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Avid Contributor I
October 3, 2021

Feature request: Sonos iPhone app and Apple Music plugin - no organization

  • October 3, 2021
  • 30 replies
  • 330 views

It would be very nice if the Apple Music plugin for the Sonos app in iPhoneOS allowed better control - for example, if you’re browsing albums by an artist, there is no way to sort alphabetically, date released, etc. Also, when an artist has a ton of releases (usually a lot of singles), the process is a big mess - it would be very helpful to allow sorting by album/single/live release, etc. There should also be a shuffle feature to play all the music by an artist randomly.

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30 replies

James L.
Retired Community Staff
October 4, 2021

Hi @neuropathy,

 

Thanks for your request.

 

Any content displayed inside of a music service within the Sonos app is controlled by the service themselves. They decide which content to show and how it should be displayed. I suggest letting Apple know you’d like to see this additional sorting functionality on Sonos as it’s ultimately their choice how their service is delivered to the end user :slight_smile:

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
Avid Contributor I
October 4, 2021

I think I mixed things up - I don’t think this is actually the Apple Music plugin at all. I think it’s Sonos system. 

I’m only using the search (magnifying glass icon in iPhone Sonos app) in Sonos to find an artist, then selecting the artist in the results Sonos gives for each service. I choose the artist under Apple Music, then search for an album. I don’t think this part of the Sonos system is delivered by Apple Music; I think it’s Sonos’ system at this point. I’m not browsing the different services (the eighth note icon in the iPhone Sonos app, then Apple Music) - I never use that feature. I only “search” and pick the artists under the Apple Music service. I think Sonos can fix this so that the albums can be viewed in a much more organized way. I checked the actual Apple Music plugin (service) in the Sonos app and found that it is organized quite well, but it doesn’t allow you to search for music that hasn’t already been added to your library, since the Sonos app itself has a search function that brings up results from the Apple Music service. Please add the ability to sort albums properly (live, single, EP, comp, etc.) 

 

Thank you

James L.
Retired Community Staff
October 4, 2021

I think I mixed things up - I don’t think this is actually the Apple Music plugin at all. I think it’s Sonos system. 

I’m only using the search (magnifying glass icon in iPhone Sonos app) in Sonos to find an artist, then selecting the artist in the results Sonos gives for each service. I choose the artist under Apple Music, then search for an album. I don’t think this part of the Sonos system is delivered by Apple Music; I think it’s Sonos’ system at this point. I’m not browsing the different services (the eighth note icon in the iPhone Sonos app, then Apple Music) - I never use that feature. I only “search” and pick the artists under the Apple Music service. I think Sonos can fix this so that the albums can be viewed in a much more organized way. I checked the actual Apple Music plugin (service) in the Sonos app and found that it is organized quite well, but it doesn’t allow you to search for music that hasn’t already been added to your library, since the Sonos app itself has a search function that brings up results from the Apple Music service. Please add the ability to sort albums properly (live, single, EP, comp, etc.) 

 

Thank you

When you leave the universal search (the page that shows all of the results from your added services) and tap into a specific service, you’re in a container that is delivered by that service.

So my original advice stands - let Apple know that you’d like their Albums container to have better sorting options inside Sonos, since they are the ones populating and sorting this area. :slight_smile:

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
Avid Contributor I
October 4, 2021

Why doesn’t Sonos just use the authentication to pull music and handle sorting and everything in a uniform way instead of leaving it up to all the services? Apple has its own smart speaker - they’re clearly uninterested in developing for Sonos. Sonos should simply handle this for its own good and the good of its users.

bockersjv
Local Superstar
October 4, 2021

It’s not for Sonos to “Pull” information that Apple has not authorised, that would be illegal.  It’s for Apple to allow access to that info.  Nothing Sonos can do.  

 

You can do all the work in the Apple App and use Airplay to direct to your Sonos speakers though.

 

You hit the nail on the head with Apples strategy.

Avid Contributor I
October 4, 2021

Yes, we all know how Apple is - well, I guess I’ll have to get an Airplay device.

Avid Contributor I
October 5, 2021

Are you absolutely sure about this being entirely on Apple? Somehow I remember the search results from Spotify having the same structureless format - no ability to sort by album/single/EP, etc. 

I’m not entirely convinced that I’m being understood here. 

iPhone app - SEARCH (not Services) - selecting an artist from Apple Music search results - albums are all displayed in one big mess of a scroll.

I really don’t appreciate that other people are just going around hitting “Like” on the Party’s responses, which have some nothing other than “we are not going to be able to do anything.” How is that something you would want to “Like” if not only to show scorn for the person who is asking for something very standard that would be expected in such a system?

 

Moderator edit: removed the name calling per our Community Guidelines

Airgetlam
October 5, 2021

You prefer an insipid “I agree with you and @bockersjv” post instead? Seems like a waste of screen real estate, and additional time from me. Not overly fond of being called a “bootlicker”, either. 

And I am an Apple user, too. But I still agree with yours and @bockersjv assessment of Apple’s strategy. So now I’ve wasted a full blown reply that everyone subscribed to this thread must read, rather than just agreeing with him (and you) by using the “like” function. 

Bruce
controlav
Lead Maestro
October 6, 2021

Are you absolutely sure about this being entirely on Apple? Somehow I remember the search results from Spotify having the same structureless format - no ability to sort by album/single/EP, etc.

Yes, this is 100% Apple’s issue to address. The Sonos app never sorts anything, for so many (good) reasons.

Author of the leading independent Sonos apps for Android, MacOS, iOS, Windows and Xbox.
melvimbe
October 6, 2021

Yes, we all know how Apple is - well, I guess I’ll have to get an Airplay device.

 

Most Sonos speakers are airplay capable.  I think everything they currently sell is actually airplay.

 

I really don’t appreciate that other people are just going around hitting “Like” on the Party’s responses, which have some nothing other than “we are not going to be able to do anything.” How is that something you would want to “Like” if not only to show scorn for the person who is asking for something very standard that would be expected in such a system?

 

As James’s signature states, the Like button is there to mark good posts, mostly so other users reading the forum can more quickly find posts that answer questions.  It does tend to be used for posts people find entertaining or asks good questions.  You do have a point though that people tend not to think about using Like for good questions.  You do have a good question/feature request, but I think the fact that most of the regulars on here have seen that question many times before, are somewhat overlooking that on a subconscious level or something. 

However, ‘liking’ a post isn’t about following the party line at all.  In fact, some of posters on this thread often disagree with Sonos on several different issues.  And if James or other Sonos staff did say something they disagreed with or was just inaccurate, they and others would not hesitate to speak up about it.

Danny