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Feature request - Android support on ChromeOS / Chromebook

  • 5 September 2018
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Reading through the forum several users have reported Sonos Controller App for Android to work before on ChromeOS / Chromebooks, however, it does not any more.

I would like to request official support of ChromeOS/Chromebooks through Android.
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Best answer by Jeff S 5 September 2018, 22:35

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Reading through the forum several users have reported Sonos Controller App for Android to work before on ChromeOS / Chromebooks, however, it does not any more.

I would like to request official support of ChromeOS/Chromebooks through Android.


Hi alexander_6,

Welcome to the community, and thanks for the suggestion. I'll send along a feature request to add support for ChromeOS and Chromebooks to our development team.
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Same request here. A while back the sonos android app kinda worked on my google pixel chromebook. now it doesn't even see the sonos network. I'm running Version 69.0.3497.95 (Official Build) (64-bit)
same problem here. what's going on?
And here. Worked perfectly on Asus Chromebook a few months ago. Now it can't detect Sonos on my network so the only thing I can use is my phone or pc. Old phone and tablet no longer work as they're android 4.
Wow, all the weeks of research I did before choosing Sonos and now to find that this extremely hyped brand no longer works with chromeOS. I was getting ready to drop an obscene amount of money to build a full system; fortunately I only spent $300 so far. That on top of all the connectivity issues with my router just to get going, It doesn't make me very confident as a consumer. I'm probably returning these; disappointed and so far not impressed. Just my luck.
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I assume in the weeks of research you check to see if ChromeOS was supported and compatible first.?

Some users had got it working by use of android apps but it was never an officially supported OS. What would be useful would be a browser controller. That would give control on almost any platform.
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For some time now, Android apps have run on ChromeOS devices. Therefore, it's a normal expectation that an Android app - any Android app - will run correctly on a ChromeOS device.

Note that Google does not operate separate Google Play stores for mobile/tablet Android devices and ChromeOS Android devices; there is a single Google Play Store, with the expectation that apps hosted there will run across mobile/tablet and ChromeOS devices.

The distinction between what is a mobile/tablet Android device and what is a ChromeOS Android device is in the process of being progressively blurred (with the eventual goal being a full convergence).

In a few weeks time, Google is launching its own ChromeOS-based tablet device, which like all ChromeOS devices will run Android apps. Sonos is in the sorry position that its Android app, by not being compatible with Android running under ChromeOS, will not function on what will be Google's flagship device, a device that's likely to be given a massive marketing push in the run up to the holiday period.

Someone within Sonos should be getting a massive bo!!ocking for why they've been asleep at the wheel and failed to get its Android app working correctly on ChromeOS. This "oversight" is becoming farcical.
I agree. It feels like it's been a long time coming.
I'm in the same place! New Chromebook equals no Sonos!
I replaced an old I pad (that worked perfectly with Sonos) with Chromebook. Wish I'd stuck with Apple. Come on Sonos please sort it out!
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I think ratty has previously posted that Sonos appreciate the current situation isn't ideal. But I'm not sure if that extends to Sonos actually working to address the problem.

Certainly if you speak to Sonos support about the problem, my experience is it leads to a rather circular conversation like this:
Me: Sonos Android app no longer works on Android on Chrome OS, like it used to...
Sonos: We don't support Chrome OS
Me: But your web page says Android 4+ (without any device caveats) and my Chromebook is running Android 7+...
Sonos: Good point, we'll look into it...
Sonos: We don't support Chromebooks
Me: But your web page says Sonos supports Android 4+ (without any device caveats) and my Chromebooks is running Android 7+. And it used to work. And the Google Play Music Android running on Android on Chrome OS casts to Sonos OK, so technically it cannot be that hard to fix...
Sonos: We don't support Chromebooks
Me: But Android etc.

Maybe it'll all work within a year or so when someone gets round to it, or maybe I'll just end up with a bunch of Google speakers eventually.

That's not an appealing option for me, but nor is Sonos' apparent total disinterest in resolving this issue, particularly if you bear in mind Google's direction of travel with Android/Chrome OS symbiosis/convergence, eg. next week's expected launch of the Google Pixel Slate tablet, which the Sonos app *will install on* but then not work, very likely to the surprise of any purchasers...
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+1 to wanting the Android app to work appropriately on ChromeOS.
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Reading through the forum several users have reported Sonos Controller App for Android to work before on ChromeOS / Chromebooks, however, it does not any more.

I would like to request official support of ChromeOS/Chromebooks through Android.


Hi alexander_6,

Welcome to the community, and thanks for the suggestion. I'll send along a feature request to add support for ChromeOS and Chromebooks to our development team.


Thanks Jeff. I believe Chromebook's currently run Android 7 and will be upgraded soon. Programming wizardz hard@work developing is probably aware 🙂
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+1. Like other posters, it worked for a while and now doesn't. While I like the Sonos speakers their responsiveness leaves something to be desired. They talked about Google Home support when it first came out but I haven't seen it. I have the impression they are an Apple-first shop.
Who is an Apple first shop? Sonos? They’re the ones who integrated Amazon’s Alexa and have yet to even commit to implementing Apple’s Siri.

Sonos has promised from the beginning about Google Home implementation by the end of 2018. They haven’t missed one of those big promises yet.
But so far, they have *not* promised Chromebook support.
But so far, they have *not* promised Chromebook support.
True, but they also haven't hinted as to why the Android controller suddenly broke, after working (more or less) since the advent of official Android app support on ChromeOS. A conspiracy theorist might suspect that it had been deliberately nobbled...
True enough. I was assuming (with no data to back it up) that there was some sort of hardware difference between the two platforms that the software relied on to make it work. Differing wifi chips, or something. Although you'd think it might be easy to fix (he said, somewhat facetiously).
Not hardware, but there are material differences in OS networking support. ChromeOS is 'harder' in a security sense, and (to my knowledge) won't accept some types of incoming traffic such as broadcasts.

This did in fact compromise the Sonos controller's operation to a slight degree, but for the most part it could function okay.... until all of a sudden it broke at Sonos v9.0. Under the circumstances I'm duty-bound to apply Occam's razor ...
Heh. Far be it for me to argue with your superior knowledge, good sir. 🙂
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Hey guys, any updates here? The Sonos app for Android, running on my Google Chromebook, is completely broken. It doesn't stay synchronized with my Sonos audio system. It's completely useless to me.
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+1 for a return to Sonos on ChromeOS Pixelbook. Worked a good while and rather well.

There is another post that suggests it is working for some on ChromeOS .49 .... have to say not for me.

I don't pretend to know the complexities of the solution but know (as an active user) that it certainly did work.

I don't blame Sonos as I bought my Pixelbook 'assuming' that because it worked as an android app that this would simply be the same (Nexus 7, Sony Z5, Sony Z4). Poor move in retrospect.

I don't mind the wait for a quality solution ..... hereby speaks an Audible user who had, lost and regained the functionality. It took a while but was a quality result. But if we can have the same level of diligence and delivery please Sonos.

After all ChromeOS is a huge growth area now ... no longer niche enthusiast stuff but very mainstream ... and growing significantly. Stats for the US alone must support let alone those of us in the 51st state.
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Agree please get this working