Question

Pandora - someone else is listening + new stations

  • 24 July 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 923 views
A

Hello!

I use my Sonos system everyday to listen to music and LOVE the sound quality. I mostly use Sonos to listen to my Pandora stations at home, when I leave the house I pause the music (because there is no option to hit “Stop”) and close the app. I’ll get in my car and usually also listen to Pandora. Every morning when I start driving I get the notification “Someone else is listening to your Pandora account, only one listener at a time...” I then have to tell Pandora “Let me listen” and my music resumes. A few minutes go by and the same thing happens again, “Someone else is listening….”.

This will happen throughout the day as I will listen periodically through most days. I have been listening to Pandora and paying for their premium service for years. I received a two room Sonos set for Christmas 2019 and I have been having this problem ever since. I have changed my Pandora password multiple times and this does not seem to help. 

There have also been stations added to my Pandora account, some of them good, but most are not to my listening habits. I can only assume that someone is hacking into my Pandora account via Sonos?! 

Any guidance on how to “stop” the music from playing on my Sonos while I’m not listening will be much appreciated. I am considering purchasing the Sonos turntable + soundbar for our living room, but am skeptical to keep spending money with Sonos if their system is not secure. 

Does anyone else have the same problem? Thanks again for any help/guidance! 

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4 replies

Airgetlam

I’ve never heard of anything like this. In order to ‘hack’ into your Pandora account via Sonos, they would need to have access to your Sonos system, which means access to your Wi-Fi signal. Have you tried changing your SSID and password on your Wi-Fi?

The other possibility that comes to mind is issues with your speakers properly connecting to the Pandora server, in order to pass it the ‘I’ve stopped playback’ information. Do you use the Sonos app to initiate/stop playback, or the Pandora app? Do you ever have interruptions in playback, or delays when sending commands to the Sonos system? Those could be indications of communication errors in your network, which might manifest as loss of transmission of current state to Pandora. 

Bruce
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

To really Stop Pandora playback on your home system, choose something that isn’t Pandora (eg any Tune-In radio station), then Stop that.

(Do you have cats? They have been known to un-pause Sonos speakers).

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

Thank you for the feedback, Bruce! I thought it was a stretch that my Pandora was being hacked via Sonos; I am just at a loss for the new stations appearing. I will change my Wi-Fi password, I live in downtown Denver so there are many people within range of my Wi-Fi…

I do use the Sonos app to initiate Pandora playback. No problems with connectivity etc.

Thank you, controlav! I tried your suggestion this morning and it worked! No “someone else is listening to your Pandora….” this morning. I also have a cat, and he is known to party when the parents aren’t home! LOL. 

I think what may be happening is more a problem with Pandora, and less Sonos. Possibly someone has hacked into my Sonos via my old Wi-Fi network password. Either way, changing the music to Tune-In seemed to do the trick. Now I just need to secure my network!

Cheers! :beers:

 

Airgetlam

I had a cat that loved to lie in the constantly warm top of the speaker. He’d occasional be able to put just enough pressure on a button to do something odd. He was an old friend, though, so I didn’t chastise him for wanting to party ;)

Bruce
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