Google Assistant Support

But back to the topic, I'd love to know if Sonos plans to allow us to summon either assistant just by continuously listening to both the different wake words: "Alexa", or "OK Google" (which would be great as I know some requests are better handled by a specific service), or if we'll have to go into settings and lock down the speakers to a specific assistant, in that case the Play One/Beam will only listen to a single wake word/service?

Yes I know, and good for you. But as I previously said, none of these Alexa features are available in the UK yet... while Google Home rolled them out here... currently making Alexa an inferior product for UK users.

Starting today, Alexa will be using the same service for business service listings as Google Assistant and Siri.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-25/amazon-expands-alexa-s-brain-with-yext-business-service-listings

Starting today, Alexa will be using the same service for business service listings as Google Assistant and Siri.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-25/amazon-expands-alexa-s-brain-with-yext-business-service-listingsThat's a reach. Yext data surely contributes to some locations in Google Maps by adding links to the menu or booking page, but that's for larger chains and companies, as these chains actually have the means to buy and maintain a Yext subscription. The local places database in GMaps is far more complete & it's collaborative and free so much more small businesses are present.
While I'm sure your fellow countrymen can ask "where's the nearest KFC?" and will probably get a correct answer from Alexa, now, try with a small independent restaurant around the corner.
Guess what, I just did.
And as I suspected, Google Home got it right the 1st time: Name, opening hours, and could even place a call directly to them and get me a table for tonight. Then I tried with Alexa and well...
- 1st attempt: "sorry, I don't know that one"
- 2nd attempt : gave me the opening hours of Dominos pizza instead - I was searching for "pomona's"
- 3rd attempt when I had to spell the restaurant out loud instead : found the correct place but answered "sorry, I don't have the business hours for this location"...

If you don't own a Google Home, just download the Google Assistant app on your phone and compare for yourself.

And that's just for basic local search, and far from being an isolated case. Happens almost every time for any kind of place that's not a large chain. Speaking of large chain, when I'm asking Alexa where's my nearest Boots (equivalent of Rite-Aid in the article you linked to), it mentions only the one that's a mile away on the high street, while avoiding the one that's literally around the corner from my house... sub-par.

And of course, still waiting for Alexa's voice profiles ; mobile/landline calling in the UK ; and continuous conversation (yes, you had it for a while, but for Alexa UK, it's still one request at a time, repeating the wake word every time)

Getting tired of this two speed development Amazon has for Alexa, while Google rolls out its features a bit more evenly around the globe.
Sure, Alexa has more exclusive skills and third-party integrations for now. But on the technology itself, Google Home, for MY use today, looks far more advanced. If the skills developers are porting their apps to Google assistant soon, it will become a no brainer for me.
So that's my use today. Mainly Google Home which rarely lets me down, and occasionally resorting to Alexa for some skills that are not on the Google Home yet. Hence the great advantage if sonos could make both of them coexist on their speakers, so I could get rid of the 2 devices in my living room...

Hi there. New member here. I don't own any Sonos devices but i'm interested in the Play One and Sonos Beam. I do own a Google home and a couple on Minis, and a Chromecast audio into our soundbar. Google home has really got us into listening to music in the kitchen and around the house, but the sound quality is lacking, hence looking at a Sonos. For me though, I wont buy until there is Google Assistant built in (i'm not interested in Alexa for all the very good reasons listed above).

One question, and sorry if its been discussed, will the planned integration include chromecast support so that i can cast to a Sonos from my phone or from a google home? I would rather rely on the superior microphone in a google mini (and placement can be better), and just have it cast to a Sonos.

Hopefully this will be included and hopefully it will be soon so that i don't go and buy a Sony speaker with the above support already in place.

One question, and sorry if its been discussed, will the planned integration include chromecast support so that i can cast to a Sonos from my phone or from a google home? I would rather rely on the superior microphone in a google mini (and placement can be better), and just have it cast to a Sonos.


If this works like Alexa integration does, which I think is highly likely, then you will be able to make a music request to a google speaker and specify that you want it played on a Sonos speaker. For example "Hey google, play the gorillaz on family room", where family room is the name given to your sonos speaker(s) in the Sonos app. When you do this, you aren't really casting or streaming through your google home. The command goes to the google cloud, then to the sonos cloud, then passed to the sonos speaker which will then stream the music directly. It actually works the same way when you give voice commands to the Beam or Sonos One directly.

Chromecast may eventually become a feature Sonos supports, but I imagine it would be separate from the Google voice integration. Because Apple has airplay 2, and Amazon now has Alexa-cast, the casting market seems to be heating up and I wouldn't be too surprised to see chromecast come to Sonos as a side effect.

As far as speaker placement, I used to think that that I wouldn't want the mic and a music speaker placed in the same location as well. However, the Beam and Sonos One have changed my opinion on that. I can't speaked to whether the mics are better between Sonos and Google.

One question, and sorry if its been discussed, will the planned integration include chromecast support so that i can cast to a Sonos from my phone or from a google home? I would rather rely on the superior microphone in a google mini (and placement can be better), and just have it cast to a Sonos.
In that case I do not really see the use case of a Play One, if you plan to rely on your existing minis rather than on the embedded mic in the One, you will probably be better off with a Play:1 and save £50.

One question, and sorry if its been discussed, will the planned integration include chromecast support so that i can cast to a Sonos from my phone or from a google home? I would rather rely on the superior microphone in a google mini (and placement can be better), and just have it cast to a Sonos.
In that case I do not really see the use case of a Play One, if you plan to rely on your existing minis rather than on the embedded mic in the One, you will probably be better off with a Play:1 and save £50.

That's not 100% true. The Sonos One is the newer product and is thus more future proof than the Play:1. Airplay 2 works on Sonos One, but not on Play:1. It has a better look (IMO) and better manual controls on the device. If these things don't matter to you though, then yes, save your money. Personally, I used to feel the same way until I got a few Sonos Ones myself, but now feel it's worth the extra 50.

Spence said today that Google Assistant integration is being targeted for the holiday shopping season. So, November, hopefully earlier. Not too much longer to wait.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/2/17644386/sonos-nasdaq-ipo-google-assistant-speakers-holiday-shopping

Thanks Chicks, your press postings are always the first 🆒
This statement is interesting as well “You’ll see more products that address the home in a unique way, and going outside the home as well,” says Spence.
Speakers going outside the home..