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.

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Show previous replies

ratty

No mention of it being impossible.

Apart from this statement in the OP:

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.

jgatie

Next you'll be saying Apple develop iOS... Talk about stating the obvious. You've missed the point. If it is Google preventing them, they should spell it out loud and clear. But they don't. Instead just some waffle about how it's getting increasingly hard to support it. No mention of it being impossible.

I believe you are only seeing what you wish to see. Sonos has quite clearly stated, right in this very thread, that it is incompatible with newer versions of Android. That’s far less waffling than usual from Sonos, who often go out of their way to not throw other companies under the bus. If your only gripe is they do not mention Google by name, well I suggest you just assume they mean Google and let it go.

melvimbe

There are no lazy insults or name calling coming from this callsign.

You’ve referred to those who share a different view on the matter as “Sonos worshippers” or “Sonos apologize”, which is a clear attempt to minimize views of others. It’s lazy.

The obvious benefit for Sonos is that it's one less thing for them to worry about and divert resources to. They spelled it out loud and clear with the introduction of Bluetooth enabled speakers and New search, that their focus is on connectivity with streaming platforms. It really is a step backwards for customers with personal music libraries. You can't search it in New search and you can't play music from your Android device. I think it's inevitable at some stage in the future that they'll pull the plug on NAS support and advise anyone effected to buy a Sonos Bluetooth enabled speaker.

I don’t follow why local library support isn’t included in the new search feature, and it could very well be a sign that Sonos is moving away from local libraries. However, despite the lower volume of local library users, seems to be a core of users, and the original feature, so I’m not sure that Sonos is really ready to drop the feature. I don’t think they will any time soon, but it certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

Bluetooth, on the other hand, is clearly added because customers have been asking for it since Sonos existed. It is definitely not added as a replacement for local libraries.

Danny

Ken_Griffiths

@RJSUK,

You have mentioned that the App "Hi Fi Cast - can cast music from my devices to my Sonos speakers” - so just use that App, which is a ‘player’ and not a ‘remote’ like the Sonos App - I don’t see what the issue is if you have a solution already?

I assume Sonos do not need to compete in this area at the moment. My guess is that Sonos have looked at their users that use this feature on their android devices and decided that it’s not currently viable to create a player to do this. That’s not to say it will not ever happen, but the demand perhaps is not there at the moment

I still use a NAS myself, but admittedly I use my own locally stored music less and less in comparison to streaming audio from Amazon, Apple and other sources.

Locally held media I no longer use, thanks to the streaming services:

VHS Tapes, Blu-ray Discs, CD’s, Vinyl, Audio Cassette tapes, MP3 players…

I have just moved on, my children have no locally held (owned) media that I can think of, it’s all leased and online.

J

Johnny Lundberg

Contributor I

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.

I will be selling my Sonos music system as I´m not happy with not being able to play the many hundred titels I have on my Samsung phone.

Airgetlam

Better to sell your Samsung phone, since it is Android (Google) who made this change that forced Sonos to remove this. Apple made the same change to iOS years ago, so no relief getting an iPhone, either.

Bruce

Ken_Griffiths

I will be selling my Sonos music system as I´m not happy with not being able to play the many hundred titels I have on my Samsung phone.

…or you could just use any decent UPnP player/App to play your mobile-stored tracks to Sonos? Or perhaps, simply upload the tracks to the iBroadcast service and stream them to any/all your speakers from that in-built MSP service?

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