Support Spotify Connect to allow users to use the Spotify app as the controller.

I just got my first Sonos product, because I was impressed with what I saw in the store. Spotify Connect would make the system infinitely better though, so I'm starting to get cold feet. Maybe I made a mistake getting a Sonos Connect instead of something that supports Spotify Connect.

I'm not sure basing your purchases on Spotify Connect support is the best way to go. Spotify itself just went against its own Connect implementation and threw support to Google Chromecast, something it was reluctant to do. Seems they are not as confident about Spotify Connect being a success as they once were.

Sonos CEO John MacFarlane himself said in a Dutch newspaper in 2014 that Spotify Connect will never be supported by Sonos (https://www.allaboutphones.nl/sonos-heeft-frictie-met-spotify/)

The reason given in that interview is that Sonos has it's own app which is more user-friendly than requiring the user to use different apps for different services.
However, adding support for Spofity Connect doesn't change that, it just gives users more choice.

So this is not the real reason. More likely is that they want people to be tied in with their Sonos platform; if people are used to the Sonos app and have playlists and other items there they would more likely buy another Sonos streamer instead of replacing it with a cheaper Samsung/Philips/etc. streamer.

This is the real fear of Sonos. Once Spotify Connect is supported the Sonos speaker becomes nothing more than a wireless speaker, for which there are many , cheaper alternatives nowadays. Not implementing this feature is just their hopeless attempt to delay this, and at the same time they are annoying and steering away their existing customers. Double Fail!!

Sonos is not "just another wireless speaker", regardless if you use their app or not. If they were, they'd be put out of business by $50 Bluetooth models. Their real selling point is perfectly synchronized playback to multiple rooms. You can only synch their speakers with other Sonos devices, so the fear of someone purchasing other, cheaper brands is unfounded. Besides, you can stream direct from the Google Play Music app, so I'm afraid your analysis is quite lacking.

The real reason they won't do Spotify Connect is because it requires licensing and contracts, and Sonos has always been service neutral.

Oh man. This thread is a thermonuclear bummer. Just got home with about $2k worth of Sonos gear last night...i may be an interesting use case so i'll share details about systems, spotify and sadness.

I currently have multiroom wi-fi systems from Samsung, Play-Fi (DefTech & Polk) and Sonos all set up in my home. I'm a musician/audio professional, and i'm generally of the opinion that there's no way to choose gear without setting it up and using it - so that's what credit cards and return policies are for.

I already have a bunch of high end sound gear - a mixing studio in one room, and a PA with powered QSC monitors in another - but i often don't use them to listen to music for enjoyment because they are often tied up with work tasks (physically or psychologically). So, i want something fun that "just works."

This whole mess started with Samsung R1s being on sale at Costco for $120. I bought three. Easy setup, sounds good enough. Quite reliable as well - mostly used them with Spotify, but a bit of Pandora as well. The problem is with the closed system - no analog line in, and i'm not a huge fan of bluetooth.

Ultimately, I realized the best thing for me would be a system where I could integrate AirPlay, even on a half-assed, ad-hoc basis. I tried out some of the Sony products (X88, etc) and the specs and connectivity options were amazing, but basically it just didn't work well enough. I bet there's a router that it works better with, but I'm not going down that road. This led me to trying out the Play-Fi system (each speaker has an aux line-in) and being pretty happy. With each system, I used Spotify a lot. It's just the most fun and easiest for me...I just want to have the option of sending the audio that's running on one of my pro systems into the wireless speakers as well.

When I came to understand the power of the Sonos Connect, the light bulb lit up. OK, all I have to do is PAY and the problem is solved. Patch in the Airport Express, and done. See where I'm going with this?

So far, I've used the Sonos system for about 15 minutes and I'm figuring I'm gonna have to return it. That's how big of a bummer the Spotify integration is. Spotify Connect, whatever. I don't really care how they do it, but the built-in app is so sad and clunky compared to the latest version of Spotify.

For the casual user, Spotify Connect is a direct competitor to Sonos. For example, on my deck I currently have a Samsung and nothing else. I'm listening to my grouped Play-Fi speakers inside, and when I go outside I just switch to the Samsung from the Spotify app. Yes, of course, not the ideal long-term setup for a fancypants user like me but from a user experience standpoint, a heavy Spotify user could easily buy into multiple systems and unify them with Spotify Connect.

Sonos seems to be betting the farm on being "ecosystem" focused while the hordes of users that will be buying into this marketplace over the coming years will probably be app-focused ("make music app X go into my speakers"). There's probably room for everyone, and maybe I'm wrong.

But, dang. What a bummer. I really thought I'd nailed this thing and so far it seems that the Spotify issue is a deal breaker.

I just bought the new Sonos 5. VERY disappointed to learn that spotify connect does not work.

Previously to listen to spotify I was connecting my phone to old speakers via aux in and I wanted something that would just play the music I select in the spotify app without any hassle. I thought sonos was the answer. Apparently not.

Spotify Connect is a SINGLE device connection for playing music, either over Bluetooth or AirPlay.

The Sonos System is a multiroom, multi-speaker system, for playing music services over wifi. So it's a completely different thing entirely. However, Sonos do offer a workaround to this issue, as mentioned numerous times in various community posts and that's by using an Airport Express, connected to the line-in of either the Sonos Play-5, Connect etc...

That results in Spotify Connect (and other Apps with built-in AirPlay) of then being capable of playing music through each and every Sonos Product (even those without a line-in), using single or combined speakers in multiple rooms etc, or otherwise... So lots of improvement all round for those people who are lucky enough and aim to afford to have a multiroom hifi system in their home.

Personally I don't see the point of using the line-in though, in this case, as Spotify Music is part of the Sonos Services that can be installed anyway, if you are a premium user. Unless people here are just trying to do things in a much cheaper way, in which case Sonos is probably not the type of product they were after to begin with and perhaps their aim ought to be lower and revert back to playing the free Spotify Music Service on a single device (in a single location) over Bluetooth etc.

Personally I would prefer to aim higher and to be one of those lucky people... But TRUE these things do come at a slight cost to us all.

Ken Griffiths

Actually, Spotify Connect has nothing to do with AIrPlay. It is a separate entity, basically a Spotify specific version of Google Chromecast Audio that is built into the hardware.

@Ken I agree with most of what you are saying, couple of points though. Spotify Connect requires a premium sub, so this isn't about using the free service.

Second, for many people the problem with the Sonos interface is that in their opinion they find the features lacking, they want to use the native apps and play to their Sonos from that app. There are posts about this for almost every music service.