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Apple Music playback interrupted saying 'Unable to play - the song is not encoded correctly'

M
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When I stream songs from Apple Music via the Sonos app, playback is occasionally interrupted with a message of 'Unable to play [insert song name] - the song is not encoded correctly'.

It's unpredictable when it happens, sometimes it could be half way through a track and it occurs, also happens multiple tracks in a row. Other times it could go through multiple tracks with no issues then the error suddenly occurs.

I've done all the troubleshooting stated on the Sonos website but I'm pretty sure my setup isn't the problem because I use a Radio App and also use YouTube Music via the Sonos app with no playback issues, the error just happens with Apple Music.

Has anyone else experienced the same issue? Suggestions on a possible fix?

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Best answer by Corry P 9 May 2023, 12:20

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D
Userlevel 2
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I don’t want to come across the wrong way but people really need to read the entire thread. The oh it might be interference, please turn off everything there turn it… it might be apple’s issue. Come on people! Sonos has admitted the issue! They told you to add an old unit to the group and then Apple Music will play the way it used to.  Why is this so hard for people to understand it has only been going on for almost an entire YEAR!

The only question that really needs to be answered is why we have all put up with this for a year?

AgingKeeper
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Derrick,

To answer your question: I am putting up with this because I still want to use Apple Music and while not the best option (for me), being able to Airplay to my only Sonos device still does enough for me.  I am altering how I use Apple Music to fit with the hardware I have (as I used to do).

Your assumptions have a few wholes about the people participating in or simply reading this thread.  

  1. In my case Sonos’s responses do not work for me.  I have one device and it is new.  I also do not want to continually search for tracks to play (that does work!).
  2. Also your assertion that Sonos has admitted the issue misses the point.  Cory P states that Sonos are “aware of an issue” and then follows this with “Apple are working on a resolution”. Not sure what you are thinking but to me it can’t be much clearer.  The problem is with Apple Music not with Sonos.  

Since this thread has been going for a while I added a post saying that Apple’s own HomePods are still (as of a month or so ago) not working properly.  In fact, I purchased the Sonos Beam because I was done with Apple’s HomePods.  The hardware is “fragile” and the software doesn’t work.  My intent with my post was to say this issue doesn’t appear to be something that will be solved for Sonos users soon.  

One last option is to stop using Apple Music. 

 

Hope you are feeling better after venting, life is too short to hold it all in!

D

I found a solution that seems to work.  As mentioned before, you can search in the Sonos app for the artist/album/song and play that way instead of going to your Library.  Or the fix I discovered consists of the following steps on my Mac.

Go into the Music app and:

1 - Right click on the artist or album and Remove Download

2 - Right click and Download again

3 - Find the artist/album folder in iTunes -> iTunes Media -> Music

4 - Copy the album folder somewhere else temporarily

5 - Back in the Music app, right click the artist/album and Delete from Library

6 - Go to File → Import to Re-import from the previously copied folder

7 - After it has synced with iCloud (will show down arrows for each song, may take several minutes) test in Sonos to see if it plays now

8 - Delete the copied album folder

 

Hope this helps!

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