It would be nice if this feature could come back. We don’t use voice control products in our house. We’ve been using Sonos for 7 or 8 years. It’s the best. But it turns out we also used the volume buttons on our iPhones constantly. If it’s an option, please bring the feature back. 

It was a nice feature, but in order to get it back, you’ll need to talk to Apple and Google, the removal really wasn’t made at Sonos’ desire. 

Surely the volume buttons should work when you’re in the app though?

No, Apple seems to prevent that to for apps that are not music players.

This needs to be fixed ASAP. Does user experience not matter to Sonos? If it does, work with Apple to find a mutually agreed solution. 
 

Hi there,

I thought it was a bug, but now I see (thanks to this post) it's been removed on purpose.

It’s really a bad customers experiences now especially as I find the application outdated and not up to 2023 standards.
It should be good to have the volume control and the other in notification center and when the screen is lock.

so glad to hear it's not a bug...

Why Spotify and fit radio still allow iOS hardware controls then?

As explained earlier in the thread, it’s because applications, like Spotify, are actual music players, whereas the Sonos App is merely a ‘remote’ control and so when using the Sonos App, the music streams from the audio source (Spotify servers, for example) direct to the Sonos player without even going through the iDevice - if you use Airplay, or Bluetooth connections to Sonos however, then that does pass through the iDevice and so in that case the volume can be controlled.

I think that the original unfortunate decision by SONOS was to develop the Lock Screen Volume hack. It seemed like a great idea at the time and has been very popular with users. Unfortunately, Apple has decided that the hack creates a security risk and must be discontinued.

Work arounds have been suggested. Migration to AirPlay 2 is probably the most straight forward for most users.

Personally, I had no use for the Lock Screen Volume controls. I don’t want my phone/pad/computer playing music, that’s why I have SONOS. In the few cases where I tried the Lock Screen controls I found their utility to be low. I move around and there are other users. If I or another user adjusts the wrong room someone will be annoyed.

had to reset my Sonos speaker to make airplay work properly again.. yet another Sonos thing.

I don’t know where the issue may lie with Airplay in your own case, but Apple did withdraw their HomeKit update at one point because of the problems it caused with Airplay in iOS16 and there have been lots of issues that Apple users have posted about online in the Apple community, with various fixes for HomePod and other speakers - so I put the fixes that I came across all together in this much earlier post (see link below). So it’s perhaps not a Sonos issue after all ? Airplay has had its fair share of problems in the past, it seems….

I think this either needs the HW volume buttons back - or Sonos need to update the app in some way to improve functionality for volume control.

I find the volume slider pretty awkward at low volumes. The slider is too far to once side so you’re trying to tap on what remains of the bar - or very delicately drag it a tiny amount. 
Whatever the reason, the update is a big hit in functionality for me. 

Dear SONOS,

The app is yours, time to fix it. The in app volume control sucks. Probably why everyone used the hardware volume control. You can blame Apple all you want for the hardware stuff. But it’s your app. A better in app volume experience is possible. Give it a try. 

Thanks for your opinion I didn’t realize there’s a slider so I’m all set now at least there’s something I’ve been walking back and forth to the speaker lol

I’d just like to add my, BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

They spent millions and millions fighting google on an idea they didn’t even come up with.

Instead of just focusing on having a great product/app.

It can not take that many engineers to let us change volume from our phones. Come on!!!!

Read the thread.  Apple has strict rules against controlling 3rd party hardware using the lockscreen or hard button controls.  Sonos found a way to hack around those rules, but Apple closed that hack.  So go blame Apple. 

Who cares about side buttons if the slider on the app adjusts volume. All the other controls are in the app so having the side buttons doing anything would be strange 

release notes just says 

• We’ve removed the ability to control the Sonos app for iOS using lock screen controls and device hardware buttons. The way these features were architected do not meet Apple’s experience guidelines for developers and no longer offer a reliable control experience.

I’m sure you’re right but I don’t see it. Do you have a link to the source where Sonos says this is Apple’s fault?

I don’t think you’ll see any ‘official’ commentary from Sonos that throws a partner under the bus. Those of us who are developers, and have dealt with Apple in the past/present, can read between the lines. Plus, it’s fairly clear, Apple claims the ‘hack’ doesn’t meet Apple’s guidelines. Not ‘Sonos chooses to piss off all their customers, just for fun’

It seems fairly clear to me that Apple now only allow volume control using their devices when actually playing the audio through/from their iOS devices, one example is whilst using their AirPlay protocol.

In the case of the Sonos App, it’s not a music player, it’s a ‘remote’ controller App that directs the audio from various LAN/WAN sources to play direct to the Sonos speakers. It’s why the Sonos App can be fully closed (slide off screen), or the iOS device powered off etc. and the streaming music will still continue to play on Sonos speakers.

Apple (unfortunately) seem to now want the audio to play from or via their products to allow both the lock-screen and hardware buttons to be used. Sonos engineers have probably been informed to remove any volume-control ‘workarounds’, thus ensuring we all stick to using Airplay and Apple hardware only if we want to use the lock-screen and hardware button controls to adjust speaker volume etc.

It’s a shame from an end-customer perspective that Apple cannot be a little more ‘flexible’ with these type of ‘remote’ Apps, but perhaps they see such software development as being outside the control of their own developers and perhaps a potential future security risk to their ‘closed’ eco-system.

@Ken_Griffiths , a good summary I guess. 
From my point of view, the existing sliders are difficult to use - certainly nowhere near as easy to use as the hw buttons - IMO. 
 

The lack of controls in the Lock Screen is a double hit - for me, it ruins the ease of use.  I seriously can’t be bothered unlocking the phone and going into the app just to change the volume.  That’s rubbish functionality. 
 

If the hw and lock screen functionality is removed, I feel that Sonos should adapt the app to accommodate this.  Hopefully that’s what’s happening behind the scenes. 
 

If they don’t or can’t find a better solution, then it’s time to question the whole ecosystem.  …Or accept I need to rely on airplay - which undermines the whole streaming concept if your phone is now the streaming device?

Or you could do what you are doing here over at Apple, who actually control whether Sonos can “adapt the app to accommodate this”.

So….

I have a Sonos roam, the roam is linked to my pair of Play1’s. I use Apple Music as my stream of choice. I can now airplay straight from the Apple Music app which the roam throws it to my old play 1’s (no airplay functionality). I now can sing along with the Apple Music app, control the volume using my volume buttons and completely avoid the clunky functionality of the  Sonos app. 

I haven’t used the Sonos app for weeks  

I’m happy  

I could do, but generally I’m happy with Apple. On the other hand I find the Sonos app a bit mediocre at best.  It regularly loses speakers or can’t connect, start music etc (also not Sonos’ fault).  If Apple have screwed Sonos with the permissions changes then ultimately it’s Sonos’ problem not mine - I can buy something else