Shuffle mode with GA

OK, thanks. I might have to go back to Alexa until it's available.

I use Olisto to set shuffle mode on my Sonos speaker by Google Assistant command.

Create a free account with the online automation service Olisto (https://olisto.com/). Link to your Google and Sonos accounts. Add an automation (which they call a "trigg") that has a Google Assistant phrase like "Sonos shuffle mode" as the trigger, and a command to set your Sonos speaker to shuffle play mode as the action. Then say "Hey Google, set Sonos shuffle mode".

I use Olisto to set shuffle mode on my Sonos speaker by Google Assistant command.

Create a free account with the online automation service Olisto (https://olisto.com/). Link to your Google and Sonos accounts. Add an automation (which they call a "trigg") that has a Google Assistant phrase like "Sonos shuffle mode" as the trigger, and a command to set your Sonos speaker to shuffle play mode as the action. Then say "Hey Google, set Sonos shuffle mode".
I don't see Google assistant in olisto. Could that be a US only thing?

I am in Canada and just want to shuffle a Google play music playlist with a voice command. Why is this so difficult...

I don't see Google assistant in olisto. Could that be a US only thing?

I am in Canada and just want to shuffle a Google play music playlist with a voice command. Why is this so difficult...

https://olisto.com/channels/google-home/

"How to connect Google Home & Olisto?

1. Connect Olisto in the Google Home app.
2. You will be directed to the Olisto app to login (or create an account first).
3. After login you will be re-directed to the Google Home app for a successful connection.
4. Now you have connected Google to Olisto it’s time to create your scenes with Now buttons in the Olisto app.
5. Activate your scene by saying: “Start ” or “Activate ”

I'm in Canada too. I use my Sonos shuffle command with Google Assistant on my Sonos One all the time.

This is an official list of commands available with GA through Sonos, but we're told (I believe) more options are forthcoming.

I have found GA to be very limited with basic commands. From Sonos, after 2 years, of development it's just not good enough. I was of the opinion that their GA would be the lease Sonos could get away with so prior to the UK launch I sold me Play 5. I waited for the UK launch before deciding whether to sell my additional Sonos speakers.

Well Sonos did not surprise in how limited and poor GA is. One example if I ask for Pink on my mini, the artist plays. If I ask the same command via the mini to play on Sonos 1 I get a male artist with no relation to Pink.

Even the request of music is not great never mind the lack of voice match, shuffle, like/unlike songs it goes on.
So I have no sold my Play 1. I'm totally getting out of Sonos. Google are not selling the Max with a sale price £199. That's a speakers comparable to Sonos Play 5. Sony, JBL and LG have done a better job than Sonos.

I have lost total faith in the company and their ability and drive to provide a comprehensive voice assistance. I feel they are doing the least possible to sell products. I believe their strategy will fail and so will Sonos. Google and Amazon are too big and will always develop their voice assistant leaving Sonos a poor second.

Gee, given the "Oh so positive!" post history, who would have predicted this reaction to the GA launch? 😉

Well Sonos did not surprise in how limited and poor GA is. One example if I ask for Pink on my mini, the artist plays. If I ask the same command via the mini to play on Sonos 1 I get a male artist with no relation to Pink.


Are you getting Pink Floyd? Pink is a bad example for voice control, because she's actually P!nk which can cause some automated response systems to get confused about what you want. Some systems are good enough to figure it out; others don't.

Well Sonos did not surprise in how limited and poor GA is. One example if I ask for Pink on my mini, the artist plays. If I ask the same command via the mini to play on Sonos 1 I get a male artist with no relation to Pink.
Are you getting Pink Floyd? Pink is a bad example for voice control, because she's actually P!nk which can cause some automated response systems to get confused about what you want. Some systems are good enough to figure it out; others don't.

Well Sonos did not surprise in how limited and poor GA is. One example if I ask for Pink on my mini, the artist plays. If I ask the same command via the mini to play on Sonos 1 I get a male artist with no relation to Pink.
Are you getting Pink Floyd? Pink is a bad example for voice control, because she's actually P!nk which can cause some automated response systems to get confused about what you want. Some systems are good enough to figure it out; others don't.

No it wasn't Pink Floyd some other bank I had never heard of. However when I asked for Pink just using Google Mini you get the correct female artist. Ask the same question, but adding the Sonos speaker and you get the wrong artist. That's an example of poor GA within the Sonos system. Anywhere as I'm selling my speakers I have unlinked GA from Sonos. As it stands it's not worth the hassle.

Would rather use my Google Home and my Google Home Max, the Max has excellent sound and the voice assistant that does what it says on the tin.

So I have no sold my Play 1. I'm totally getting out of Sonos. Google are not selling the Max with a sale price £199. That's a speakers comparable to Sonos Play 5. Sony, JBL and LG have done a better job than Sonos.


Google doesn't offer HiFi Home Theater audio options, though. What then? I expect Sonos will become more fluid with GA as more updates become available. Perhaps that's not quick enough for some, but the quality sound the speakers produce is plenty to (usually) satiate my appetite.

I just said “Hey Google play Walk Me Home by Pink on the Lounge” and it played er... P!nk. So there are workarounds to what are just what I see as minor teething issues. There is another band called Pink on Amazon Music (spelt differently to P!nk).

Can’t see me selling my speakers and switching to a Google Home Max in place of a stereo pair of Sonos Play 5’s.

That would just be ...

...for something that will likely get fixed in a minor bug-fix update.

So I have no sold my Play 1. I'm totally getting out of Sonos. Google are not selling the Max with a sale price £199. That's a speakers comparable to Sonos Play 5. Sony, JBL and LG have done a better job than Sonos.

Google doesn't offer HiFi Home Theater audio options, though. What then? I expect Sonos will become more fluid with GA as more updates become available. Perhaps that's not quick enough for some, but the quality sound the speakers produce is plenty to (usually) satiate my appetite.

Numerous manufacturers now provide soundbars with Dolby Atmos and voice assistant built in. So the home theater option is fully catered for Edwin with better voice assistant. In the future Sonos patents will expire, then their only real selling point the Sonos system will be universal. I don't hate Sonos I love the build quality and sound but very let down by their feeble voice assistant work.

The Google Home Max has excellent sound, halt the price of Play 5 and GA works. Unlike Sonos.

The Google Home Max has excellent sound, halt the price of Play 5 and GA works. Unlike Sonos.

Owned a Google Home Max for nearly a year and sold it when I invested in Sonos. The Google Home Max was too muddy for me, and had a very uncharacteristic sound profile for an expensive speaker.

If you love bass to shake the room, it's for you... I have the Sonos Sub for that sort of thing.

To each their own. Perhaps GA may never please you on Sonos, hard to say.

Cheers!

The Google Home Max has excellent sound, halt the price of Play 5 and GA works. Unlike Sonos.Owned a Google Home Max for nearly a year and sold it when I invested in Sonos. The Google Home Max was too muddy for me, and had a very uncharacteristic sound profile for an expensive speaker.

If you love bass to shake the room, it's for you... I have the Sonos Sub for that sort of thing.

To each their own. Perhaps GA may never please you on Sonos, hard to say.

Cheers!
For me it's just a balance between a good solid speaker with excellent voice assistant. Yes my Sonos sound great I have praised their build quality and sound. However I want a fully functional voice assistant. Sonos does not deliver that so balence Google Max does that for. We all have our own likes and views. That's the good think about forums.

There's a long thread in Spotify's community forum complaining that both Google Assistant and Alexa stink at getting the right version of songs and artists. Nobody can understand why Spotify is perfectly capable of listing the common popular version of a song first when you do a search, but Google and Alexa inevitably select some weird cover version by an unknown artist. Spotify keeps saying that they're working on it, or they think they've solved it, but they haven't. How hard can it be to have Google and Alexa just pick the top item in the search list that Spotify already produces!

So it's more of a Google (and Alexa) issue than a Sonos issue.

There's a long thread in Spotify's community forum complaining that both Google Assistant and Alexa stink at getting the right version of songs and artists. Nobody can understand why Spotify is perfectly capable of listing the common popular version of a song first when you do a search, but Google and Alexa inevitably select some weird cover version by an unknown artist. Spotify keeps saying that they're working on it, or they think they've solved it, but they haven't. How hard can it be to have Google and Alexa just pick the top item in the search list that Spotify already produces!

So it's more of a Google (and Alexa) issue than a Sonos issue.

From my testing that does not ring true. I have a Spotify premium subscription, soon to end as I have YouTube Music for 3 months. That gives me access to Spotify, YouTube Music and Google Play Music.

I have tested all three with each being the default streaming service within the Google Home app, and each set up within the Sonos app.

When I ask for a particular artist using Google mini, the correct artist is selected and played. When I ask the same request only adding :On kitchen Sonos" it does not select and play the correct artist.

That is saying to me that the problem lies within the work Sonos have done regarding this voice assistance integration. Again I state that Sonos have been working on this for 2 years. The implementation is limited, I could put up with that if it was the result of 6 months work. Again other speaker manufacturers have almost full Google Assistant except voice calling.

Sonos on this forum have made no comment, if it was an issue not related to Sonos they would be shouting from the roof tops. Their silence says it all. They have been dragged into voice assistant echo systems Alexa and Google, but from where I sit it's half hearted so no-one really gains. Not Sonos as it's hurting the brand and certainly not their customers. I feel their attitude will hurt the company. You will always have people who love Sonos, and can take take or leave voice assistant. I loved my Sonos but want a proper voice assistant. Hence I'm leaving Sonos.

Going forward voice will only get bigger especially for music, and Sonos on this showing will get further behind.

Please add shuffle feature/command. This is basic and should not be missing!

If you are a happy Sonos owner using their well developed speaker integration then that's ok. However if you want a competent full operationally Google Assistant smart integration then look elsewhere.

If you look at the issue raised within Sonos forums and lack of basic features, shuffle command being one of many, then this launch looks and operates more in keeping with a beta launch. Not the result of 2 years work.

We all have our different views regarding Sonos, but few with all honesty can say the current GA experience is anything but lacking!

Really disappointed as well. Bought my first Sonos product (One) and the sound quality is excellent. The Google Assistant however is a mess. Doesn't work at all with voice activity enabled in Google settings and even when it's disabled it doesn't let me do simple things such as add an event to the calendar.
The most embarrassing thing is not being able to shuffle playlists.
If I tell my Home Mini to shuffle my private playlist it plays it AND shuffles it.
The Sonos One just plays it without shuffling it.
Adding a routine doesn't fix it either.
Really embarrassing, couldn't emphasize it enough.
Great sound quality is holding me back from returning it, but still, really disappointed.
Fix this Sonos, dammit!

I had the same issue but I have created the following workaround which is working perfectly for me.

1. Install the Yonomi app on your smart phone and create Yonomi account and follow prompts to link Yonomi to your Google Assistant. (Yonomi is a free voice controlled automation service which has the ability to link to both Google Assistant and to Sonos)
2. In Yonomi, create a "routine" and name it "Shuffle". I have Sonos speakers in two rooms - Living Room and Bedroom. For me, having two rooms, the Yonomi routine runs two "actions" - (1) turn on Sonos shuffle in Living Room and (2) turn on Sonos shuffle in Bedroom. It sounds complicated but quite user-friendly to create.
3. Once the Yonomi routine above is created, whenever I am playing a playlist which I started using my voice via Google Assistant, I then simply say "Turn on [name of Yonomi routine]" (in my case, I would say "Turn on shuffle". It's been working perfectly for weeks now.

I hope it works for you too. It took me quite a lot of Googling and head scratching to figure this out so I hope it help others.

I had the same issue but I have created the following workaround which is working perfectly for me.

I do the same thing using Olisto.

It's a shame Sonos has made the interactions between Google Assistant and Sonos music playback so limited. I understand that Sonos claims Google restricted them from playing tunes from your Sonos library by voice command, but did Google tell them they couldn't have a command to set Shuffle mode?