Contributor II

For those of you who hate having to use the sonos app, here's a useful alternative

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
May 10, 2024
44 replies
51228 views

Of you're like me and despise the Sonos app and the inability to use apps like you tube (well technically any app since the Sonos app only works 1 out 20 times). I've found this app called Air Music, that allows you to cast audio to your Sonos speakers using any music service or app/player/webpage that produces audio for Android, it's basically the closest thing to Apple Airplay that if found. I can just launch you tube or spotify or my local file player and cast the audio without having the headaches of being forced to you use Sonos beyond terrible interface, highly recommend it, it's been total ges changer for me and actually makes Sonos products useable.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.airmusic.trial

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Anthony George

Lyricist III

Hi there!

It’s been on my mind to just scrap this Sonos stuff altogether and go for a streaming-friendly receiver, what with the new products available now.

Thanks so much for your input. It’s distressing to know that you have put so much money and effort into Sonos gear. The new app really is appalling.

In my household, Sonos has had its day in court.

All the best to you.

K

Kumar

For those of you that have line in jacks on your Sonos kit and a spare Echo Dot lying around, wire that to the Sonos line in jacks after setting them to autoplay via the Sonos app. When the Dot is online, you will see it as target option in the Spotify native app on your phone. Select that to get the music to move from the phone to the Dot and thence to whatever speakers are wired to the terminals of the Sonos Port or Amp. You could also wire the Dot to a Sonos 5 unit’s line in jack.

The phone will be out of the music play loop, music will sound as good as your speakers are capable of delivering, and you will not need the Sonos app for music to play, it gets bypassed.

You could also do this via voice command to the Dot. In terms of its streaming capability of services it can play, with Spotify being one, and as to the quality of the analog signal out of its audio out jack, the Dot is as good as any streamer out there, including Sonos.

If you use a Echo Show 5/8 that has the audio out jack, you will also get album art for what is playing.

T

tim_50

Enthusiast II

I decided to leave the sonos app a while ago and just use AirPlay, then I returned when I heard about S2. Life was fine again. Then they trashed S2. The new “official” Sonos app is rotten to the core. I figure I’ll sell off my Sonos gear now and go with a different choice.

if Sonos makes it possible to return to S2, I’ll reconsider.. at this moment, however, I’m inclined to head for the exit.

same here. Exploring other options as well. I fortunately know a some people who will buy some of my speakers. (Well, maybe they wont now, after seeing this new app!)

anyway, its useless now. Airplay through iphone is fine but i can pair speakers through there unless I am missing something?

Sonos really needs management change. This history of screw ups and bad business decisions is alarming. Think the CEO is asleep at the wheel or something. This might be historically the worst app update I have ever seen anywhere. Honestly, the entire development team needs fired from top to bottom. This is grade school app design.

R

robokitty

Enthusiast II

I decided to leave the sonos app a while ago and just use AirPlay, then I returned when I heard about S2. Life was fine again. Then they trashed S2. The new “official” Sonos app is rotten to the core. I figure I’ll sell off my Sonos gear now and go with a different choice.

if Sonos makes it possible to return to S2, I’ll reconsider.. at this moment, however, I’m inclined to head for the exit.

please, please, please make the “old” S2 app available again. That way I can still use my Play 5, Playbase, Boost, Port, and three Play 1 speakers!

T

tomje

Lyricist I

Agree with all the above getting seriously fed up….I just want to get My Tuner stream, because no ads as far as I can tell unlike Tune In, but the app won't add it to the list!

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Anthony George

Lyricist III

Merry met! And fortuitous you just posted this.

Yes, yes & yes. Spent thousands on Sonos equipment only to find how much their software sucks. First it was just unintuitive UI, then they got rid of play from “this device” (android phone), but figured work-around with network drive. Now S2 and that's gone as well. I’ve gone on windows and enabled SMB2, but not sure what to do from there. Can’t find anything in the new S2 app about connecting to network.

Seems like every time I just want to put on some music there is some issue, and I have to spend hours trying to get it to work. Spent 30 minutes waiting for Chat support today, then ran out of time before I could get any solution. When I came back, I tried phone support: “Your expected wait is 150 minutes”. Of course it closed before I could get anyone on the line...

Am definitely going to do the trial on this Air Music.

Will it allow me to play music from any phone music app (I use Poweramp) to my sonos connect, etc...so I can play it on [normal] speakers connected to Sonos amps? I have one Sonos beam, but rarely use it...

Is Air Music only for android?

D

DerkWehler

Lyricist III

Is Air Music only for android?

I’m not sure. Anyone have an apple phone to check?

9

907sjl

Lyricist I

You can reinstall the previous Android app, the one that allows playlist editing, shows every song in your playlist without cutting it off partway along, has convenient navigation buttons at the bottom to navigate around, all the stuff that they didn’t put into their newest pile of crap app. Here’s a repost of the link to the old install hosted on an archive site: <https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos-for-android/sonos-for-android-16-1-release/>

You must uninstall the new, next to useless app that they just updated to, install the one from the archive site, then change your Sonos system settings to never update automatically. This will buy you some time to find a way to move playlists over to a service that will support your playlists, you know, not Sonos.

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Anthony George

Lyricist III

To all of you who have so graciously corresponded with me on this topic: I am essentially an Apple user. With Sonos’s latest app debacle I’ve decided to stream from my music app directly to my “AirPlay” Sonos speakers thusly bypassing the Sonos app/interface.

There is, however, the issue that my iPad doesn’t stay connected to AirPlay on the Sonos products. I have to reconnect often. I’m advised that an Apple HomePod will stay connected, so indeed I might sell off my Sonos hardware and replace it with Apple stuff. I never have any difficulty with Apple or Spotify home pages. Sonos’s home page is notoriously awful, imo.

Thanks all, for your responses.

E

Essex Girl

Lyricist III

So it’s not just me! I mostly use the controller on my laptop, but also have a ‘droid tablet - it was ok last night after the updates - now it’s pants. Can’t play any of my favourite radio stations - just get a ‘something went wrong’ Damned right it did. Bizarrely I can play BBC podcasts from BBC Sounds, and my Spotify playlist. I hated the new look of the app right from the start, and I’m not really techy enough to pursue alternatives - it takes me ages - I am an older user who started out on typewriters and am largly self-taught computers etc. No wonder my other half hates them.

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