Question

Sonos One playing in Sonos app but not from Spotify app.

  • 14 August 2020
  • 8 replies
  • 1518 views

I have updated both the Sonos app and the Spotify apps on iPhone to the most recent versions.  With my Sonos One speakers, I can play Spotify normally through the Sonos app, but I cannot play Spotify on the Sonos speakers through the Spotify app.  When in the Spotify app, the Sonos speakers do not show up as options (only my Apple TV’s are showing up as options).  I have done all of the normal troubleshooting (restarting modem, restarting router, restarting phone, deleting and re-installing Spotify app), and I am still having the problem.  Any input or help is appreciated.  Thank you in advance. 


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8 replies

Userlevel 6
Badge +17

Hi @jrgiddyup.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out and starting with some basic troubleshooting steps.

I would like to ask if we can follow the guidelines and tips below.

  1. Can we try and play music from the Sonos app and while the music is playing, can we submit a diagnostic so we can have a baseline of the  Sonos normal operating diagnostics.

  2. Can we try to turn off and turn on the mobile controller and check if Sonos would show on the airplay capable devices?

  3. Can we take note of the following information so we can check our articles for any known issues?

    1. Modem make and model.

    2. Router make and model.

    3. Wifi Extender or Wifi Booster make and model.

    4. Mesh network make and model.

    5. Other non-Sonos devices connected to the network via a wired/ethernet connection.

    6. Other non-Sonos devices wirelessly connected to the network.

    7. Other Sonos devices connected to the network via a wired/ethernet connection.

    8. Other Sonos devices wirelessly connected to the network.

  4. What is the IOS version or software version of the controller?

Please let us know if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help,

Thanks,

1.Diagnostic confirmation number 2145551230

2.When you say restart “mobile controller”, does that mean restart iPhone, restart Sonos app, restart Spotify app? If any of the above, I have already done all of those things.​​​​​​​

3.Modem: Arris BGW210-700

Router: Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine Pro with Unifi NanoHD wireless access points x3

Other devices: wireless-Apple TV, MacBook pro x2, iPad x 2, 

ethernet-second Apple TV

two Sonos One speakers wireless

4.iOs version 13.5.1

 

Sonos App has always worked fine. Spotify app, when choosing a device to play music on, shows both Apple TV’s via Airplay but does not show the Sonos speakers.

 

Sonos speakers are on an IoT (internet of things) VLAN and iPhone/mobile controller is on the main LAN (different than IoT VLAN).  When mobile controller is on the main LAN, Sonos speakers show up in the Sonos app and can play Spotify music to the speakers.  However, the Sonos speakers are not visible in the Spotify app when choosing a device to broadcast music to.  If you put the iPhone/mobile controller on the IoT VLAN (same VLAN as Sonos speakers), then the Sonos speakers show up in the Spotify app as devices that you can broadcast music to.  All recommended ports (based on the support article on the Sonos site) have been opened for the firewall between the two VLANS.  

Clearly, even when the iPhone is on a different VLAN than the speakers, they can still be discovered and used by the Sonos app to play Spotify music (which means that it’s not an issue with the Sonos speakers being on a different VLAN from the mobile controller since they DO work in this configuration as long as you use the Sonos app).  A lot of time and effort was spent making sure that the firewall and router were configured properly to make this work. However, with the same exact situation of the iPhone being on a different VLAN than the Sonos speakers (where the Sonos app still works fine and sees the speakers without any issue even though they are on different VLANs), the Spotify app cannot discover the speakers (but if you put the iPhone on the same VLAN as the Sonos speakers, the Spotify app “sees” the Sonos speakers).  Thus, I am assuming it has something to do with how the Spotify app “discovers” the Sonos speakers, but it is NOT an issue with the speakers being on a different VLAN than the iPhone because when the iPhone is on a different VLAN than the Sonos speakers, the Sonos app can “discover/see” the Sonos speakers without any problems and play music from Spotify to the Sonos speakers without any problem.

 

Any further help with getting this to work properly is greatly appreciated.  I know the above might sound confusing so please let me know if you have any further questions about the configuration that I am using.  Thank you again for your help.

Userlevel 6
Badge +17

Hi @jrgiddyup.

Thanks for your immediate and detailed response.

The diagnostic submitted clearly showed multiple router/Access points with the same WiFi name your Sonos system is connected to which may also include the controller jumping from one access point to the other depending on which it deemed to be a more reliable internet connection from a position at any given point in time. These mesh networks if not configured properly would not allow local communication in-between devices but would definitely allow internet connection at all times. The Sonos system needs both in order to work properly as it needs to communicate to the controller and other Sonos devices (locally), the music services server, and the Sonos server at all times. 

I would recommend reaching out to the manufacturer of the access point and check of which options you may choose to best fit your system.

  • Have each access point have their own unique Wifi name as so you and your mobile controller don do not get confused about what and where to connect to access your Sonos system.
  • Disable Wifi Capabilities of the Main router that provides connection directly to your ISP or internet provider.
  • Disable the DHCP or IP-address generation of the Access point and only allow the main router to generate the IP-addresses to avoid IP-address mismatch or ip-address duplicates.
  • Wire a Sonos device to one of the routers/access points to get them to stay on a single network (having each access point have their own unique WiFi names).

I hope this helps.

Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

Your answer does not explain though why everything works PERFECTLY if using the Sonos app to play music to the Sonos speakers from Spotify.  The only issue is trying to get the SPOTIFY APP to discover the Sonos speakers.  

Your response makes sense if the Sonos speakers did not work at all.  However, they work completely fine as long as you use the Sonos app to play Spotify music on them.  The issue is getting the SPOTIFY APP to “see” the Sonos speakers when using the Spotify app and not the Sonos app.

I am thinking this is an issue with Airplay and/or Airplay 2.  The Sonos speakers do not show up using Airplay (which is how the iPhone Control Center and probably the Spotify App discover the speakers).  The Sonos App is discovering them via wifi (which is why they can see them across VLANs).  However, there is likely some issue with Airplay and Bonjour which is causing the Spotify App and the iPhone to not be able to discover the Sonos speakers.  Do you have any information on the Airplay portion of the Sonos system and what (if any) ports need to be allowed for the Sonos speakers to get picked up via Bonjour/Airplay?

Userlevel 6
Badge +17

Hi @jrgiddyup.

Thank you for the immediate response. 

Casting and Airplay 2 are 2 different methods of playing music using direct control but have the result. Airplay 2 is only exclusive to Apple devices while casting is a feature via the App itself which is available on both Android and Apple devices. Your Sonos devices ( Sonos Ones) are both Airplay 2 capable and direct control capable. Now if we are having issues of controlling your Sonos system using either Airplay 2 or direct control (casting) there might be an issue with the networking devices as these types of controls are not the same with the Sonso App. I would recommend contacting our technical support team for more in-depth troubleshooting steps since based on the diagnostic previously submitted, there are no issues with your Sonos system. My concerns are the settings and configurations of the router or access points that differ from one to another. They have capabilities to set up a screen sharing session for them to take a look into the router settings and check what might be causing the problem.

Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

Hello, i have the same problem since i update my iPhone ios. seems like it started with the new release of ios 14 did you find a solution to this? 

Thank you

Userlevel 6
Badge +17

Hi @Intergalaktic.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out to us. I understand that you’re having issues with your Sonos system. let me help out.

I would like to ask some questions to better understand what is going on and how to proceed.

  • Can you give a brief description of what the issue is?
  • What Works and what doesn’t work?
  • What music service are we trying to play music from?
  • Do other music services work?
  • What controller are we using?
  • Do we have the same issue if we use a different mobile controller (only if you have another available mobile controller to make use of)?
  • Can we try rebooting the controller by turning it off and turning it back on after 2-3 mins?
  • Can we try rebooting the router by unplugging the device from power and plugging it back in after 10-15 seconds? (do not use the power button)
  • Once the internet connection has been restored, can we try rebooting the Sonos devices as well by unplugging it from power and plugging it back in after 10-15 seconds? (starting with the Sonos device wired to the router if applicable)
  • Can we submit a diagnostic after 2-3 minutes of the issue re-occurring so we can check what is going on?

The more information you provide, the more we can have a better understanding of what is going on and how to proceed. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,