Contributor I

KlingKlang – an independent local Sonos controller for Android / iOS / MacOS coming

8 replies
194 views

Hi everyone,

I’d like to introduce KlingKlang, an independent Sonos controller I’ve been developing and have recently released for Android (iOS and MacOS coming soon!)

The project started because I wanted a simpler way to control my own Sonos system: all rooms visible on one screen, quick grouping and straightforward volume control, without having to move through multiple screens.

KlingKlang communicates directly with the Sonos speakers on the local network. There is no KlingKlang account, no subscription, no advertising and no KlingKlang cloud backend.

Some of the things currently supported:

All rooms and currently playing music on one screen
Grouping and ungrouping of rooms, including group-all
Group volume and individual volume control for every speaker
Playback controls from the Android lock screen and notifications
Browsing and playing music from a NAS or home music library
Access to configured streaming services, radio, Sonos favourites and playlists
Line-in playback to other rooms
Queue management
Alarms and sleep timer

One aspect that was particularly important to me is local operation. KlingKlang talks directly to the speakers. No listening information is sent to a KlingKlang server because there is no KlingKlang server involved. For local sources, the controller also continues to work if the Internet connection is unavailable.

The app is still relatively new, and I’d particularly appreciate feedback from experienced Sonos users. If something behaves differently on your system, a feature is missing, or you find something unnecessarily complicated, I’d genuinely like to hear about it.

Made in Baselland, Switzerland.

For clarity: I’m the developer of KlingKlang. KlingKlang is an independent application and is not affiliated with, approved by or sponsored by Sonos, Inc. Sonos is a trademark of Sonos, Inc.

Moderator Note: Removed hyperlink. Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

Jamie A

Sonos Staff

Hi @elBoscho, welcome to the Sonos Community!

Thanks for sharing this with the community, I hope users here find it useful.

elBoschoAuthor

Contributor I

Thanks @Jamie A, really appreciate the welcome.
I’m looking forward to hearing how KlingKlang works across different Sonos setups and to improving it based on community feedback.

B

Balu

Lyricist I

Hi! I recently purchased KlingKlang because I enjoy exploring alternative Sonos controllers for iOS.

First of all, I really like the idea behind your app. It looks promising, but after testing it with my Sonos system, I’ve noticed a few things I’d like to share.

1. Volume control: The iPhone’s physical volume buttons only adjust the volume in steps of six, which feels far too coarse. Smaller or customizable increments would be much better.

2. Lock screen: The physical volume buttons stop controlling Sonos as soon as the iPhone is locked. That’s a real drawback for everyday use.

3. Live Activities: I appreciate that KlingKlang supports Live Activities, but unfortunately, volume control from the lock screen doesn’t work reliably for me either.

4. Features: The app still feels quite basic compared to other third-party controllers such as Sonify, Sonement, or SonoPhone. However, I definitely see potential here.

One additional question: Does KlingKlang support older Sonos S1 systems, or is it S2-only? I couldn’t find a clear answer.

I’m sharing this as constructive feedback because I’d genuinely like to see KlingKlang evolve. A lightweight, reliable Sonos controller with proper hardware button support and lock screen controls would be fantastic.

Keep up the good work, and I’m looking forward to future updates!

elBoschoAuthor

Contributor I

Hi Balu,

Thank you for purchasing KlingKlang and for taking the time to write such detailed and constructive feedback. Your observations are fair and have been genuinely useful.

1. Volume control
You are right: steps of six are much too coarse. This is fixed in the upcoming version 1.4.12. The volume step can now be set to 1, 2, or 5, with 2 as the default. The same setting is used by both the iPhone’s physical volume buttons and the Live Activity controls.

2. Physical volume buttons on the Lock Screen
Unfortunately, this part is an iOS limitation. Apple does not provide a supported App Store API that allows a third-party app to intercept the physical volume buttons while the iPhone is locked. KlingKlang can use them while the app is active, but I cannot honestly promise hardware-button control from the Lock Screen. The Live Activity is the supported way to provide controls there.

3. Live Activity reliability
I found a race condition when several volume buttons were tapped quickly. The commands could use an outdated volume value or arrive in the wrong order. In 1.4.12, commands are processed sequentially, use the speaker group’s current volume, and retry safely if necessary. I have also tested rapid consecutive taps against a real Sonos system.

4. Features
That is fair feedback as well. My first priority has been making KlingKlang a lightweight, native controller that communicates directly with the speakers over the local network, without an account, cloud service, subscription, adverts, or telemetry. It already includes grouping, individual and group volume, per-speaker EQ, queue management, alarms, sleep timers, the local music library, line-in, favourites, streaming services, firmware information, and Lock Screen controls—but there is certainly more to build and refine. Version 1.4.12 also adds a complete searchable streaming-service catalogue, so services are visible even if they are not represented by a saved Sonos favourite.

5. Sonos S1
KlingKlang is currently developed and tested against Sonos S2, so S2 is the only system I officially support. S1 uses some of the same local UPnP interfaces, which means that discovery or basic controls might already work, but I have not had access to a real S1 household and do not want to claim compatibility that I cannot verify.
If you have S1 speakers and would be willing to help test them, I would be very happy to collaborate with you. I can provide specific test steps or TestFlight builds, and we could check discovery, playback, grouping, volume control, favourites, and the other functions systematically. Where compatibility issues can be addressed technically, I would be glad to work on them. Your help could make it possible to establish proper S1 support rather than relying on assumptions.

Version 1.4.12 (Build 15) has been submitted to Apple today and is currently Waiting for Review. It will be released automatically once Apple approves it.

Thank you again for the encouragement and for helping me improve the app.

Best regards,
Markus

Palco

Prominent Collaborator II

Hello, the app is nice, simple, and easy to use... but I don't see any option to select the most popular streaming services—Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal. Only radio stations are showing up...

elBoschoAuthor

Contributor I

Thank you — I’m glad you like the app! Spotify is supported by KlingKlang, so seeing only radio services is not the expected result.

Could you please tell me which platform you’re using (Windows, macOS, iPhone/iPad, or Android) and which KlingKlang version is installed? Also, is Spotify already connected in the official Sonos app?

KlingKlang currently has to infer connected services from the information exposed by the speakers. As a quick test, please add one Spotify song, album or playlist to Sonos Favorites in the official Sonos app and restart KlingKlang. If Spotify then appears under Services, we’ll know that service detection is the issue.

I’ll also investigate Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal separately once I know the platform.

Palco

Prominent Collaborator II

APK - v.1.4.10 - Android. I use all the listed services in the official Sonos app, but they don't show up in yours...

elBoschoAuthor

Contributor I

Thank you. That information helps a lot. This appears to be an Android-specific issue in KlingKlang 1.4.10.

Spotify support is included, but the current Android version identifies connected music services by looking for them in Sonos Favorites. If none of your favorites comes from Spotify or the other services, KlingKlang can incorrectly show only the anonymous radio services — even though the accounts are available in the official Sonos app.

As a temporary test, could you add one Spotify song, album or playlist to Sonos Favorites and then restart KlingKlang? If Spotify appears afterwards, that confirms the detection problem. If you already have Spotify content in Sonos Favorites, please let me know, because that would indicate a different bug.

In either case, this should not be so confusing. I’ll improve the Android service selection so that supported services are not silently hidden. Thank you for reporting it.

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