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Tom Who
Tom Who
October 27, 2018

Controlling SONOS from iPhone Lock Screen

  • October 27, 2018
  • 4 replies
  • 1574 views
I was very disappointed when Sonos removed this feature from the iPhone app, because it's really handy to be able to quickly jump to the next song or turn down the volume from the lock screen without having to log into your phone, start the Sonos app, wait for it to connect, then do what I want to do. It's so much slower that way.

Is there any way to get this option back? I don't use AirPlay and have a single PlayBar speaker that I control with the app. That's it.

Thanks!
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    4 replies

    Airgetlam
    Airgetlam
    October 28, 2018
    I believe it was a change in the way Apple has written iOS that made Sonos' work-around to fail. I'd imagine they're doing everything they can to work with Apple to figure out how to bring it back. In the meantime, if you turn off any AirPlay devices on your network, I believe the controls will come back on your lock screen.
    Bruce
    Tom Who
    Tom WhoAuthor
    October 28, 2018
    Do you know how I find out which devices on my network are using AirPlay? I have an Apple TV connected to my PlayBar, but I thought it was using WiFi to connect, not AirPlay.
    Tom Who
    Tom WhoAuthor
    October 28, 2018
    I read the Sonos FAQ about the iOS Lock Screen control (located here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3381).

    How do I enable lock screen control?
    From the More tab, tap Settings > App Settings and enable Lock Screen Controls.

    This setting was already set to ON on my iPhone.

    When does lock screen control appear?
    Once lock screen control is enabled, the controls will display when the iOS device is locked and the Sonos app is open in the background and playing audio.

    Lock screen control will not be available if another audio app such as Spotify or Apple Music is playing music, if Airplay or Bluetooth is being used, if VoiceOver is enabled, or if headphones are plugged into the iOS device.

    I do not have any other audio apps playing. Sonos is using my Apple Music account to play music, though, does that count?

    I also turned off Bluetooth, made sure VoiceOver was not enabled, and had no headphones plugged in to my iPhone.

    After all that, still no Sonos controls on my lock screen. Does this work for anyone else?
      MBOK72
      Lyricist I
      December 3, 2018
      This is so frustrating (the lock screen issues causing music to stop or skip tracks) that I am thinking about giving up on Sonos! Fix this please! I have spent thousands and thousands on Sonos. I am telling friends and family to stay away from it just because of this issue. It's RUINING the whole experience!
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