Sonos really needs to figure out a way to get full Gemini or Siri integration. I have a bunch of Sonos speakers that I’ve been mulling upgrading to new ones for a while now. That said, no way I do it given the current limitations on using the speakers for voice assistants like Gemini.
I recognize this may or may not be Sonos’ fault, but that doesn’t mean they should not be going nuclear on figuring out how to do it. If they aren’t able to fully integrate with systems like Gemini, I’d guess their footprint will shrink until they disappear or get bought. Neither case is ideal as I’ve been a fan for many years, but this feels like an existential issue for them.
I’m rooting for you Sonos, but need to see a solution no matter how you achieve it.
Sonos needs a voice assistant solution (other than their own)
+16Hello
Although I am unable to comment on the plans and roadmap of Sonos in regard the integrations and features coming, I appreciate your feedback.
I’ve shared your thread internally, thank you for the post.
I get your frustration. You're invested in Sonos hardware but can't use the best voice assistants like Gemini. The issue is a lack of deep integration, which is a big problem for a smart speaker company.
It's like buying a beautiful window but then being told you can only use a specific, limited brand of blinds with it, rather than smart options like SR Blinds. Sonos needs to find a way to fully integrate with major ecosystems. If they don't, they risk falling behind competitors who offer better smart home connectivity. You're right to be concerned—this feels like an existential issue for them.
Sonos really needs to figure out a way to get full Gemini or Siri integration. I have a bunch of Sonos speakers that I’ve been mulling upgrading to new ones for a while now. That said, no way I do it given the current limitations on using the speakers for voice assistants like Gemini.
I recognize this may or may not be Sonos’ fault, but that doesn’t mean they should not be going nuclear on figuring out how to do it. If they aren’t able to fully integrate with systems like Gemini, I’d guess their footprint will shrink until they disappear or get bought. Neither case is ideal as I’ve been a fan for many years, but this feels like an existential issue for them.
I’m rooting for you Sonos, but need to see a solution no matter how you achieve it.
I think you have summarized this rather well.
When I bought Sonos, I thought I was getting a good product that I could keep for years. Given the price of my Sonos One, that was a reasonable expectation.But over the years, features have been lost, and Sonos support no longer wants to address the Google Assistant integration on the Sonos One.I have a first-generation Google Home Mini, and everything works fine on it; it's regularly updated to function correctly. The Sonos One no longer receives updates for Google Assistant; it doesn't even understand the "resume playback" command anymore... Sonos is finished for me.
I agree. We invested in a full Sonos setup expecting long-term reliability—not a cycle of discontinued features and being pushed to buy more or “improved” hardware. We’ve got a Beam Gen 2 and paired Ones on the TV, Ones in pairs throughout the house, and an Amp for our turntable and passive speakers. We invested in and built up a full system.
When we bought in, we could play music stored on our Android phones, stream vinyl through the Amp, or access our full old-school iTunes library from a Mac. Now? Phone libraries aren’t supported on the app. Same devices, just lost functionality. After investing in a full speaker system, we now have to also pay a monthly subscription to Spotify or Apple or whoever. Spotify free’s bitrate is low, so the speakers have poor sound quality. Google Assistant support has slipped from functional to clunky or nonexistent.
Every update seems to remove something we originally paid for. And the “solutions” feel like upsells:
– Buy a Roam 2 or Era 100 just to stream from a phone library we used to play on our existing Ones.
– Pay monthly for services to hear music we already own.
– Spend more on an NAS and all the time fiddling to purchase and set one up to restore basic functionality (play music we already own) we once had out of the box.
It feels like Sonos is ignoring long-time customers. Why keep stripping features, pushing subscriptions, and expecting us to trust new products won’t meet the same fate? My system is slowly being bricked, and the company doesn’t seem concerned. I genuinely don’t understand the business model here—because this approach isn’t encouraging me to buy anything else Sonos.
Fully agree and I’m very frustrated.
My current plan as of November 2025 is to sit on my current Sonos system and then replace the speakers around the house with one that supports newer Gemini or Siri. Going to see what new Siri and the Apple hardware is like in 2026 before deciding. I’ll keep my Arc+sub since they are great for sound and I can live with them being disconnected from my home system.
It feels like Sonos is at a crossroads, which I get … but they need to be more forthcoming with their gameplan, if able.
I got a prompt from Google Home today to upgrade to Gemini. Given how crappy Google Assistant has been recently on my system, I decided to read up on it first before upgrading. My gut instinct was right. I'm glad I didn't upgrade to Gemini. I'm going to have to buy a bunch of Google Home minis or something since Sonos and Google can't work together for the good of the consumer. Sonos needs to bend the knee to Google. Sonos can't beat Google. Sonos just doesn't have the cash to win.
This thread is very interesting in how it points the finger at Sonos for lack of integration with Google Gemini. Please don’t say that you’re not putting Sonos as the procrastinator in this thread because it clearly points in that direction.
It also begs the question as to how Sonos is falling behind the curve at the risk of losing market share due to lack of Google Gemini integration. Facts please…no speculation.
That said can those in this thread please name the 3rd party Wireless Whole Home speaker brands that Sonos will lose market share to because of issues with Google Gemini integration. Please verify that those 3rd party Wireless Whole Home speakers have full Google Gemini integration.
My curious mind would like to know?
I confess that I’m an oldie, so am not fully up to speed with the benefits of AI. That said: what can you do/would you want to do with Google Gemini running on Sonos devices? I use my speakers for their primary purpose: so that I can listen to music. Voice control to select input, move music to different rooms, change volume etc is most of what I want to do, plus the occasional timer, time check, weather forecast. Much more than that seems - to me - to be better suited to being done on other devices. I don’t want music volume dipping so the speaker can hear my question, or to lose the music whilst it responds. Similarly, to be able to open or close curtains, turn lights on/off doesn’t seem to me to fit in with the characteristics of music players.
What am I missing, please?
What am I missing, please?
You’re not missing anything. The simple voice layer that SVC provides is the right fit IMO, as long as Sonos keeps steadily expanding its capabilities. I’m happy to leave AI tasks to other devices and let my speakers play music for now at least.
What am I missing, please?
You’re not missing anything. The simple voice layer that SVC provides is the right fit IMO, as long as Sonos keeps steadily expanding its capabilities. I’m happy to leave AI tasks to other devices and let my speakers play music for now at least.
Yes, that’s what I feel.
I was directing my post more to those crying out for better integration, so that I can understand what they want and what I too might want once it was explained to me.
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