iOS lock screen controls not working

  • 7 December 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 1791 views
B

I know this is an ancient topic but how can this still be an issue? 
I owned the playbar when it was new but the app back then was not very good with limited integration with Spotify for example. 
I loved the sound from the playbar but eventually sold it, partly because it wasn’t possible to control volume etc with an iPhone’s side buttons or from the lock screen. It’s just so unintuitive compared to a Bluetooth speaker. 
fast forward to 2020 and I thought it was time to give sonos another chance. 
I now own a Beam and Sub and the app is so much better. (And there is AirPlay and google assistant). 
I really would like to use the sonos app for playing music etc BUT I still can’t use the side buttons or get the controls on the lock screen.!! 
I’ve tried it all, closing apps, turning off all AirPlay devices. It even worked for a little while but then I connected the Beam to a Samsung the Frame 2020 and since then the controls are gone. 
I have turned AirPlay off in the tv:s settings. 
Does anyone have any tips for me?

And please Sonos/Apple , fix this soon!

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3 replies

Ken_Griffiths

The few things that can stop the iOS Lock Screen controls are mentioned here:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3381

It works fine otherwise, as long as you have enabled the Lock Screen Control feature (and hardware button control too, if you need that) in the Sonos App "Settings/App Preferences"

B

To the best of my abilities I have done everything in that article and turned on all the settings in the sonos app. 
The strange thing is that it worked for a little while but since I connected the beam to the tv it’s all gone. 
It’s strange that after so many years that you still have to have all AirPlay devices disconnected, all music or video apps closed and probably Bluetooth turned off for the controls to work. 
Why isn’t it just possible to control the volume with the side buttons on the iPhone regardless of apps in the background or if my MacBook has AirPlay enabled? It sounds like a simple thing ☺️

Ken_Griffiths

To the best of my abilities I have done everything in that article and turned on all the settings in the sonos app. 
The strange thing is that it worked for a little while but since I connected the beam to the tv it’s all gone. 
It’s strange that after so many years that you still have to have all AirPlay devices disconnected, all music or video apps closed and probably Bluetooth turned off for the controls to work. 
Why isn’t it just possible to control the volume with the side buttons on the iPhone regardless of apps in the background or if my MacBook has AirPlay enabled? It sounds like a simple thing ☺️

I’m ‘guessing’ that this is perhaps a limitation imposed by Apple and has certainly been the case since Airplay2 was introduced by them. I think the lock-screen is ‘reserved’ for Airplay, if there is a beacon available somewhere on the subnet.
 

However just to quickly mention, I have the Sonos Lock-Screen Controls working here, from time to time, but I have to switch off the Airplay beacons on both my Apple TV and the one built into my LG TV.. so admittedly I rarely use the Sonos LS Controls and often just use an iOS mobile Airplay capable streamer with LS controls instead.

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