Google Assistant does not play Radio Stations

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66 replies

JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

I’m disappointed too. Global (owner of radio stations such as LBC in the UK) has blocked streams on TuneIn for most of their radio stations outside the UK, instead opting for their own solution called Global Player on Google smart speakers.


So if I tell a Google Nest Mini to play Heart it plays it just fine on Global Player. If I ask Google Assistant on Sonos however it tells me it’s playing the station on TuneIn which of course doesn’t work.

Certain Google Assistant actions just don’t seem to work, including Global Player and BBC. 
If I explicitly ask GA on Sonos to play Heart on Global Player, all I get back is: “Playing Heart on Global Player. Sorry, Global Player currently isn’t supported on [speaker name].”

Being able to do this on a $20 Google Home Mini but not on speakers worth several hundreds is downright pathetic.

After seeing ads of the Sonos Move showing off its Google Assistant capabilities and getting this, I really do feel like I’ve been lied to.

Being told that certain Sonos products support Google Assistant when they only support the most basic stuff is a cheek when the GA on Sonos can’t even shuffle music!

Don’t get me wrong, I love Sonos, but if they want to keep up with the smart speaker industry they had better gear up and put things right. 

G

Clearly still a Sonos problem and just saying it’s no longer an issue to try to bury it is terrible service.  Obviously Sonos isn’t fully integrated with GA and behind the scenes there is something else going on and they didn’t pay enough royalties or fees and they only get 60% integration.   Very disappointed as a new Sonos customer. 

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi @martinski, if it’s working before using the Sonos app and voice, I’d suggest call 800-680-2345 from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 9 pm ET to further check and resolution, as I’ve checked there shouldn’t any problem anymore. If you still have questions, please let us know. 

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M

Yes, it’s working using the app, but not voice. All BBC stations worked before the app update using voice and app. 

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi, @martinski! So the Radioplayer is working when using the Sonos app?

I’m just thinking if the specific radio is not really gonna work if it’s also not working in the Sonos app. Were the radio stations working before? 

@JamesDan, we'd be happy to share your interest with the team.

Thanks!

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JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

Hi @martinski, thanks for your response and confirmation that it’s not working when using the Sonos app as well. Have you only tried it from TuneIn? Is it okay if we try to use the Radioplayer service for listening to BBC Stations within the UK? Let us know how it goes. Thanks! 

The app has always worked well for me! The problem here is voice commands though, which don’t work well, if at all. This includes BBC radio stations being played directly from the BBC via voice commands as well as Global radio stations played directly from Global Player via voice commands instead of TuneIn (as Global has slowly but surely been switching to their own platform).

This needs to be addressed quickly, as it has been going on for far to long if you ask me.

Asking Google Assistant on a Google speaker works fine. Just try saying “play Heart on Global Player” and you’ll find it won’t work on Sonos but it will on Google speakers.

M

Hi @martinski, thanks for your response and confirmation that it’s not working when using the Sonos app as well. Have you only tried it from TuneIn? Is it okay if we try to use the Radioplayer service for listening to BBC Stations within the UK? Let us know how it goes. Thanks! 

Ok. That now works from within the app. 

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi @martinski, thanks for your response and confirmation that it’s not working when using the Sonos app as well. Have you only tried it from TuneIn? Is it okay if we try to use the Radioplayer service for listening to BBC Stations within the UK? Let us know how it goes. Thanks! 

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M

Hi folks. Just wanna ask, the radio that isn’t working with Sonos speakers using Google Assistant, are they working when using the Sonos app? Keep us posted here. Thanks!

No, R2 and R4 not working with voice or via the Sonos app. 

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi folks. Just wanna ask, the radio that isn’t working with Sonos speakers using Google Assistant, are they working when using the Sonos app? Keep us posted here. Thanks!

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JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

There’s one thing one should know about.

Usually, when requesting the Google Assistant to play Radio 4 on a Google speaker it says “playing BBC Radio 4 from the BBC”, meaning it does not play it on TuneIn, but from the BBC directly.

This is also apparent when telling a Google Nest Hub to do the same thing; instead of the TuneIn logo displaying a BBC Sounds logo is shown.

When asking Sonos to play Radio 4 on the BBC it doesn’t work but when issuing the same command to a Google speaker it always works.

Also, when telling a Google speaker to play Heart 80s it always plays it, but on Global Player instead of TuneIn.

When telling Sonos to do the same it says that it’s doing it but then fails to do so. Heart 80s on TuneIn doesn’t work. Only on Global Player, which doesn’t work on Sonos.

More and more radio stations seem to be switching from TuneIn to their own actions (apps) on Google Assistant whilst dropping TuneIn support outside the UK as well. Their own actions work fine outside the UK though, just not on Sonos.

This is a issue on Sonos speakers only and needs to be addressed quickly. Having not received a direct response from Sonos is pathetic. Do not say a problem is solved when it hasn’t been solved fully.

Again, I’m talking about basic stuff here: playing radio stations using voice commands.

 

M

I’m now able to play BBC Radio 1 and 5 using google assistant. Radio 2 and 4 still don’t work however. 

M
Userlevel 4
Badge +3

The fact that it just started working again looks to me like SONOS had nothing do with fixing it so it is laughable that the SONOS staff are asking if there is *anything else* they can help with. LOL!

D
Userlevel 1
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“….Upon checking the issue is no longer occurring. Thanks for understanding and let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with.”
 

 

Hilarious.

JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

I just found out that the Assistant on my Ones/Beam cannot seem to use Assistant actions. If I tell Sonos to play Radio 4 on the BBC, it says that the BBC isn’t currently supported on [speaker name]. All my other Google Home speakers support this but Sonos doesn’t. Even asking it to play Radio 4 on TuneIn doesn’t work. All I get is silence.

 

Trying to play LBC/Classic FM on Global Player doesn’t work either. It also tells me that Global Player currently isn’t supported on [speaker name]

Issuing the same command to my Google Home speakers always works.

Sonos is clearly at fault here, it doesn’t seem to support Assistant actions!

This needs to be fixed pronto!

Is this ever going to get any attention?

The OP also mentioned a Global radio station (Heart 80s) which isn’t available outside the UK using TuneIn. One must tell the Google Assistant to play it on Global Player instead of TuneIn. 

This works fine on Google’s own speakers but doesn’t work on Sonos.

JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

I just found out that the Assistant on my Ones/Beam cannot seem to use Assistant actions. If I tell Sonos to play Radio 4 on the BBC, it says that the BBC isn’t currently supported on [speaker name]. All my other Google Home speakers support this but Sonos doesn’t. Even asking it to play Radio 4 on TuneIn doesn’t work. All I get is silence.

 

Trying to play LBC/Classic FM on Global Player doesn’t work either. It also tells me that Global Player currently isn’t supported on [speaker name]

Issuing the same command to my Google Home speakers always works.

Sonos is clearly at fault here, it doesn’t seem to support Assistant actions!

This needs to be fixed pronto!

Is this ever going to be fixed?

Krishma M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Hi @Dufflebag, thanks for letting us know about that. We greatly appreciate your patience and sorry you’ve had to deal with this. Upon checking the issue is no longer occurring. Thanks for understanding and let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with.
 

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D
Userlevel 1
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My setup has just started working again, after months of doing this and many complaints.  Cheers for the communication Sonos.  Never has there been a company that treats its customers so contemptuously.  Next setup WON’T be Sonos, that’s for sure.

F
Userlevel 1
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Another diagnostic for you in case it helps - using Sonos S1 to a Sonos One pair… 

“Hey Google, play Radio Five Live”

Reply is “OK, playing BBC Radio Five Live on TuneIn”

followed immediately by

“Sorry, I can't find what you asked for” 

 

Diagnostics submitted - 465778860

D
Userlevel 1
Badge

 

Moderator edit: Removed profanity

 

….and the critical statement it formed part of.  Nice one.

D
Userlevel 1
Badge

This issue - seriously - is utterly crap.  It used to work fine, now it doesn’t.   It has been going on for months!!!  I use - or used to use - this functionality all the time.  It’s one of the reasons I volunteered for the Beta programs.  ‘Hoping’ to have a solution soon says a lot about where your priorities are.  Not being able or willing to set a time-frame for a fix screams out disrespect, or at least, not giving a toss for all of us affected by it. There are plenty of respectable alternatives out there.

 

 

Moderator edit: Removed profanity

Jean C.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

@johnson.sam.r, et all.

We are still working on a fix for this issue and unfortunately not able to provide a time-frame for a fix on this playback command issue.

We understand your frustration and hope to have a solution for this soon. 

 

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M
Userlevel 4
Badge +3

I don’t think that SONOS should really be allowed to advertise their devices as having Google Assistant. 

A key selling point is the ability to say “Hey Google, play Jimi Hendrix” if it fails then how can they advertise this rubbish.

Had I purchased from SONOS and still in the returns window I would be sending it back for a refund. 

JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

I just found out that the Assistant on my Ones/Beam cannot seem to use Assistant actions. If I tell Sonos to play Radio 4 on the BBC, it says that the BBC isn’t currently supported on [speaker name]. All my other Google Home speakers support this but Sonos doesn’t. Even asking it to play Radio 4 on TuneIn doesn’t work. All I get is silence.

 

Trying to play LBC/Classic FM on Global Player doesn’t work either. It also tells me that Global Player currently isn’t supported on [speaker name]

Issuing the same command to my Google Home speakers always works.

Sonos is clearly at fault here, it doesn’t seem to support Assistant actions!

This needs to be fixed pronto!

R
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

Any updates on this???

I’ve posted on the other threads on this … it worked fine until about a couple of months ago and is now still broken for BBC radio in the UK (I’m on S1 system) despite Sonos saying they would investigate.

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