Support Spotify Connect to allow users to use the Spotify app as the controller.

  • 3 September 2013
  • 366 replies
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Userlevel 3
Spotify Connect was just announced and I was surprised that I didn't see Sonos in the list of companies that would provide support. Many Spotify users have been asking for a long time to be able to use the Spotify app as the controller for selecting songs, as it provides a superior experience (you still can't even see the Top 5 songs in the Spotify view within the Sonos app, and it is difficult to look through an artist's collection to find a specific song unless you know which album it was in). Please support spotify connect. Additional details on Spotify Connect are here: http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/3/4688166/spotify-connect-launches-to-stream-music-to-compatible-speakers If you look at the post on theverge, even the first comment was one asking for Sonos support for the feature.

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366 replies

Userlevel 1
I just saw the news too. I bought my Sonos just a few weeks ago and would be bummed if you do not add the support. Please make it happen!
Userlevel 1
We need this! The sonos app is slow. It's missing features.
Userlevel 2
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Oh I think I see now, so users want Sonos to support Apple AirPlay, Google Chromecast, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect... I assume next will be something like Microsoft Music-Link and Amazon Access etc. ...or something similar

Surely this moving market of 'music casting technology' has to settle first, before a company like Sonos can choose which way to proceed.

The line-in port has been the 'connect' (verb) method upto now, but perhaps some kind of 'universal standard speaker device port/adapter' needs developing to allow the customer to plugin their own chosen services.

I can't see how Sonos can be all things to all people. Nor should they have to choose. It really needs a 'meeting of minds' to sort the path ahead.

Ken Griffiths


It's actually more simple than that - if I pay for the devices (speakers, phones, computers, etc) and for the rights to play the content (spotify or another service subscription) I want to be able to play anything to anything. I think most users want that or will want that soon and companies like Sonos either give it to them, or, when enough users will want this and enough competitors will provide it, companies that refuse to do it will disappear. This is simply standardization, it happened in other fields, it will happen here as well.

In my particular case, I want to stream the native Spotify app to sonos, because the sonos spotify app does not give me what I want. Since I cannot do that, I am using chromecasts for playing music in certain rooms - Sonos has lost one sale here, because if they supported this I would have bought sonos products instead of chromecast, in spite of the price difference. When they lose enough sales, they will wake up, unless it's too late.
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It seems that Sonos does not plan to support Spotify Connect. I think that it would be like Apple supporting Windows or Android on their Macs & IPhones, and from a strategic point of view Sonos seems to choose the Apple business model : very high-end expensive hardware, closed model. 

This can of course be a success BUT, IMHO, to be sustainable it would require the following key factors : 
- implementing a very good version of spotify so that the user experience is equal or better than Spotify App.
- lower the price of the Sonos Connect in order to avoid customers going to Gramofon.

If you compare with the Apple business model, think of it as :
- Give the customer the BEST user experience. (Think about MAC OS)
- Allow connectivity with existing material with an affordable device (think of Sonos Connect as a parallel of Airport or Apple TV). 

My 2 cents. If you want to be the best, BE the best.

Jerome, happy SONOS customer du to the huuuge quality of SONOS hardware.

I'm using the latest Sonos beta and indeed, the Spotify support has improved, but it is still a far cry from the Spotify app. With Spotify, I can search the artist bios and information, find related artists, add them on the fly to my playlist etc.

Another thing I can do with Connect is to switch to my PC when I come home from work and continue listening exactly where I was with the same song queue that have built while walking back from work.

And there are other stuff that I discover with the Spotify app every week. I really don't think it's a good idea for Sonos to try to reimplement the functionalities that are working so well in the Spotify app. Best case scenario, you'll do an OK job and you'll always be lagging behind the real thing. I buy Sonos for the hardware, not the software.

So please, implement Spotify Connect.
I'm selling all my sonos products because of the lack of support for spotify connect. It is a dealbreaker and I will not recommend the system to others until sonos addresses this.

With all the negative feedback due to this single customer request, it is really sad that Sonos has not already added this.
Userlevel 1
No support for Spotify Connect? Way wrong move Sonos. Returning my Christmas Sonos Speakers this weekend.
Hi folks, There's not much to say at the moment but we'd like everyone to understand where we're coming regarding the announcement from Spotify. Sonos is a platform for music lovers and we want Sonos customers to enjoy all the music on earth from whatever source they choose. We have an excellent partnership with Spotify which is, and will continue to be, an important part of many of our customers music listening experience on Sonos. Thanks for your continued support.

I have just bought my first sonos product - the playbar.
After 24 hours I'm now gonna return it due to one single issue: the crappy sonos player.
Being used to the spotify app (or any other decent music player) and spotify connect it's like taking a leap 20 years back in time - even the first version of winamp was better. I had high expectations, but now I'm just dissapointed and confused - how can Sonos with their pretty hefty price tags not have spotify connect integration? Also, not listening to the community shows that Sonos just simply don't care what their users think.
Even the most simple streaming product today has real spotify integration...

Mike
Userlevel 1
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I've noticed recently that the Spotify App on my iPhone "sees" my Sonos-Connect as a Spotify-Connect destination. It cannot successfully connect, but it makes me wonder if there is some development underway to support.
I just got my first Sonos product, because I was impressed with what I saw in the store. Spotify Connect would make the system infinitely better though, so I'm starting to get cold feet. Maybe I made a mistake getting a Sonos Connect instead of something that supports Spotify Connect.
Userlevel 7
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Native apps and chromecast connectivity is where I want things to go. Native apps are going to rapidly change to offer ever more content for users. Who wants a limited dated sonos app for on-line streaming??
Have been asking for this feature in other threads for ages. PLEASE allow us to use the Spotify app instead of the Sonos app. Spotify pure = music discovery heaven, Spotify on Sonos = frustration, no social support & missing features
Userlevel 7
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quote - "Pascal de Mul, global head of hardware partnerships at Spotify, told Techcrunch that there was "no plan to extend Connect to Sonos and no plan to continue to develop with Sonos" seems Spotify for one reason or other dont consider Sonos a partner any more. I guess I can forgot about any more Spotify features (radio, starring tracks) via my Sonos app :-(
the question then is what Sonos users value more - Sonos (and all that goes with that) or Spotify. If its Sonos then they'll ditch Spotify for something else and Spotify lose out. If its Sonos they'll keep their Spotify subscription, ditch Sonos kit and buy something from the other hardware providers. Sonos lose. Otherwise just continue with a poorly integrated Spotify service via the Sonos app but I dont think I can go much longer like that as the Spotify app continues to evolve where as the Sonos one is stuck in the digital stone-age.
Userlevel 2
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I dont know what is right or wrong, but SONOS and Spotify should some together and fix this issue.
It will harm them both if people stop buying SONOS and stop using Spotify. 
I have written this on Spotify Comunity and i have written it on SONOS, but none of the firms will take action. Why?
Please take our customers seriously
Poul Erik
Hi folks, There's not much to say at the moment but we'd like everyone to understand where we're coming regarding the announcement from Spotify. Sonos is a platform for music lovers and we want Sonos customers to enjoy all the music on earth from whatever source they choose. We have an excellent partnership with Spotify which is, and will continue to be, an important part of many of our customers music listening experience on Sonos. Thanks for your continued support.
really Sonos?!? almost two years later and still no support for Spotify Connect? If you didn't get it yet your customers are not happy!
What's the matter not implementing Spotify Connect? Did Google pay you more to implement Google Play?
I gave up and bought Heos. Works perfect with Spotify Connect. It is a mystery how Sonos management ignore its customers. Do like me, vote with your wallets.
Userlevel 4
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I love both sonos AND spotify, but as many other users, i only use Spotify on sonos. The sonos app is not nearly as useful as spotify's own app, which is understandable, but not supporting sonos connect could become a dealbreaker in buying more sonos components (having 2 so far)
Just putting my vote in for Spotify Connect functionality. I do miss using the Spotify App.
Just bought a Play5 gen2 and I am disappointed that Spotify connect isn't supported. My parents bought a Bose soundtouch system and I now see Bose Soundtouch does support Spotify connect. The Sonos app doesn't work as intuitive as the Spotify app, so I would appreciate supporting it in the future. Using a chromecast audio on the analog line IN in order to get Spotify working feels so old school.
Any update from Sonos here? I really think the Sonos Controller is falling behind in functionality.
Is there an official statement from Sonos WHY they don't want to integrate Spotify connect? It's a simple question, isn't it? For me it's still a dealbreaker! 😠
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Is there an official statement from Sonos WHY they don't want to integrate Spotify connect? It's a simple question, isn't it? For me it's still a dealbreaker! :@

Because it has no future? Spotify can cast to Chromecast Audio. Get one, plug into Sonos aux in. Done.

How does it have no future? Spotify Connect isn't just about playing to hardware, it is a solution where you can hand off playback from device to device. So you can play on your phone, switch to the desktop player, switch to an Android tablet, etc, etc. Rdio had something similar, Spotify just went further and expanded it to hardware as well. It isn't like Spotify didn't have any hardware partners either, it is on pretty much everything except Sonos. Sure, you can use a Chromecast Audio right now, but using aux on Sonos can be rather clunky as you can't just choose which zone you want.

Really what we need now is for Sonos to support Google Cast, so a whole host of apps will automatically gain support, but who knows when or if that will ever happen.
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I'm pretty sure the poster meant Spotify has no future. The venture capitalists aren't going to forever support a business that is losing millions of dollars a month. There is simply no way to monetize the streaming industry, especially now that Google and Apple, with their unlimited funds, have entered the fray.
I misunderstood that then if that is what they meant - I now see their other post further up. I'm not entirely sure I buy that it'll be gone in the near future. Yes they are losing money, but they have been growing steadily. Apple could definitely slow down that growth, but I wouldn't call it a done deal. I, for one, hope that Spotify continues to grow and coexists with Apple's and Google's services as it is my favorite service of the bunch.

Either way, I don't think Sonos' decision to not support Spotify Connect has anything to do about the future of Spotify.
Sonos long ago made the decision to be service neutral, and to use the Sonos API as much as possible instead of proprietary service interfaces. There have been exceptions, Spotify being one, but they have refused to go so far as to license their hardware to a particular service provider, which is what Spotify Connect requires. This is mostly due to Sonos early on wasting valuable development time on services which are no longer around.

As to Spotify growing, growth means nothing without profit. They will never be successful until they are in the black, and until then, they are living on borrowed time like every service before them.


Twitter is yet to make a profit, and is in no danger of going under. None of this would be an issue, if Sonos would build a decent controller, the sad truth is it's clunky and outdated. You can't even search for a song on spotify by Artist AND track. Come on!
It's ridiculous that this hasn't been added in. I'm thinking it's more to do with being a hardware issue which is why it isn't enabled. Maybe the 2nd gen speakers will have this feature? I bought the Denon HEOS range because it has Spotify Connect and will continue to purchase the HEOS bar and speakers due to their openness.
Sonos CEO John MacFarlane himself said in a Dutch newspaper in 2014 that Spotify Connect will never be supported by Sonos (https://www.allaboutphones.nl/sonos-heeft-frictie-met-spotify/)

The reason given in that interview is that Sonos has it's own app which is more user-friendly than requiring the user to use different apps for different services.
However, adding support for Spofity Connect doesn't change that, it just gives users more choice.

So this is not the real reason. More likely is that they want people to be tied in with their Sonos platform; if people are used to the Sonos app and have playlists and other items there they would more likely buy another Sonos streamer instead of replacing it with a cheaper Samsung/Philips/etc. streamer.

This is the real fear of Sonos. Once Spotify Connect is supported the Sonos speaker becomes nothing more than a wireless speaker, for which there are many , cheaper alternatives nowadays. Not implementing this feature is just their hopeless attempt to delay this, and at the same time they are annoying and steering away their existing customers. Double Fail!!