Android has removed the ability for Sonos to ‘play from this device’, much like Apple did several years ago for iOS. You can find alternatives in this thread:

Hi Bruce,

Actually, the article seems to explain that Sonos, rather than Android, disabled the facility to ‘play from this device’, but I’m grateful for the info.

I have to say that the decision by Sonos to disable the facility is a really daft one and I am now wondering why I spent years creating my music collection and buying expensive Sonos speakers that are now simply taking up space?

Anyway, I won’t rant at you, but have already done so to Patrick, the Sonos CEO ;-)

Regards

Mike

Perhaps I’m inferring from the exact same issue that occurred several years ago with iOS and Apple.

There is no business reason I can think of for Sonos to remove this without being told that the operating system will stop supporting it. Other than to irritate people, which seems counterintuitive for a company that expects to make a profit. 

If I hear back from the CEO, I’ll let you know how he explains the removal of the ‘play from this device’ option, but it’s interesting that each of the three alternatives mentioned in the article you kindly provided, cost money - in some cases, like NAS, serious extra dosh.

Personally speaking, storing my music on and streaming my music from my Android phone was incredibly useful (and worked brilliantly with my Gen 1 Sonos speaker), and I’m struggling to think of a good reason why Google would remove the option from their suit of services, when it adds so much to their product.

Of course, there might be some inter-company BIG politics at play here?

Anyway, I’m now on the hunt for decent sounding set of speakers/soundbar that do allow streaming from an Android phone - I’m sure at least one company will continue to see the opportunity?

Plex - No money

YouTube Music - No money for storing your files

Line-In - No money (if you have a Sonos w/ a Line-In)

NAS - Can be as cheap as a thumb drive connected to the USB on your router

You aren’t going to get a reply back from the CEO.  I don’t recall anyone getting a reply back from the CEO, and I doubt it’s going to happen for a concern that Sonos has already given an official statement on and has been out for a couple months now.  

One reason why Google maybe would remove the option to play audio from the android file system is they want people to pay licenses for chromecast instead.

As far as other options, you could look for something that has bluetooth or chromecast.  Sonos has bluetooth sharing in the Era 100, Era 300, and Roam, but not when used as part of a home theatre setup.

Hi Guys and thank you for the various replies, all of which were helpful.

I didn’t get a reply from the CEO, but he was kind enough to ask Valerian of the Sonos team to explain the options, and I have copied the reply below fyi. I have replied, pointing out that tech should be getting easier to use rather than more complicated, but I do know that I will sound like an old grouch, which I probably am :-)

Hi,

My name is Valerian, and I'm a senior member of the Customer Experience team here at Sonos. Our CEO, Patrick Spence, brought your feedback to my attention, and I wanted to reach out and see if there's anything I can do to help address this.

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to address the recent removal of the 'On This Mobile Device' feature on Android and provide you with an explanation of the reasoning behind our decision.
I understand that this change may have caused inconvenience and frustration, and I genuinely apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you.
While I regret any inconvenience caused by the removal of the 'On This Mobile Device' Android Feature, I would like to explain the reasoning behind our decision. As newer versions of mobile operating systems are released, it can sometimes change the way information is shared between devices.
Starting May 23, the ‘On this Device’ feature for streaming locally saved audio files directly to Sonos devices will no longer be compatible with newer versions of the Android operating system, and therefore will no longer be supported in the Sonos S1 and S2 apps for Android.
We concluded that it was necessary to remove it for a couple of reasons:

Firstly, Increasingly hard to support with new Android OS releases: Gaining Sonos system access to Android files becomes more and more difficult as Android OS security and permission control increase.
Secondly, not a reliable playback experience: 'On this Device' playback requires a reliable, consistent wireless connection between the mobile device and the customer’s wireless network. As our customers carry their phones from room to room and move further away from the router, playback can suffer.
Lastly, limiting Sonos player and controller software advancement: To support 'On this Device', Sonos has to continue using inefficient software that takes up too many resources on the local controller.
While this feature is no longer available, and I can imagine this might not be good news, I can assure you that you can still enjoy your music using one of the recommended alternatives., Please allow me to share briefly a few examples:
-  Music Service with a Personal Library: Examples of music services that offer music lockers include: Apple Music, Youtube Music and Deezer.
- Plex: The Plex service is cloud based. However, unlike most music services, Plex does not have its own licensed content catalog of songs.       Plex provides one function: it enables you to connect to and stream local, personal music files from the cloud.
- Add Music Library to Sonos .
- Add Music service to Sonos .
- Bluetooth : You can play music files from your Android device to a supported Sonos product using Bluetooth connection .

We got reports on the community that people are successfully using an app called Hifi Cast - Music Player available on Google Play Store. It works even with the free version of the app. and can stream your locally saved music on the Android device to Sonos speakers.
As it is a 3rd party app, we can’t support the app if one day it suddenly stops working.

Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Your understanding and patience are greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Valerian T