Question

Can Beam be set to automatically regroup with existing group after watching TV?

  • 22 April 2020
  • 9 replies
  • 766 views
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Hi Guys, 

 

I have been a Sonos user for a few years now (4x Sonos One’s, 4 different rooms) and I am considering upgrading my living room set up to 5.1 by utilising one of my existing Sonos One’s and buying a Beam, a sub and a One SL. 

However, I want to know if there is an option to regroup my potential 5.1 set up to the existing group after the TV is switched off. I currently have my rooms permanently grouped as I like to listen to the same music in every room. I don’t want to have to manually regroup my living room to the rest of the system every time I turn the TV off. Is this a feature which has been implemented as of yet? I currently use a Panasonic sound bar in the living room that I want to replace but this feature alone is preventing me from making the purchase. 

 

My ideal scenario would be:

  1. wake up and listen to music in every room.
  2. switch tv on and living room ungroups from other rooms and plays TV sound.
  3. turn tv off, living room regroups with other rooms and is ready to play music again.

I understand it only takes a few clicks to regroup but I like how easy my current set up is as I rarely have to group rooms or use the Sonos app. The annoyance would be if I turned TV off and then told the Beam Alexa to play a song. I would then have to regroup all other rooms with the living room to get it back to how i like it. 
 

Is this a feature which Sonos has included yet? Please let me know as I want to upgrade my system!

 

Many thanks 

 

Jacob 

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9 replies

Airgetlam

Unfortunately, there is currently no auto-regroup function.

Bruce
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Unfortunately, there is currently no auto-regroup function.

Frustrating! Any idea if they have plans to include this function in future updates?

Airgetlam

Again, unfortunately, Sonos doesn’t discuss future features until they’re released, with a few minor exceptions, such as major partnerships with other companies. So we just don’t know. 

I would say the feasibility of including this type of feature goes up when the split between S1 and S2 devices occurs, as there would likely be available memory in the speakers to implement such a feature. But feasibility doesn’t indicate whether or not it’s on the implementation list that they don’t share.

Sorry. 

Bruce
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Again, unfortunately, Sonos doesn’t discuss future features until they’re released, with a few minor exceptions, such as major partnerships with other companies. So we just don’t know. 

I would say the feasibility of including this type of feature goes up when the split between S1 and S2 devices occurs, as there would likely be available memory in the speakers to implement such a feature. But feasibility doesn’t indicate whether or not it’s on the implementation list that they don’t share.

Sorry. 

 

Thanks for getting back to me. It’s a shame because I know they have the feature to ‘ungroup when TV is turned on’ so it would be nice to have the ‘regroup when turned off’ feature as well.

 

Sadly I won’t be making the purchase until this is an option. It’s an expensive upgrade and I want it to work this way before I take the plunge. 

 

 

B
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I held off for some time on purchasing a Beam for this same reason. I’m not sorry I finally took the plunge. In our case, the music from adjoining rooms is audible enough that we don’t miss the Beam’s contribution much. Plus a brief touch of the Beam’s play “button” will cause it to join with the active group, which is easier and quicker than doing the same via the app. (I agree the argument that “it only takes a few clicks to regroup” is not very persuasive given the time it takes to find your mobile device, wake up the app, and then navigate through it.)

Another option is the Alexa app named “Speaker Groups” which allows you to control Sonos grouping verbally.  It works reasonably well but we found we didn’t use it enough to keep it enabled.

T
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We almost only use Alexa for starting music and there is a function integrated in Alexa to tie two or more speakers together. It is not a senate skill even.
 

So, for instance, every time we ask our Play One in the kitchen to play music, it automatically also starts playing on our Playbase in the same room and they are then automatically grouped in the Sonos app. Works great. 

melvimbe

Thanks for getting back to me. It’s a shame because I know they have the feature to ‘ungroup when TV is turned on’ so it would be nice to have the ‘regroup when turned off’ feature as well.

 

Sadly I won’t be making the purchase until this is an option. It’s an expensive upgrade and I want it to work this way before I take the plunge. 

 

I’m not sure this feature would work that well in reality, for a couple reasons.  One is that the Beam likely doesn’t know that you’re done watching TV.  I’m not sure that the absense of a signal means that the TV is off.  It could be that the TV has been paused or something of that nature.  How long to wait before returning to the group?

 

The other question is, does it return at it’s current volume or previous volume?  What if the group has changed sources or group members when it left the group...should it still go back to the group?  

 

Also, in case you’re not aware, you don’t need to use the Sonos app for group.  Long pressing the play button on a speaker will have it rejoin the existing group playing music.  

Danny
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We almost only use Alexa for starting music and there is a function integrated in Alexa to tie two or more speakers together. It is not a senate skill even.
 

So, for instance, every time we ask our Play One in the kitchen to play music, it automatically also starts playing on our Playbase in the same room and they are then automatically grouped in the Sonos app. Works great. 

In my experience, the “preferred speakers” function in the Alexa app won’t break up an active Sonos group. So in my case, I have the Beam plus the kitchen and dining room speakers set as “preferred speakers” for the Beam in the family room. If the kitchen and dining room are grouped and playing music, and I then ask Alexa on the Beam to start new music, that new music only plays in the kitchen and dining room--the Beam remains ungrouped and silent. But if I first stop the music in the kitchen and dining room group, and then I request music on the Beam, it will group with the others and the music will play on all three. So it’s a useful feature but not a great solution to the OP’s issue.

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Thanks for replies guys. I wonder if S2 will include a feature like this where the user can specify what they want to happen when the TV is turned off…

 

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