I can confirm search has stopped working (again) using my Mac (latest version) unless using “search_term”.

Seems to be working OK on my iPhone

Same here !

best thing is to notify Spotify … because the sonos community of Spotify is let behind

and force them to do what is needed to fix this problem : give Spotify 1 * / out of 5 on App Store or Android Equivalent with a comment

if they begin to have massive bad 1* appreciation they will rapidly solve this problem 

i already give them 1* (temporarily , will change this if they resolve this too long >1.5 month situation ) even if a really like Spotify and are attached to their product

I’m having the same problem in the UK. The problem is only with artists and only while searching on Sonos. 

Hello everyone, I’ve experienced the same problem not being able to search for artists through Spotify. It did work briefly but now it’s not working again. I’ve just  had a live chat with an agent at Spotify and he’s checked and said there’s no problem their end (obviously) and to contact Sonos. Going around in circles . Mel 

Sorry, this is a Sonos issue. Their link with Spotify is a core function/dependency of their business model. Sonos is peripheral to Spotify. Unless Spotify is deliberately blocking Sonos (which they of course are not), it is the responsibility of Sonos staff to resolve, rather than passing off the problem to their customers (reinstall this, reboot that, contact Spotify it’s their problem…). Please sort this out Sonos - it is your responsibility. Personally, I spend my much of my time at work resolving problems caused by others. When I get home I want the luxury items I’ve invested hard-earned cash in, to just work, so I can enjoy them and relax, rather than having these things present problems for me to solve. 

I will add my voice to this. I am suffering the same problem ‘search returned no results …… Please try a different category or a new search term’.

Same problem on Mac and iPhone

Add another 1 to the list of users this does not work for……

Noting the same via Android SONOS app and desktop app. I can search by album, but not by artist

I’ve had the same problem and just discovered on the Sonos app that under the search bar is a grey bar that says “try the new search” - if you click on this and then search for the artist you want the Spotify options come up!

this is on iPhone 

i have the same problem. Artist searching working ok under Spotify but not via Sonos app on Iphone or under Windows PC.

I connected support today (18th August)  -  they are working on it - no resolution date.

I have S1 and putting the  quotes “ …. “  around a full and correctly spelt “artist” seems to work for me. Although it seems the official workaround for S1 is to use Spotify Connect.

Some text from the Sonos Support team - although they were very quick in respodning to me.

“I apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing, and I'm here to provide you with the help you need. We are aware of this issue, and we are actively working with Spotify to find a solution as soon as possible, there is no time frame to share right now for a resolution. As a workaround you can use Spotify connect to connect the Spotify app with the Sonos speakers.

Same issue with me. Has anyone gathered that Sonos is working on the issue?

I’ve just contacted Sonos.

There is still an issue for S1 and S2.

From Sonos

We are aware of this issue, and we are actively working with Spotify to find a solution as soon as possible, there is no time frame to share right now for a resolution. As a workaround you can use Spotify connect to connect the Spotify app with the Sonos speakers. 

For S2 users they also suggest putting the artist name in  “ quotes” 

I’ve S1 and if I spell the full name of the artist correctly  - the S2 workaround , works for me. It doesn’t work for partial names.

I have same issue - Based in Ireland. S1 app. Everything works apart form Artists category

Still happening. I have Sonos controller 1. Today is 8/18/23. No fix yet? Come on guys

Happening to me to.  US location, S2 on Windows 11.  No fix yet, indeed.

We just do not know. As I understand  it Sonos’ API opens up it’s systems to Spotify - that is responsible for connecting to the API. So we do not know who needs to resolve this. Sonos says both parties are working on a solution though……

FYI Y’all

Workaround suggested (S1 on Android) to use double quotes around artist name works for me. Thanks for that.

Well said!

@Sonos - What appalling comms to treat your customers with. ’No time frame to share right now for a resolution’… thats basically giving all your customers two fingers & telling us you dont give a *

““I apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing, and I'm here to provide you with the help you need. We are aware of this issue, and we are actively working with Spotify to find a solution as soon as possible, there is no time frame to share right now for a resolution. As a workaround you can use Spotify connect to connect the Spotify app with the Sonos speakers.”

 *Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.*

How exactly does Sonos demand a time frame on when a bug that exists in Spotify’s servers is going to be fixed, and present that data to you? Sonos engineering isn’t writing or fixing the code, that’s the responsibility of Spotify’s engineering team. Sonos wouldn’t even have access to the server, I would expect. 

I thought the Sonos search worked for artists if you put quotes around the search term “Red Hot Chili Peppers” was one example I saw as the current workaround till things get fixed by Spotify ?

I have the same issues. Live in Norway.
Works on my phone, but not in the S2-app in Windows. 

Actually I have a theory that the Spotify SMAPI endpoint, and only theirs, is actually coded and run by Sonos. It lives on ws.sonos.com which is their general web-services subdomain. I can’t prove it though. You are right that time frames for bug fixes is not really a software engineering thing, though in this case they fixed it once last month so should be able to fix it again pretty damn quickly.

I recently posted about this issue including screenshots.

I have an updated on my findings:

1. Using the Spotify App on Android, Artist Search works as expected
2. Attempted to wrap the search terms in double-quotes returned some results, but they don’t work (screenshots below)
3. All the data comes from Spotify. So, if the Android app can use the Spotify data to return Artists Search Results, then it is a desktop bug that the same exact search fails
4. The fact that adding quotes alters the outcome (though doesn’t fix) says “very bad input sanitization”.  Like a SQL Injection vulnerability from 2002 when such things were prominent.

Dear Spotify Devs: Have you heard of this API tool called Postman? It let’s you browse the results of API calls in real time, perhaps, you know, to adjust your code to consume the returned data.

As an API developer, I can suggest this bug out to take a week at most if you put a couple people together and let them work on it. My guess is the scrum manager has been told to build new features ahead of fixing bugs.

You would expect “Black Key Radio” to start with a Black Keys song and then go into other similar music, perhaps Artic Monkeys or Led Zeplin.  Instead, it plays a very random track that is neither what I was just listening to, or related in any way to Black Keys. My previous listening was Killer Mike’s MICHAEL album.

If it was the Spotify API, then this same exact function would not work on the mobile version of Sonos app, it would be broken the same way everywhere.