with my setup or equipment. Point 4) details the lengths I have gone to to try and sort it. Point 5) shows that installing and using music services on my SONOS works. In the face of this I think that following the advice you gave to "If you are still having trouble, we'd advise reporting this to Sonos directly : https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/home" is unlikely to help.

 

I would appreciate you looking further into this problem and letting me know what you find out.

 

Again they referred me to Sonos. If Sonos can sort this oou then that’s fine but if not who has responsibility for the smooth running of a service that worked until recently?

Thanks, Tony

7 replies

It is BBC that’s responsible, but Sonos made some changes and all the issues with various streaming services is an indication that they didn’t let them know or maybe it’s just buggy af like the app. Or perhaps sent a message like system owners got that said everything would work as before which was a lie. I would contact Sonos support and make sure they are aware. 

Userlevel 1

Thanks Bumper I’ll pass this on

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +13

Thanks Bumper I’ll pass this on

 

Just replaced my 2moves and roams with echo dots and thanks to you have just added bbc sounds to Alexa skills and it works well thanks for the reminder 👍

Userlevel 6
Badge +12

You could refer BBC to the BBC website, if BBC is unsure who is responsible:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/listening-on-a-smart-speaker/sonos

We have released a version of BBC Sounds on the Sonos platform, meaning you’ll be able to listen on your Sonos device via the Sonos controller app.

 

I tend to use AirPlay to Sonos direct from BBC Sounds App, as it has more features and easier to use.

Userlevel 5
Badge +7

i take it bbc sounds app works ok for you

Check your sonos account as your country as uk

works ok for me, but there is a bug with continue playing for some….

Userlevel 6
Badge +12

i take it bbc sounds app works ok for you

Yes, it still works for me, have been using pre/post new Sonos App.

 

Userlevel 1

I tried to talk via chat to SONOS who eventually asked me to call the helpline but the wait was 50 minutes so I decided to try chatting again the next day. I thought that before I did so I’d go through their advice again: I had done so but the person on the other end of the chat kept suggesting things I’d tried - and said so in the original contact but I wanted to be sure I could confirm that I had again done everything. Miracle: this time it worked. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

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