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floatingp
Contributor I
May 11, 2020
Question

Chromecast in S2 / Honest timeline for Chromecast

  • May 11, 2020
  • 34 replies
  • 10586 views

Hello,

Agenda: Chromecast support on Sonos.

I’ve been reading through this forum about this topic, and basically can’t find any clear answer - apart from ‘we’ll pass this request to developers’.

As an iPhone user I know I can use Airplay however I don’t find it a very good solution; I get a phone call, music stops, walk out the house, music stops, not to mention my battery constantly draining.

Additionally as good (in its own way) the Sonos app is, many services don’t give their respective platforms enough attention, rather spending it on their native apps - many of which support Chromecast.
e.g. I often find myself on Soundcloud native iOS app, find a set I want to listen, but then have to go into Sonos’s app and search it again. Similar use case with YouTube music, and Youtube in general, need to use Airplay.

So I’d like to ask:

  • Are there are Sonos developers here who could comment on the challenges of implementing Chromecast and what the potential timeline of release (if its realistically possible) looks like.
  • Otherwise, would be very keen to hear from other users what the technical/business limitations for not implementing it.
  • Would the S2 operating system surprise us all with it?

Cheers,

FP.

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    34 replies

    Smilja
    Smilja
    May 11, 2020

    The rightsholder Google would be required to allow the integration, and work close with Sonos on it.

    Why do you think Chromecast would not drain your phone’s battery? Trust me, it would.

    »And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
    floatingpAuthor
    Contributor I
    May 11, 2020

    Because Chromecast (unlike Airplay) is not sending the actual data stream from my phone to my Sonos system, rather providing the Sonos system with the information of where to fetch from - hence I can switch my phone off/quit the app - preserving battery.

      floatingpAuthor
      Contributor I
      May 11, 2020

      Woooh - update!

      I just tested, looks like Airplay 2 behaves differently. I’m playing a song on Soundcloud, Airplay2 from my iPhone, placed a phone call, been running fine now for 1min 46 seconds. (wonder how long the buffer is there? Or is it really pulling directly from the source)

      Lets test Youtube now.

      floatingpAuthor
      Contributor I
      May 11, 2020

      Hmm, just remembered Youtube can’t play in the background without a premium subscription, so Chromecast holds a +1 there.

      floatingpAuthor
      Contributor I
      May 11, 2020

      Just tested another app and again was able to take a phone call whilst music played in the background. (feeling rather happy now lol)

      Another question comes to mind then (maybe this isn’t the best forum to ask though) - is Airplay 2 really pulling from the source, or is this is a case of a long buffer being set somewhere?

      melvimbe
      melvimbe
      May 11, 2020

      Because Chromecast (unlike Airplay) is not sending the actual data stream from my phone to my Sonos system, rather providing the Sonos system with the information of where to fetch from - hence I can switch my phone off/quit the app - preserving battery.

       

      Can’t say if this works for Soundcloud as I don’t use it, but many service allow you to cast from their apps directly to Sonos.  Amazon, Pandora, and Spotify all do this.

      Danny
      floatingpAuthor
      Contributor I
      May 11, 2020

      I guess Airplay 2 kind of works, although if phone switches off, music ends. Also curious to see what happens if I leave my place - will it remain playing.

      floatingpAuthor
      Contributor I
      May 11, 2020

      Of course, my 3 bullet points in the original post stand - if anyone has any info on those - appreciated.

        Smilja
        Smilja
        May 11, 2020

        Hmm, just remembered Youtube can’t play in the background without a premium subscription, so Chromecast holds a +1 there.

         

        And you think using Chromecast would circumvent Google’s Terms of Service regarding Youtube?

         

        Because Chromecast (unlike Airplay) is not sending the actual data stream from my phone to my Sonos system, rather providing the Sonos system with the information of where to fetch from - hence I can switch my phone off/quit the app - preserving battery.

         

        On Android one is able to cast Google Play Music directly to Sonos using the built-in Chromecast extension as long as the Android device is online and connected to WiFi.

        »And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
        floatingpAuthor
        Contributor I
        May 11, 2020

        @Smilja 
        Yes - I have tested this in the past with Chromecast Audio - I was able to play music from Youtube and quit/minimise the app - the app just acted as the remote control.

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