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Amazon Lossless and Where is the shuffle function?

S
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I’m using Apple Music and find using the service through Sonos App to be frustrating, as it doesn’t function as the Standalone Apple Music app would. I can’t add tracks to my library and I can’t even shuffle tracks, there’s just no function for it? 
 

I ha just added Amazon music because I’m thinking of ditching Apple Music. However, after adding the Amazon app there’s no function to shuffle? 
 

Also, can someone tell me if I can just use the standalone Amazon app to play Lossless and High resolution music? I hate the fact that I’m forced to use the Sonos/Apple app to play hi res and lossless audio. 
 

I note I can add new tracks albums ect, but this is added to “my Sonos”. So, in effect it won’t be available in the my Apple Music account? This is all very confusing and very disjointed. 

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths 15 April 2023, 21:46

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Ken_Griffiths

I’m using Apple Music and find using the service through Sonos App to be frustrating, as it doesn’t function as the Standalone Apple Music app would. I can’t add tracks to my library and I can’t even shuffle tracks, there’s just no function for it? 

I ha just added Amazon music because I’m thinking of ditching Apple Music. However, after adding the Amazon app there’s no function to shuffle?

See this support link for how to shuffle, crossfade, repeat…

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/shuffle-repeat-and-crossfade-songs

Adding tracks to library is something you would do in the Apple Music ‘Native’ App - the changes are reflected in the Sonos App.

Also, can someone tell me if I can just use the standalone Amazon app to play Lossless and High resolution music? I hate the fact that I’m forced to use the Sonos/Apple app to play hi res and lossless audio. 

I understand the external App audio format to Sonos is up-to 16/44 HD audio only, but the Sonos App playback is up-to 24/48 Ultra HD/Atmos audio 

I  note I can add new tracks albums ect, but this is added to “my Sonos”. So, in effect it won’t be available in the my Apple Music account? This is all very confusing and very disjointed. 

More of a case that it’s a learning curve, I suspect, and that you will likely discover more as you use things.

S
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Thanks for your reply. The shuffle function still baffles me, I play a track and it add one track to the queue, I press shuffle and it doesn’t shuffle my library of tracks? Am I missing something, it shouldn’t be this hard? It’s like the app doesn’t add tracks to the queue automatically like in in native Apple or Amazon app?

Ken_Griffiths

Here’s an example/animation I quickly made of using the shuffle/unshuffle feature within the room queue (top right) on an iPad Sonos controller App. Hope you are able to see the tracks in the queue moving position as I shuffle/unshuffle the queued playlist…

 

 

 

S
Userlevel 3
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Here’s an example/animation I quickly made of using the shuffle/unshuffle feature within the room queue (top right) on an iPad Sonos controller App. Hope you are able to see the tracks in the queue moving position as I shuffle/unshuffle the queued playlist…

 

 

 

Hi, thanks again for your help. I have tried both on my IPhone 14 pro and iPad Pro M1. When I play a track it only populates one track when I press the shuffle button?

 

106rallye
Userlevel 7
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You can only shuffle a playlist I presume, not a singel track? Or am I misunderstanding you?

Ken_Griffiths

I’m perhaps misunderstanding what you’re trying to do here @Spaddywaddy - shuffling a single track is never going to do anything as there’s no other tracks in your playlist - there just isn’t anything to shuffle?

A bit like taking a single card (6 of clubs, for example) from a pack of cards and being asked to shuffle that one card - you just end up with the same card… you need to add other cards from the pack before you can shuffle them.

controlav
Userlevel 7
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Here’s an example of an Apple Music playlist, note the Shuffle button:

This replaces the Queue with the playlist, shuffles it, then starts playback. Screenshot is from my app but the Sonos apps look similar (except Desktop which is uglier obviously).

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
controlav
Userlevel 7
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And here is the Amazon equivalent (no Hero artwork for this one):

The stars show lossless tracks

 

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
Ken_Griffiths

It’s a similar thing with playlists in the Amazon Music Service within the Sonos App too.. My earlier examples were related to shuffling a room queue - this shows a playlist shuffle option:

 

 

S
Userlevel 3
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Hi Guys,

Thanks again for your input. 

All I’m merely trying to do is shuffle my songs library. I go to songs and shuffle as I would do in the native apple app. I can’t do this in the Apple/Sonos integration. I press play on a track, select shuffle and it shuffles = 1 x track! Not exactly a shuffle of my entire song library.
 

I have subscribed to Amazon HD and this is what I see when I want to shuffle tracks in my library with the Amazon/Sonos integration = big fat shuffle button which actually does exactly what I want it to do; shuffle my library of tracks, songs or whatever you want to call individual listings of Albums, EP’s ect. 🤣

 

Ken_Griffiths

@Spaddywaddy,
Maybe try this …select the ‘Star’ next to your iCloud library in the Apple Music Service in the Sonos App (That’s assuming you’ve not got it selected already) - that will add a shortcut to the library on your ‘My Sonos’ tab. Simply goto that tab and select the ‘songs’ category and you should see the option to ‘shuffle’ as shown in the attached screenshot.

Note if you have a large number of songs in your iCloud library, you may find the App might unfortunately time-out loading every song to the queue, that’s if it perhaps takes longer than 15 seconds to do that - The only workaround I’m aware of for that time-out issue, is to store the library local and use straightforward UNC paths direct to each of the chosen local music library tracks, as a single ‘one-line’ entry in a .m3u playlist. That seems to work best for a large amount of tracks - I have no issue loading 25,000+ tracks when opting to use that method.

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S
Userlevel 3
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You absolute legend! If I could buy you a pint or two, I would! Thanks so much!

controlav
Userlevel 7
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@Spaddywaddy,
Maybe try this …select the ‘Star’ next to your iCloud library in the Apple Music Service in the Sonos App (That’s assuming you’ve not got it selected already) - that will add a shortcut to the library on your ‘My Sonos’ tab. Simply goto that tab and select the ‘songs’ category and you should see the option to ‘shuffle’ as shown in the attached screenshot.

Interesting, this is a bug in the Sonos iOS app. Their Desktop app as well as my Sonos app does show a Shuffle button at the top of Apple Music / Library / Songs list, the iOS has a UX bug that fails to (and I’ll admit the logic for when it shows up is kind of tortuous).

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
Ken_Griffiths

@Spaddywaddy,
Maybe try this …select the ‘Star’ next to your iCloud library in the Apple Music Service in the Sonos App (That’s assuming you’ve not got it selected already) - that will add a shortcut to the library on your ‘My Sonos’ tab. Simply goto that tab and select the ‘songs’ category and you should see the option to ‘shuffle’ as shown in the attached screenshot.

Interesting, this is a bug in the Sonos iOS app. Their Desktop app as well as my Sonos app does show a Shuffle button at the top of Apple Music / Library / Songs list, the iOS has a UX bug that fails to (and I’ll admit the logic for when it shows up is kind of tortuous).

I just call it a ‘workaround’.. 😂 ha ha 👍

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