Retired Sonos Staff

‘On this Device’ for Android controller no longer supported

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Starting May 23rd, 2023, the Sonos S1 and S2 controller for Android will no longer support the ‘On this Device’ feature for streaming locally saved audio files directly to Sonos devices.

As newer versions of mobile operating systems are released, it can sometimes change the way information is shared between devices, and this feature will no longer be compatible with newer versions of the Android operating system.

While this feature will no longer be available in the app, we know local audio files are important to our listeners and we’ll continue to offer other options to enjoy downloaded tracks on Sonos, including:

Streaming the catalog from a music service. There are more than 100 music services available on Sonos, many with several millions of songs.

See our article on 'Adding music services' to get started.

Some music services allow you to upload your own music files to a cloud storage service like YouTube Music for example, which allows for an upload of up to 100,000 files with a free account. Services that allow you to upload files to a cloud storage:

Streaming through music services or cloud storage allows you to access your music without your phone.

You can play music files from your Android device to a supported Sonos product using Bluetooth.

See more about 'Using Bluetooth on Sonos' here.

Setting up a Music Library share on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive. You’d need to have the drive available in your network when you want to play music, but your library would be easy to transfer to these devices, if it isn’t already on them.

See our article on 'Using a NAS drive with Sonos' to get started.

If you have a Sonos Play:5, Connect, Connect:Amp, Amp, Era 100 or Era 300 (with the Line-In dongle), you have a Sonos player with a Line-In connection. Using that Line-In, you can play music directly from any device connected to it, to any player around the house.

See more about 'Using the Line-In on Sonos' here.

We'll continue to support everyone through this change, and will help you through the necessary steps to keep listening to your favorite tracks on Sonos.

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

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V

v_b

Lyricist I

Can you elaborate on what changes on the Android platform that makes it impossible to do this in future releases?

What about other (on-device) music-playing apps, are they affected as well? If not, could there be a workaround by means of an DLNA player as App?

I doubt Sonos wants to get into a technical discussion with customers about how the feature used to work, what exactly changed, who is to blame, what Sonos could possible due to re-enable, their management decisions to not pursue that, etc.

… but user-centered development means to take user’s positions and needs into account rather than just doing what is possible…

Even though it might not be understandable for California-based developers and marketing people: there is still a market for people that expect systems to work even when no internet connection is available. (This is also related to the annoying fact that there is basically no free radio service in the Sonos ecosystem that does NOT play annoying advertisements when starting a new stream).

I doubt Sonos is basing this decision on random guesses or polling their friends about about how people are using their speakers and what sort of content they are playing. But it is understandable if you don’t want to use a cloud service and opt for one of the many other options.

I don’t have the drive and time to delve deep into this, but there are enough studies and surveys about differences in privacy perception, user needs etc. between different parts of the world (see for example https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/07/29/the-privacy-mindset-of-the-eu-vs-the-us/).

So it would be much appreciated to keep such offline functionalities with as little additional devices as possible (i.e. NO additional NAS as data source).

… additional device, additional power consumption - that’s not how we should argue in an era where people are adviced to safe energy wherever possible.

What sort of additional energy consumption are you thinking that using bluetooth or a wired connection are going to have. I can understand if you don’t currently own a Sonos speaker with bluetooth or aux input and don’t have a router with USB port to stick a thumb drive into, but I’m not aware that these methods would draw more power than sending audio from android to device to Sonos speaker over WiFi.

Simple story: right now I can select a song on my phone and play it anywhere at home on one of my Sonos speakers.

Using the NAS approach, I need to 1) buy a NAS and b) operate it (probably 24/7, which makes me consume more energy than before
Using Bluetooth I need to own a BT-enabled SONOS speaker (not the case) and am restricted to stay within the range of the BT connection (< 10 m)
Using an AUX cable, I am restricted even more to a range of 1.5-3 m (depending on the cable) AND need a speaker that still has this input option.

jgatie

One might note that the iOS version of this feature being discontinued hit 10 pages in about the same amount of time this thread hasn’t even hit a full single page, and that decision was never reversed. So regardless whether one thinks this removal of functionality is legitimate, or based on a crazy, fever induced, down-the-rabbit-hole conspiracy cooked up by the evil masterminds at Sonos, one can use that iOS thread to reliably predict the possibility of it being rescinded is slim to none, and slim has left the building.

One would surely have better use for the current and future energy to be spent bemoaning the issue in this thread, for the ultimate futility of that energy expenditure is plain as day.

melvimbe

Can you elaborate on what changes on the Android platform that makes it impossible to do this in future releases?

What about other (on-device) music-playing apps, are they affected as well? If not, could there be a workaround by means of an DLNA player as App?

I doubt Sonos wants to get into a technical discussion with customers about how the feature used to work, what exactly changed, who is to blame, what Sonos could possible due to re-enable, their management decisions to not pursue that, etc.

… but user-centered development means to take user’s positions and needs into account rather than just doing what is possible…

Which has nothing to do with explaining all the tech and decision making that goes into implementing or removing a feature to users.

Even though it might not be understandable for California-based developers and marketing people: there is still a market for people that expect systems to work even when no internet connection is available. (This is also related to the annoying fact that there is basically no free radio service in the Sonos ecosystem that does NOT play annoying advertisements when starting a new stream).

I doubt Sonos is basing this decision on random guesses or polling their friends about about how people are using their speakers and what sort of content they are playing. But it is understandable if you don’t want to use a cloud service and opt for one of the many other options.

I don’t have the drive and time to delve deep into this, but there are enough studies and surveys about differences in privacy perception, user needs etc. between different parts of the world (see for example https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/07/29/the-privacy-mindset-of-the-eu-vs-the-us/).

Again, I don’t think Sonos made this decision by just polling their friends. They have data on how there speakers are used, which may or may not line up with your research. It’s not like they removed the only way to use Sonos without cloud streaming services.

So it would be much appreciated to keep such offline functionalities with as little additional devices as possible (i.e. NO additional NAS as data source).

… additional device, additional power consumption - that’s not how we should argue in an era where people are adviced to safe energy wherever possible.

What sort of additional energy consumption are you thinking that using bluetooth or a wired connection are going to have. I can understand if you don’t currently own a Sonos speaker with bluetooth or aux input and don’t have a router with USB port to stick a thumb drive into, but I’m not aware that these methods would draw more power than sending audio from android to device to Sonos speaker over WiFi.

Simple story: right now I can select a song on my phone and play it anywhere at home on one of my Sonos speakers.

Using the NAS approach, I need to 1) buy a NAS and b) operate it (probably 24/7, which makes me consume more energy than before
Using Bluetooth I need to own a BT-enabled SONOS speaker (not the case) and am restricted to stay within the range of the BT connection (< 10 m)
Using an AUX cable, I am restricted even more to a range of 1.5-3 m (depending on the cable) AND need a speaker that still has this input option.

NAS is the only thing you mentioned about energy consumption which can be a USB drive on your router, or even the computer you already. Yes, you have to turn it on to use it.

As far as the restrictions on distance, yes you are restricted, but they are options. You aren’t restricted to play only files either, which is plus. I don’t think Sonos is saying these other options are 100% equivalent to playing files off android, with the same benefits and drawbacks and should appeal to everyone equally.

Danny

D

Duke2k

Lyricist II

One might note that the iOS version of this feature being discontinued hit 10 pages in about the same amount of time this thread hasn’t even hit a full single page, and that decision was never reversed. So regardless whether one thinks this removal of functionality is legitimate, or based on a crazy, fever induced, down-the-rabbit-hole conspiracy cooked up by the evil masterminds at Sonos, one can use that iOS thread to reliably predict the possibility of it being rescinded is slim to none, and slim has left the building.

One would surely have better use for the current and future energy to be spent bemoaning the issue in this thread, for the ultimate futility of that energy expenditure is plain as day.

I don´t agree. Just remember the ** they faced and their reaction about “abandoning devices”. They also revised their way forward (a bit).

*Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.*

D

Duke2k

Lyricist II

Can you elaborate on what changes on the Android platform that makes it impossible to do this in future releases?

What about other (on-device) music-playing apps, are they affected as well? If not, could there be a workaround by means of an DLNA player as App?

I doubt Sonos wants to get into a technical discussion with customers about how the feature used to work, what exactly changed, who is to blame, what Sonos could possible due to re-enable, their management decisions to not pursue that, etc.

… but user-centered development means to take user’s positions and needs into account rather than just doing what is possible…

Which has nothing to do with explaining all the tech and decision making that goes into implementing or removing a feature to users.

Even though it might not be understandable for California-based developers and marketing people: there is still a market for people that expect systems to work even when no internet connection is available. (This is also related to the annoying fact that there is basically no free radio service in the Sonos ecosystem that does NOT play annoying advertisements when starting a new stream).

I doubt Sonos is basing this decision on random guesses or polling their friends about about how people are using their speakers and what sort of content they are playing. But it is understandable if you don’t want to use a cloud service and opt for one of the many other options.

I don’t have the drive and time to delve deep into this, but there are enough studies and surveys about differences in privacy perception, user needs etc. between different parts of the world (see for example https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/07/29/the-privacy-mindset-of-the-eu-vs-the-us/).

Again, I don’t think Sonos made this decision by just polling their friends. They have data on how there speakers are used, which may or may not line up with your research. It’s not like they removed the only way to use Sonos without cloud streaming services.

So it would be much appreciated to keep such offline functionalities with as little additional devices as possible (i.e. NO additional NAS as data source).

… additional device, additional power consumption - that’s not how we should argue in an era where people are adviced to safe energy wherever possible.

What sort of additional energy consumption are you thinking that using bluetooth or a wired connection are going to have. I can understand if you don’t currently own a Sonos speaker with bluetooth or aux input and don’t have a router with USB port to stick a thumb drive into, but I’m not aware that these methods would draw more power than sending audio from android to device to Sonos speaker over WiFi.

Simple story: right now I can select a song on my phone and play it anywhere at home on one of my Sonos speakers.

Using the NAS approach, I need to 1) buy a NAS and b) operate it (probably 24/7, which makes me consume more energy than before
Using Bluetooth I need to own a BT-enabled SONOS speaker (not the case) and am restricted to stay within the range of the BT connection (< 10 m)
Using an AUX cable, I am restricted even more to a range of 1.5-3 m (depending on the cable) AND need a speaker that still has this input option.

NAS is the only thing you mentioned about energy consumption which can be a USB drive on your router, or even the computer you already. Yes, you have to turn it on to use it.

As far as the restrictions on distance, yes you are restricted, but they are options. You aren’t restricted to play only files either, which is plus. I don’t think Sonos is saying these other options are 100% equivalent to playing files off android, with the same benefits and drawbacks and should appeal to everyone equally.

No they surely didn´t poll their friends. It´s surely a 100% business decision because it shall makes people buy their BT devices to be able to direct play again. Furthermore it supports other use cases that Sonos emphasizes.
It sucks big time that they can take features away compared to the time that you bought this stuff.

Hence my question: Does this come with an update or is this already implemented in my current app and gets just disabled when we reach the 23rd? If first case applies, one could simply not update and continue. If it´s a timed action, then someone should take legal action.

buzz

Grand Maestro

In this modern era, buried in the user agreement, is the fact that we don’t own any of the underlying intellectual property and our use of it is at the whim of the property owners. While this is the way that the tech world works at this point, I don’t like it. I use as much public domain stuff as possible. And, I will send contributions to support Shareware products that don’t bludgeon me with advertising.

Regarding this specific issue, I don’t keep any of my music on a phone/pad/computer and therefore I’m not affected. For me, the best feature of SONOS has been that I don’t need to have a phone/pad/computer managing music play on a second by second basis. I start the music using whatever device is nearby, then I can shut down the device while the music plays.

jgatie

I don´t agree. Just remember the shitstorm they faced and their reaction about “abandoning devices”. They also revised their way forward (a bit).

Of course you don’t agree. Care to wager a brand new Era 300 on the outcome? I’ll give it 5 years, if the bemoaning isn’t futile and they reverse the decision, I’ll buy you a brand new Era 300 or (its future equivalent). Otherwise, you owe me the same. Is it a bet?

melvimbe

No they surely didn´t poll their friends. It´s surely a 100% business decision because it shall makes people buy their BT devices to be able to direct play again. Furthermore it supports other use cases that Sonos emphasizes.
It sucks big time that they can take features away compared to the time that you bought this stuff.

I don’t think you can ignore the costs that they have to incur to maintain existing features, either to work with other company software, like Google, or to protect from malware threats. And that’s assuming that it is even possible to get these feature to work with whatever android code is coming out and some level of effort that doesn’t take away from other features. I tend to think that is more of the decision factor than trying to force customers to replace existing features with new products. Honestly, I would think that about most companies, not just Sonos...the big companies that have major leverage over markets being the exceptions.

Danny

melvimbe

In this modern era, buried in the user agreement, is the fact that we don’t own any of the underlying intellectual property and our use of it is at the whim of the property owners. While this is the way that the tech world works at this point, I don’t like it. I use as much public domain stuff as possible. And, I will send contributions to support Shareware products that don’t bludgeon me with advertising.

I don’t think anybody really likes this, not even the property owners. Back in the day when there was just PCs and Macs, no internet software updates, not much integration, and viruses were rare...you could write software and be pretty confident that features would work indefinitely on the software it was designed for. Of course, now, you have more OS with different versions, everything interfacing and connected with all the malicious threats. You can’t guarantee what works now will work tomorrow as everything changes around the code you own.

Perhaps making matters worse, we no longer (rarely) pay for software in either a one time fee or recurring subscription. These are ‘free’ with cost effectively embedded in the associated hardware with expectation that future hardware sales will pay for future software maintenance/enhancements indefinitely.

Danny

D

Duke2k

Lyricist II

I don´t agree. Just remember the ** they faced and their reaction about “abandoning devices”. They also revised their way forward (a bit).

Of course you don’t agree. Care to wager a brand new Era 300 on the outcome? I’ll give it 5 years, if the bemoaning isn’t futile and they reverse the decision, I’ll buy you a brand new Era 300 or (its future equivalent). Otherwise, you owe me the same. Is it a bet?

The disagreement was related to “it´s generally useless”. It maybe doesn´t turn out in a good way. But if you don´t try, you have lost already...

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