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Contributor I
October 28, 2015
Question

When is Echo Support coming?

  • October 28, 2015
  • 71 replies
  • 27665 views
Hi Guys,

Let me start off by saying I love you guys. I have a Playbar, Play 5, Play 3, Connect, and am looking to complete my Playbar setup with a couple of Play 1's and a Sub soon.

I also have an Amazon Echo and it is awesome. In fact, it's a bit too awesome and I find myself asking Alexa to play music just because if I want to hear a song, all I have to do is ask; I don't have to bust out my phone. The problem is the speakers on the Echo are mediocre at best. I would much prefer the sound to come out of my Sonos system. With the "internet of things" really starting to take off - integration is going to become more and more important.

Amazon Echo has sort of a plugins-type interface called skills. https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/getting-started-guide
It would be amazing if you guys could create an skill for Sonos. Something like "Alexa, tell Sonos to play *playlist*." or music by _____ or x from pandora.

I've done some searching and this comes up on this forum a lot. I think it's time you started listening to your community. With skills you no longer need much help from Amazon so its on you to keep your customers happy. Please do not start your own voice recognition or anything silly like that. Stick to what you're great at. Just use what is already available and on the markets and integrate with them.

Thanks
-Collin
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    71 replies

    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    October 28, 2015
    See this thread https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/amazon-echo-controller-6512658
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    Contributor I
    October 28, 2015
    Before posting I had searched the forums and seen this thread. I know the integration is currently possibly (even if a bit jerry-rigged). What I'm asking for is for Sonos to actually get onboard and create an Alexa Skill for their customers. It's pretty clear people want it.
    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    October 28, 2015
    Yea I give that 0% supporting a 3rd party device with limited market. Just sayin'. Third party using Sonon API is only way way your going to see integration.
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    October 28, 2015
    Yea I give that 0% supporting a 3rd party device with limited market. Just sayin'. Third party using Sonon API is only way way your going to see integration.

    It would just be another controller... no different than supporting iOS or Android third party devices as controllers. The market is limited but growing and the "buzz factor" for having voice control capability with minimum development (compared to a totally homegrown solution) could be quite attractive to marketing.
    Local music library with carefully constructed playlists - no shuffling!, Integration with Homeseer Automation, No touch screen devices, No streaming services, No Apple products ever
    jgatie
    October 28, 2015
    Yea I give that 0% supporting a 3rd party device with limited market. Just sayin'. Third party using Sonon API is only way way your going to see integration.

    It would just be another controller... no different than supporting iOS or Android third party devices as controllers. The market is limited but growing and the "buzz factor" for having voice control capability with minimum development (compared to a totally homegrown solution) could be quite attractive to marketing.


    I'm not sure Amazon would enjoy having a third party speaker manufacturer using their voice activated speaker as a voice activated controller. Then again, Amazon and Sonos seem to have a cordial working relationship.
    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    October 28, 2015
    I personally want Sonos to devote no effort to this. There are plenty of other wish list items to work on and spend development time on that are not niche device support (better suited to third party development through API)
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    Contributor I
    December 28, 2015
    Unless you own and have used Alexa (Echo) you may not get what Collin is saying. It is so wonderful just saying "Alexa, play the Beatles" and the Beatles play. If Amazon, or anyone else, comes up with a HiFi system along the lines of Sonos that is properly integrated with Alexa, I would drop Sonos like a hot potato.

    I have been using Sonos for 7 years, and love it, but Alexa is so good that I am willing to move from Sonos to get proper integration.
    controlav
    Lead Maestro
    December 28, 2015
    How is Grouping supposed to work though? "Play the Beatles in the Kitchen and group that with the Dining Room and ungroup the Bathroom". Ug. Sonos is a multi-room system, adding speech support to that isn't as trivial as some seem to think. And that's just in English: Sonos support ~14 languages, the grammar rules for grouping I'm sure vary.
    Author of the leading independent Sonos apps for Android, MacOS, iOS, Windows and Xbox.
    jgatie
    December 28, 2015
    Just as a clarification to anyone reading this thread, Sonos has never said "Echo support is coming.", so asking "when" it is coming is a little premature. The title is a little like standing at a street corner asking "When is the bus coming?' in a town that has no mass transit system.
    Contributor I
    January 20, 2016
    I want to control Sonos with Echo too!