Google Assistant does not play Radio Stations

F
Userlevel 2

When I ask my Sonos: "Hey, Google! Play Heart 80s". It replies with: "Playing Heart 80s on TuneIn". However, it then says: "Sorry I can't find what you asked for". This is really disappointing, because Alexa plays radio stations without any issues. Any suggestions on how to fix this? 

 

Exactly the same issue reported 

https://en.community.sonos.com/google-assistant-and-sonos-229109/google-assistant-does-not-play-radio-stations-6833977

and

https://en.community.sonos.com/google-assistant-and-sonos-229109/google-assistant-has-problem-playing-tunein-station-6825633

Weirdly Sonos seems to just keep closing the issues so you can’t comment on. Very poor customer service.

 

As described in the other issues - this is 100% a Sonos issue. The error comes after control is handed back from Google to Sonos and the exact same voice commands work on google home devices on the same network.

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66 replies

D
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

This particular issue with radio stations applies to TuneIn as well, and seems to be a Sonos-specific GA bug. It recognizes the station, says it’s playing it now, then says it can’t find it. While Google Home or Alexa or even the Sonos app can find it and play it just fine.

But I have noticed with other music services including Spotify, Amazon, and Deezer, that Google Home seems to be able to find music titles that neither Alexa (on Echo) or Google Assistant (on Sonos) can find. I’m guessing that Google Home does its own search to refine the request before passing it to the music service, and that Google has not extended that capability to Google Assistant - or Sonos isn’t using it.

Jean C.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hello @flytzen & @Doug Ames,

Have you noticed any odd behavior using any other commands in Google Assistant such as asking the time or the weather?

If you change the command syntax to be more specific by including call letters or frequency or specifying Tune-In as the service, is there any change in the google assistant behavior? 

Can you submit a diagnostic report from your Sonos app after one of these playback failures so that we can take a look at the data in your Sonos system?

If you can include the confirmation number in your response we will be happy to look it over.   

 

 

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D
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

Google Home: “Hey Google, play News 1130” “News 1130...” station plays

Alexa (set to use Sonos as media player): “Alexa, play News 1130” “News 1130, playing on Sonos...” station plays

Sonos app: search for News 1130 under Stations, finds it under TuneIn, plays when selected

Sonos running GA: “Hey Google, play News 1130” “Ok, playing CKWX on TuneIn...Sorry, I can’t find what you asked for” (CKWX is the official station ID of the news station calling itself News 1130)

Sonos running GA: “Hey Google, play CKWX from TuneIn” “Ok, playing CKWX on TuneIn...Sorry, I can’t find what you asked for”

and, the next 2 commands to Sonos to play any media fail, the 3rd succeeds normally again.

Jean C.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hello @Doug Ames,

Thank you for your detailed post outlining this issue. 

Can you follow these steps to submit a diagnostic report from your system after testing these commands?

 Settings > Help&Tips > Submit Diagnostic

I’d like to see if there is anything under the hood that could be preventing this playback.

Is your Sonos account still linked to your Amazon Alexa while you are trying to trigger playback via Google Assistant?

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J

Hello @Doug Ames,

Thank you for your detailed post outlining this issue. 

Can you follow these steps to submit a diagnostic report from your system after testing these commands?

 Settings > Help&Tips > Submit Diagnostic

I’d like to see if there is anything under the hood that cold be preventing this playback.

Is your Sonos account still linked to your Amazon Alexa while you are trying to trigger playback via Google Assistant?


Has there been any progress with this? It’s really annoying. 

J

Google Home: “Hey Google, play News 1130” “News 1130...” station plays

Alexa (set to use Sonos as media player): “Alexa, play News 1130” “News 1130, playing on Sonos...” station plays

Sonos app: search for News 1130 under Stations, finds it under TuneIn, plays when selected

Sonos running GA: “Hey Google, play News 1130” “Ok, playing CKWX on TuneIn...Sorry, I can’t find what you asked for” (CKWX is the official station ID of the news station calling itself News 1130)

Sonos running GA: “Hey Google, play CKWX from TuneIn” “Ok, playing CKWX on TuneIn...Sorry, I can’t find what you asked for”

and, the next 2 commands to Sonos to play any media fail, the 3rd succeeds normally again.

@Doug Ames have you heard anything from Sonos on this one?

D
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

@Doug Ames have you heard anything from Sonos on this one?

 

No progress since I first reported it almost a year ago. At best all I ever get is a request to submit a diagnostic, even for things that are clearly at the Sonos end.

J

Thanks @Doug Ames 

 

@Jean C. is there likely to be any progress on this? Seems a reasonably simple fix and fairly key part of having google assistant incorporated in the product. 

B
Userlevel 2

I just posted on this same issue too…

https://en.community.sonos.com/google-assistant-and-sonos-229109/google-assistant-and-tune-in-6842854?postid=16440848#post16440848

and then I found this thread, so bumping ;-) 

H

Im also having this issue. Can’t get bbc radio . The main reason I have a smart speaker. I’m going to find an alternative brand if this doesn’t work soon. 

A

Hi everyone. 

We are still investigating reports of an issue with Google Assistant not playing BBC radio streams. I would be happy to provide an update once it becomes available to me.

H

Please do. Its really the main thing we use Sonos for - BBC radio…Will switching back to Alexa assistant fix it for now?  Thx 

W
Userlevel 1

Please do. Its really the main thing we use Sonos for - BBC radio…Will switching back to Alexa assistant fix it for now?  Thx 

That's what I've done for now and it works with Alexa due to the BBC skill.

Feels like a big step backwards though using Alexa to me and it refuses to play my Daily mixes on Spotify as it says it can't find them!

D
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

The workaround I use is to set the stations I want up as Sonos Favorites, then I use an IFTTT Google Assistant custom command to play that Favorite.

For example where GA on Sonos can’t play my local news stations from TuneIn, I set it up as a Favorite radio station Station1 in the Sonos app, then I create an IFTTT command so that if I say “Hey Google, local news” it plays favorite Station1.

E

+1 reporting same issue here with Sonos One and same issue using a Google Home Hub with a Sonos Amp set as its default speaker 

 

D
Userlevel 1
Badge

THIS ISSUE’S REALLY GETTING UP MY NOSE NOW.

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.

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!

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. 

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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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

D
Userlevel 1
Badge

 

Moderator edit: Removed profanity

 

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

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

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.

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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