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My speakers/app doesnt want to play music from my phone anymore


I used to be able to play music i have stored on my phone and suddenly "this device" option has completly disapered as an option under any tab on the app.

 

I updated by phone and the app, i check permissions, all the file locrion stored on my phone are under music, nothing has changed from when i could play from my phone to now when i cant.

 

This is very frusting as there are some songs i have that arent availiable on streaming services. 

 

How do i fix it?

 

 

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Best answer by Airgetlam 27 May 2023, 05:09

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Some routers support a USB drive that could host your music library. There are no wires associated with this.

Ralpfocus wrote:

 

*note I suspect that when you install the Sonos App it also includes some software that helps the communication between the Speaker and your phone and this is the software that Sonos states is “limiting Sonos Player and controller software advancement for quite a while now”

 

Other than the initial command, I don’t really think so.  Can’t really verify that now, but an easy test would be to initiate playback, then shut down the Sonos app.  As @jgatie said, what happens to the music?

Agreed if you swipe off the Sonos Controller then the music doesn’t stop, sadly this does not prove that Sonos does not create a background (HTTP?) process. My rational for this thought is a) that Sonos apparently state that this feature is holding the Controller software back, b) i am sure that I have seen on these forums that the PC version of the controller spawns a background process for accessing files on a PC and c) why would android run by default a background HTTP server so that the outside world could connect to your phone without you knowing

Whatever I agree the decision is not going to be reversed. If I can keep my S1 system on its current version before I get an update to Android 14 i will see what happens then.

 

I assure you, after you initiate playback, you can turn the phone completely off, smash it with a hammer, throw it in a fish tank, run it over with a steamroller, and the music keeps playing.  There are no background processes going on, the Sonos devices stream from the source all by themselves, the app is merely a controller. 

Hi Bruce, 

Thank you for your help, my orginal search must not have been worded correctly as i didnt see those articles.

Reading through them, this seems like a mega money grab decision on sonos end. I think ill need to looks in to an alternate speaker system and try to have my money refunded for these.

Poor business decision to take away a perfectly good feature and then make you buy a whole new item to continue to use it.

 

Very upsetting.

 

 

My opinion doesn’t match yours, having been through the iOS version of this, when the OS manufacturer (Apple) blocked the ability of Sonos, and other companies such as Bluenote, from using the mobile devices as network drives. Since this change isn’t in the interest of Sonos, it’s hard to imagine they’re behind it.

And for a money grab, I don’t understand that at all. There’s nothing that Sonos sells that would ‘fix’ this issue. It would, at the worst, require you to get an NAS, something Sonos doesn’t make or sell. And for likely no cost at all, you could put your music on an already existing PC or Mac (neither of which Sonos sells) and use the already existing ‘play from this library’ function that has always existed. 

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Hi Bruce, 

Thank you for your help, my orginal search must not have been worded correctly as i didnt see those articles.

Reading through them, this seems like a mega money grab decision on sonos end. I think ill need to looks in to an alternate speaker system and try to have my money refunded for these.

Poor business decision to take away a perfectly good feature and then make you buy a whole new item to continue to use it.

 

Very upsetting.

 

 


My interpretation of the article places the “blame” elsewhere than Sonos:

“As newer versions of mobile operating systems are released, it can sometimes change the way information is shared between devices, and this feature will no longer be compatible with newer versions of the Android operating system.”

 

How can Sonos support a feature that no longer exists in a third party product?

Thank you, but that is my problem. I need the Sonos app to group the speakers. I put a lot of time and money into building an audio system and that requires all of my Sonos speakers playing together as a group. I made a very intentional decision and sold very nice passive speakers and decided to transition to the active/lifestyle speaker approach. I put a great deal of time and effort into this, and had no inclining that Sonos would ever do this type of thing. 

Suddenly, without any real warning, and in my opinion, just cause or need, Sonos devastatingly crippled their platform. 

 

Read the OP here:

 

As newer versions of mobile operating systems are released, it can sometimes change the way information is shared between devices, and this feature will no longer be compatible with newer versions of the Android operating system. 

 

So Sonos didn’t do it, Google did. 

@MG1214there are a number of android apps that will play music stored on your phone to a Sonos device. Admittedly you will still need the sonos app to group speakers together but  the basic functions volume, start stop are in the 3rd party app. Hi-Fi cast and bubbleUPnP come to mind.

Thank you, but that is my problem. I need the Sonos app to group the speakers. I put a lot of time and money into building an audio system and that requires all of my Sonos speakers playing together as a group. I made a very intentional decision and sold very nice passive speakers and decided to transition to the active/lifestyle speaker approach. I put a great deal of time and effort into this, and had no inclining that Sonos would ever do this type of thing. 

Suddenly, without any real warning, and in my opinion, just cause or need, Sonos devastatingly crippled their platform. 

 

How have you been using your Sonos system since the end of May when the change took place?  Have you not used your system since then, or you just haven’t tried to play audio from your phone since then?

Did Google say that Android local files cannot be made available to Sonos? Where was this stated? I freely admit that I may have missed it.

 

Google didn’t make a public announcement it to their customers.  However, there have been android developers that have posted and confirmed that Google has changed their policy around access to the andorid file system by outside devices.  I believe the post was somewhere in the original thread linked in this thread, if you want to look for it.  The change does not impact Sonos alone.

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Being a bit clearer - Using the 3rd party app for is to enable playback from your phone. Once that is going you can use the Sonos App to do most of its normal functions, add (group) additional speakers, change volume, etc.

Having just had quick play with HI-Fi Cast you need to use the 3rd party app to jump forward and back through the playlist. This makes sense as the sonos device does not know what is in the queue.

 

Thank you to everyone who has offered their suggestions and perspective. I am using Hi-Fi Cast and it seems to be working perfectly. What a relief. I am not thrilled at all of course that Sonos made this decision; however, I am at heart a pragmatic person and if the problem is solved, well it is solved.

Thank you again everyone, especially whomever suggested Hi-Fi Cast. Much appreciated. Cheers. 

 

For the umpteenth time in this forum, Sonos made no decision, their hand was forced by Google’s changes to the Android OS.

 

Actually, from what I can tell that is not true. Sonos made a business decision that they did not wish to allocate the resources to continue to offer the functionality. There is absolutely nowhere that I have ever heard where Google said that Sonos could not access local files. It does seem that Google made a decision that would result in more work for Sonos and Sonos then made the business decision to not allocate development resources. So no, Google did not force anything, Sonos made the decision that they made.

I am not saying that things did not change for Sonos due to Google making changes, nevertheless, other companies are still able to access local files on Android so clearly it is still possible. I think you need to be accurate here, but I do take your point that Sonos did not do this without some rationale. Just not a compelling rationale in my mind.

 

I don’t see this distinction as really that relevant to be honest.  Sonos didn’t make a change to their system breaking the feature, Google did.  Whether it was technically impossible or technically possible with some unknown level of effort, doesn’t really matter.  You’re concluding that Sonos isn’t making a rational decision here based on assumptions that happen to favor the conclusion you had before you knew anything about the situation.  How much development resources are required to code and test the change?  What is the likely hood that Google will change how this works again in the near future?  How many customers are using the feature, and unlikely to use the other solutions Sonos offers to play your own audio tracks?  Will new customers care about this feature at all since4 current Sonos speakers offer bluetooth functionality, making this feature practically obsolete?  

Even if Sonos shared all this information with the public, which they would never do, many will still blame Sonos, saying this should restore the feature at any cost, even if puts the company out of business just because the feature existed when they bought it.

 

In all the years I’ve been here, no statement by Sonos has ever been “clear and public” enough to satisfy the users upset over losing a feature or something to be supported in the future.  Even when Sonos came right out and stated very clearly and publicly that they were not going to support a Windows Phone app, the announcement only served to give ammunition to those who complained. 

In addition, regardless of the shaky relationship, Google is still a partner, both as an app host and via the YouTube music service, and Sonos will never come right out and shove a partner under the bus.  The statement made is as blunt as they come (and if one is not clinging to the hope the decision may be reversed, it is quite easy to read between the lines).  In short, it ain’t coming back, just as it wasn’t coming back when Sonos and other companies lost the ability to stream from a library on iOS devices (and the Sonos announcement for that was almost word for word the same as for Android).

As to the “distinction between Sonos as a controller software device versus a media server”, it’s easy.  A media server actually streams the media.  The Sonos app does not.  Try this simple test - Stream from the media server, then turn the media server off.  What happens to the music?  Now stream using the Sonos app, then turn the Sonos app off.  What happens to the music? 

And yet Sonos hasn’t removed the capability to play from a local hard drive, or an NAS, only mobile devices as dictated by those who control those operating systems. 

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Playing from a computer is also always an option. You might want to try Plex.

Any chance you have an Android phone? There are already several threads on this, but the easiest reference I could quickly find is this:

https://www.engadget.com/sonos-is-ending-support-for-local-file-playback-on-android-184537921.html

 

Here’s Sonos’ own FAQ

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/play-music-stored-on-your-android-device

 

Here’s the original announcement from May 4…

 

 

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Maybe something like an SMB server app for your phone?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.webrox.landrive&hl=en_US&gl=US

I have started reading about such things. Thank you for your input, I appreciate it. I am just so disillusioned about Sonos that I am likely to sell off all my Sonos gear and find another path forward (and there are certainly options).

I have gone from being a huge fan of Sonos to this deeply disappointed and angry state. Yes first world problems for sure, but this is significant. Should I not find a way to use my local phone files with my Sonos products they are essentially bricks should I no longer chose to or be able to afford to subscribe to streaming services.

This really was a huge move on the part of Sonos. Not a good look to throw your loyal customers under the bus when you had a choice.

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@MG1214 there are a number of android apps that will play music stored on your phone to a Sonos device. Admittedly you will still need the sonos app to group speakers together but  the basic functions volume, start stop are in the 3rd party app. Hi-Fi cast and bubbleUPnP come to mind.

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@MG1214there are a number of android apps that will play music stored on your phone to a Sonos device. Admittedly you will still need the sonos app to group speakers together but  the basic functions volume, start stop are in the 3rd party app. Hi-Fi cast and bubbleUPnP come to mind.

Thank you, but that is my problem. I need the Sonos app to group the speakers. I put a lot of time and money into building an audio system and that requires all of my Sonos speakers playing together as a group. I made a very intentional decision and sold very nice passive speakers and decided to transition to the active/lifestyle speaker approach. I put a great deal of time and effort into this, and had no inclining that Sonos would ever do this type of thing. 

Suddenly, without any real warning, and in my opinion, just cause or need, Sonos devastatingly crippled their platform. 

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Should be inkling. My bad.

Oh, I did forget the third option, Bluetooth, which I suppose you could possibly consider a ‘money grab’, if you didn’t already have a Sonos device that had Bluetooth built in. Seems like a tenuous assertion, though. 

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In another topic iBroadcast was mentioned, that has a free option that allows you to play your uploaded music.

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@melvimbe,

Hi. Actually I have not been using my system very much at all for various reasons, and when I did I was content to stream from my Tidal service, not even noticing the missing local device source. I would probably have to pay for Spotify and Tidal to back-fill holes each have in their collections.

Again, I am respectfully skeptical that Sonos was unable to allow this access. At the very, very, very least, Sonos should have published a complete and transparent rationale for this action. When companies don’t do so, they are frequently hiding something and as such being vague is their go to approach.

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Thank you to everyone who has offered their suggestions and perspective. I am using Hi-Fi Cast and it seems to be working perfectly. What a relief. I am not thrilled at all of course that Sonos made this decision; however, I am at heart a pragmatic person and if the problem is solved, well it is solved.

Thank you again everyone, especially whomever suggested Hi-Fi Cast. Much appreciated. Cheers. 

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Thank you to everyone who has offered their suggestions and perspective. I am using Hi-Fi Cast and it seems to be working perfectly. What a relief. I am not thrilled at all of course that Sonos made this decision; however, I am at heart a pragmatic person and if the problem is solved, well it is solved.

Thank you again everyone, especially whomever suggested Hi-Fi Cast. Much appreciated. Cheers. 

 

For the umpteenth time in this forum, Sonos made no decision, their hand was forced by Google’s changes to the Android OS.

 

Actually, from what I can tell that is not true. Sonos made a business decision that they did not wish to allocate the resources to continue to offer the functionality. There is absolutely nowhere that I have ever heard where Google said that Sonos could not access local files. It does seem that Google made a decision that would result in more work for Sonos and Sonos then made the business decision to not allocate development resources. So no, Google did not force anything, Sonos made the decision that they made.

I am not saying that things did not change for Sonos due to Google making changes, nevertheless, other companies are still able to access local files on Android so clearly it is still possible. I think you need to be accurate here, but I do take your point that Sonos did not do this without some rationale. Just not a compelling rationale in my mind.

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