I'm in China, use spotify daily with their app and I never had any problem, it works perfectly.
Sonos officially support Spotify, but seem the in China it's a big problem.
I finally been able to set-up my spotify account on sonos after about 3 hours of pain, through the poorly designed android and windows app.
Now I got it working, but the songs would only play for 30-60 seconds before the connection is lost because it says the internet connection is too slow.
I'm streaming Spotify with their own app and HD Netflix movie through my home connection and never had any problem, why the hell sonos is not able to stream a damn song ?
Why the hell i cannot directly play my spotify library stored on my phone to sonos since their streaming is so bad ? I believe both these company focus first on how to make max money and have long forgotten about their costumers needs as they seem to never have talked or agreed to have some sort of common library... we are in 2015, not 1995 !
This is deeply disappointing and frustrating, it seem to be a well designed hardware based on a good concept, with poorly designed software.
And why the hell Sonos doesn't have a bluetooth port that would solve all the problems by not having to use their non-functioning app ? It's even said on their own website that we have to buy competitors product to make that happen !?!
Sonos clearly doesn't provide what they promises on their advertisement, I just paid 600$ for adding more trouble onto a non-working device.
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Hi Damien,
At this time Spotify is not available through the Sonos system in China. This is a licensing issue. While this may change in the future, we do not have any information on when that might be.
You can stream music stored on your mobile phone with Sonos, but only through the Music app. Here's how to do so: Streaming from a mobile device.
The Sonos system uses wireless technology instead of bluetooth. This is for many reasons. Bluetooth has a very short range. This would mean that you could only control or play music to your Sonos system from a distance of 15 feet or so at maximum. Also, if you received a phone call while playing, the music would stop. Wireless allows for a high bandwidth stream, which translates into higher audio quality. We will forward bluetooth functionality along as a feature request to our developers though.
At this time Spotify is not available through the Sonos system in China. This is a licensing issue. While this may change in the future, we do not have any information on when that might be.
You can stream music stored on your mobile phone with Sonos, but only through the Music app. Here's how to do so: Streaming from a mobile device.
The Sonos system uses wireless technology instead of bluetooth. This is for many reasons. Bluetooth has a very short range. This would mean that you could only control or play music to your Sonos system from a distance of 15 feet or so at maximum. Also, if you received a phone call while playing, the music would stop. Wireless allows for a high bandwidth stream, which translates into higher audio quality. We will forward bluetooth functionality along as a feature request to our developers though.
Hi Jeff,
It would be nice that the fact the device is region locked be more clearly specified on the website.
I cannot stream music from spotify library other than with spotify and their compatible device. Sonos doesn't seem to be part of it unfortunately.
I understand the use of WiFi and I'm not saying it's a bad idea and it is a good concept. Though bluetooth provides a different set of functionality, it is not a concurrent function. Bluetooth is currently the main support for short range connectivity and compatible with most portable devices.
It would have cost perhaps 1-2$ to add bluetooth functionality to your device, perhaps less as most wifi chip integrates bluetooth. With the upcoming of bluetooth 3 and the advance on this technology it will definitely be a need. For a sound system that is based on connectivity and cost nearly 2'000$ for a complete set it is quite disturbing that this is not available.
It would be nice that the fact the device is region locked be more clearly specified on the website.
I cannot stream music from spotify library other than with spotify and their compatible device. Sonos doesn't seem to be part of it unfortunately.
I understand the use of WiFi and I'm not saying it's a bad idea and it is a good concept. Though bluetooth provides a different set of functionality, it is not a concurrent function. Bluetooth is currently the main support for short range connectivity and compatible with most portable devices.
It would have cost perhaps 1-2$ to add bluetooth functionality to your device, perhaps less as most wifi chip integrates bluetooth. With the upcoming of bluetooth 3 and the advance on this technology it will definitely be a need. For a sound system that is based on connectivity and cost nearly 2'000$ for a complete set it is quite disturbing that this is not available.
It entirely on the Sonos side as I think you have already guessed. They seem to be heavily invested in their own software solution and it seems to be very hard to adapt. Or maybe they actually think that customers will stay with them as their sailingship goes down, or at least stay and watch the steam boats go passed them. One after the other...
Hi,
I've just moved to Shanghai and am alarmed to have read the above series of posts, having just invested in an additional PLAY:1 and brought over my old PLAY:1 and BRIDGE.
***My caveat to the following is that I haven't had any advice from a SONOS product specialist as to how resolve my problem, so kinda hoping this message will alert them because all I want to do is stream music, effortlessly.****
After a very frustrating first day trying to play music on my SONOS setup via Spotify (AND other services like Soundcloud by the way), I have realised SONOS just isn't a good product to use if your WiFi setup is shaky at times (a problem not only for parts of China but also parts of London, where I come from). This is something I will most definitely be vocal about when asked to review/recommend it.
It will connect, then disconnect when trying to simply choose music. Then if you're lucky enough to find a track to play, it will play it, cut out, continue to play it, then cut out again, then skip to the next track if it can't re-connect.
Whilst I do agree WiFi based music playing is a fantastic concept, to restrict us to this and this only is eye-scratchingly frustrating when WiFi is down or limited. I agree with Damien Etienne on this as I literally thought the same things he thought. Only sad difference is he mentioned this in 2015.... I'm doing so again in 2016.
My dream was to have the whole kit, PLAYBAR, SUB, the lot, to enhance not only my music playing but also film watching.
...I think I'll stop at wasting money on the PLAY:1s for now....
...UNLESS a product specialist can help advise me on ways around this? For example, using a VPN? A VPN router? etc. etc.
I've just moved to Shanghai and am alarmed to have read the above series of posts, having just invested in an additional PLAY:1 and brought over my old PLAY:1 and BRIDGE.
***My caveat to the following is that I haven't had any advice from a SONOS product specialist as to how resolve my problem, so kinda hoping this message will alert them because all I want to do is stream music, effortlessly.****
After a very frustrating first day trying to play music on my SONOS setup via Spotify (AND other services like Soundcloud by the way), I have realised SONOS just isn't a good product to use if your WiFi setup is shaky at times (a problem not only for parts of China but also parts of London, where I come from). This is something I will most definitely be vocal about when asked to review/recommend it.
It will connect, then disconnect when trying to simply choose music. Then if you're lucky enough to find a track to play, it will play it, cut out, continue to play it, then cut out again, then skip to the next track if it can't re-connect.
Whilst I do agree WiFi based music playing is a fantastic concept, to restrict us to this and this only is eye-scratchingly frustrating when WiFi is down or limited. I agree with Damien Etienne on this as I literally thought the same things he thought. Only sad difference is he mentioned this in 2015.... I'm doing so again in 2016.
My dream was to have the whole kit, PLAYBAR, SUB, the lot, to enhance not only my music playing but also film watching.
...I think I'll stop at wasting money on the PLAY:1s for now....
...UNLESS a product specialist can help advise me on ways around this? For example, using a VPN? A VPN router? etc. etc.
I've just moved to Shanghai and am alarmed to have read the above series of posts, having just invested in an additional PLAY:1 and brought over my old PLAY:1 and BRIDGE.
***My caveat to the following is that I haven't had any advice from a SONOS product specialist as to how resolve my problem, so kinda hoping this message will alert them because all I want to do is stream music, effortlessly.****
After a very frustrating first day trying to play music on my SONOS setup via Spotify (AND other services like Soundcloud by the way), I have realised SONOS just isn't a good product to use if your WiFi setup is shaky at times (a problem not only for parts of China but also parts of London, where I come from). This is something I will most definitely be vocal about when asked to review/recommend it.
It will connect, then disconnect when trying to simply choose music. Then if you're lucky enough to find a track to play, it will play it, cut out, continue to play it, then cut out again, then skip to the next track if it can't re-connect.
Whilst I do agree WiFi based music playing is a fantastic concept, to restrict us to this and this only is eye-scratchingly frustrating when WiFi is down or limited. I agree with Damien Etienne on this as I literally thought the same things he thought. Only sad difference is he mentioned this in 2015.... I'm doing so again in 2016.
My dream was to have the whole kit, PLAYBAR, SUB, the lot, to enhance not only my music playing but also film watching.
...I think I'll stop at wasting money on the PLAY:1s for now....
...UNLESS a product specialist can help advise me on ways around this? For example, using a VPN? A VPN router? etc. etc.
You simply are NOT restricted to listening to streamed music from the internet or internet radio stations. You are able to listen to your own music stored on a PC, laptop, MAC, NAS or a mobile device connected to the same network as the Sonos. So I'm rather confused what your problem is. You readily admit your internet connectivity and speed is rubbish yet you berate Sonos for not working. Frankly if you know you have rubbish internet why buy a hardware product that relies heavily on internet connectivity? And then moan about it? You might as well complain you can't drive at 70mph down a dirt track and blame it on the vehicle!
The main wifi culprit in London is interference from other wifi sources (I can see at least 14 different wifi connections) . The interference can be easily nullified.
You will need to learn some very basic things about wifi and your router.
The posts above yours state that Spotify does not work in China as Spotify do not allow it - or the government do not. I assume that this is true of many servcies. When you Google the services you are trying to use are they available in China?
What is your wifi speed?
Are any of your speakers hard wired to your router? If not do so immediately.
Perform a wifi scan and set your speakers to a channel with not much, if any, traffic on it.
A few simple steps will help you get the best out of your system which is more productive than ranting wildly about something you clearly do not understand.
Your talk of a VPN is actually illegal and SONOS will not permit any discussion on the matter. I wonder if the Chinese authorities like guests in their country to flout their rules.
You will need to learn some very basic things about wifi and your router.
The posts above yours state that Spotify does not work in China as Spotify do not allow it - or the government do not. I assume that this is true of many servcies. When you Google the services you are trying to use are they available in China?
What is your wifi speed?
Are any of your speakers hard wired to your router? If not do so immediately.
Perform a wifi scan and set your speakers to a channel with not much, if any, traffic on it.
A few simple steps will help you get the best out of your system which is more productive than ranting wildly about something you clearly do not understand.
Your talk of a VPN is actually illegal and SONOS will not permit any discussion on the matter. I wonder if the Chinese authorities like guests in their country to flout their rules.
@ Stuart_W and BoredofBalham, Thanks for your responses.
In particular, BoredofBalham, I will try out some of the suggestions you made, thank you.
However I just need to clear up a few things;
- At no point did I state I actively knew I had bad internet connection, yet blindly bought SONOS as if it would magically work. I simply bought SONOS, like most general customers do and found out that my internet strength might be an issue through trying to play music through the speakers via Spotify and Soundcloud. To put things into context, streaming Spotify on my devices, through my internet connection here in China is absolutely fine. Surely I had the right to assume SONOS could facilitate streaming of this music to speakers set up as instructed. Another key thing to consider is that SONOS is marketing itself as a product for everybody, it’s not an elitist product. And not just for those who are aware of how many kbps their WiFi can upload/download at any given time.
- In 2016, a lot of people prefer to store playlists on services like Spotify as opposed to physically having them on their devices. We simply like to have more variety on the go, I’m positive you’re aware of this. Therefore, having my entire Spotify, Soundcloud etc libraries on my phone/devices is very unrealistic. Meaning I only have a finite amount of access to music to play on SONOS as opposed to infinite. But if this is the only hack available in my situation, I’ll try to work with this.
- As mentioned above, Spotify works for me via basic internet connection. SONOS works for me on this same internet connection when playing music via music stored on a device. So the issue seems to be the licensing relationship between the two companies. Something raised by Jeff S above. I’m just trying to see if this has moved on abit
- Such is the desperation to make SONOS work I wanted to see whether I needed to 'flout rules' just to enjoy streaming music through my speaker. Everyday people in the UK, and China, have internet issues. For the most part it’s easy to let it slide as one of life’s small issues. But when a product depends purely on it, knowing this is a common/everyday occurance, it feels like bit of a stubborn USP in my opinion. I think a degree of flexibility is crucial for a product to survive.
- Lastly, attitude only reflects badly on the SONOS community and the SONOS brand. If you too wanted this SONOS forum to become a place where others (some of whom use it as a last resort and cry for help) willingly share issues and information, it might be worth responding more like Jeff S. I will gladly accept your advice but not your attitudes, thank you. But I do hope the SONOS community continues to thrive.
One thing I did fail to mention, and it should have been mentioned so apologies for this, is that the main reason I invested in a new PLAY:1 and took my old one to China is BECAUSE SONOS has worked so perfectly for me in the past. And the reason I’m writing to the SONOS community is BECAUSE I want to make it work for me like that now. Whether that is through neat little hacks the community know of or whether SONOS themselves have the intention of solidifying their presence in China more, for an increased share of the market. I’m not here to c**p on them. I’m here to merely raise a voice from China, one year since the first comment in this thread.
For those new to this thread, apologies for the depth with which I’ve had to explain a few things. Hopefully a resolution can be sought soon.
In particular, BoredofBalham, I will try out some of the suggestions you made, thank you.
However I just need to clear up a few things;
- At no point did I state I actively knew I had bad internet connection, yet blindly bought SONOS as if it would magically work. I simply bought SONOS, like most general customers do and found out that my internet strength might be an issue through trying to play music through the speakers via Spotify and Soundcloud. To put things into context, streaming Spotify on my devices, through my internet connection here in China is absolutely fine. Surely I had the right to assume SONOS could facilitate streaming of this music to speakers set up as instructed. Another key thing to consider is that SONOS is marketing itself as a product for everybody, it’s not an elitist product. And not just for those who are aware of how many kbps their WiFi can upload/download at any given time.
- In 2016, a lot of people prefer to store playlists on services like Spotify as opposed to physically having them on their devices. We simply like to have more variety on the go, I’m positive you’re aware of this. Therefore, having my entire Spotify, Soundcloud etc libraries on my phone/devices is very unrealistic. Meaning I only have a finite amount of access to music to play on SONOS as opposed to infinite. But if this is the only hack available in my situation, I’ll try to work with this.
- As mentioned above, Spotify works for me via basic internet connection. SONOS works for me on this same internet connection when playing music via music stored on a device. So the issue seems to be the licensing relationship between the two companies. Something raised by Jeff S above. I’m just trying to see if this has moved on abit
- Such is the desperation to make SONOS work I wanted to see whether I needed to 'flout rules' just to enjoy streaming music through my speaker. Everyday people in the UK, and China, have internet issues. For the most part it’s easy to let it slide as one of life’s small issues. But when a product depends purely on it, knowing this is a common/everyday occurance, it feels like bit of a stubborn USP in my opinion. I think a degree of flexibility is crucial for a product to survive.
- Lastly, attitude only reflects badly on the SONOS community and the SONOS brand. If you too wanted this SONOS forum to become a place where others (some of whom use it as a last resort and cry for help) willingly share issues and information, it might be worth responding more like Jeff S. I will gladly accept your advice but not your attitudes, thank you. But I do hope the SONOS community continues to thrive.
One thing I did fail to mention, and it should have been mentioned so apologies for this, is that the main reason I invested in a new PLAY:1 and took my old one to China is BECAUSE SONOS has worked so perfectly for me in the past. And the reason I’m writing to the SONOS community is BECAUSE I want to make it work for me like that now. Whether that is through neat little hacks the community know of or whether SONOS themselves have the intention of solidifying their presence in China more, for an increased share of the market. I’m not here to c**p on them. I’m here to merely raise a voice from China, one year since the first comment in this thread.
For those new to this thread, apologies for the depth with which I’ve had to explain a few things. Hopefully a resolution can be sought soon.
I also have this problem, I bought sonos product, and I m stuck with the Spotify issue...
I use spotify everyday in Shanghai, I never had any problem, it s work very well, with 4G or with my internet connection which is optical fiber 200mo...
I saw that now we can use spotify connect, I can see my sonos system on spotify, but I can t play on it. that s suck !
The only solution I can see is to buy a Mac mini and plug it to the playbar to use spotify... really I don t understand why sonos lock spotify connection...
I can see that people have this trouble since 2015 and nothing happen .
Cheers
I use spotify everyday in Shanghai, I never had any problem, it s work very well, with 4G or with my internet connection which is optical fiber 200mo...
I saw that now we can use spotify connect, I can see my sonos system on spotify, but I can t play on it. that s suck !
The only solution I can see is to buy a Mac mini and plug it to the playbar to use spotify... really I don t understand why sonos lock spotify connection...
I can see that people have this trouble since 2015 and nothing happen .
Cheers
Spotify does work with sonos speakers in China. I've had my speaker for almost 2 years now and it's been working the whole time... But to say it works is one thing. The connection can be unstable at times, and the controller can be extremely slow to respond when searching for music. It is a massive frustration some days, and it really makes me wonder what it would be like to use this speaker in North America.
My suggestion is to use QQ音乐 as an alternative when Spotify isn't working so well. Yes it isn't ideal, but the connection should prove more responsive since its a China based streaming service. You might be surprised by the library as well.
My suggestion is to use QQ音乐 as an alternative when Spotify isn't working so well. Yes it isn't ideal, but the connection should prove more responsive since its a China based streaming service. You might be surprised by the library as well.
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