Skip to main content
Ryan S
Retired Sonos Staff
August 20, 2019

'On this iPhone or iPad' No Longer Available

Related content:Software
Starting today, the ‘On this iPhone or iPad’ feature will no longer be available in the Sonos app. There are still many ways to play your locally saved music library to Sonos and control it from your iOS device, including some good free options.

We first launched ‘On this iPhone or iPad’ in 2012 as an option to play locally saved content from your iOS device before Apple AirPlay was available on Sonos. The way this feature was originally designed has become unreliable with newer versions of iOS and Sonos.

The best way to play the music stored on your phone to Sonos is now by using Apple AirPlay 2 on compatible Sonos speakers (Sonos One, Amp, Beam, Play:5 (Gen 2), Playbase, and SYMFONISK WiFi Speakers). Using AirPlay 2, you can send the audio to one of these products and use the Sonos app to group it with any other Sonos rooms to have them all playing in sync. You can find more information about using AirPlay 2 with Sonos here.

For people who don’t have AirPlay 2 capable Sonos products, additional options to play tracks that are stored on your phone to Sonos include:
  1. Uploading your tracks to a music service with a storage feature, such as Apple Music or Google Play Music. These services will store your library and allow you to stream it anywhere. This is a great option if you have songs that aren’t available on a subscription based streaming service. Also, Google Play Music has a free account option that allows you to upload 50,000 tracks and play them which works with Sonos.
  2. Setting up a Music Library share on a Computer or Network Attached Storage drive. You’d need to have the computer or local drive available when you want to play music, but your library would be easy to transfer to these devices, if it isn’t already on them.
  3. Streaming the catalog from a music service. There are more than 100 music services available on Sonos, many with several millions of songs.
  4. Android mobile devices will continue to have access to the ‘On this device’ feature. If you have an Android phone or tablet, ‘Playing music stored on your Android device’ to Sonos is a great option.
  5. If you have a Sonos Play:5, Connect, Connect:Amp, or Amp, you'll 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. You could even look into connecting a Bluetooth or AirPlay receiving device to that line in to use your mobile device without needing to wire it in to the line-in. See more about 'Using the Line-In on Sonos' here.
With the first three options, your phone doesn’t need to be turned on to listen to your music, and the music will keep on playing even if your phone is off or leaves the house. There are also alarm and Sonos playlist features that are available for most music sources that aren't available from 'On this iPhone'.

More about how to ‘Play music stored on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch’ is on our support pages.

We'll continue to support everyone through this change, and will help them set up the necessary workarounds to keep listening to their 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.

    353 replies

    Ken_Griffiths
    December 23, 2019

    True, it’s been a while. I keep trying to find ways to access and get frustrated and give up. And get more dispirited and sad and angry about it. I appreciate your answering so I now know it’s gone for good. What a huge loss. 

    I will attempt to set up Airplay protocol. It just doesn’t seem right to put customers through all these hoops.

    See these links…

    Using AirPlay with Sonos

    How to AirPlay Audio

    Lyricist I
    December 23, 2019

    Thank you, Ken.

    Avid Contributor I
    December 25, 2019

    Has creating playlists gotten any easier in the windows controller? It always seemed difficult. I’ve had a speaker in storage so I haven’t used Sonos in a while. 

    Lyricist II
    December 27, 2019

    Thx to all for the insights, very helpful. Again, whilst I do understand that it was Apples decision, Sonos marketed their feature to play music from an iPhone and the speakers are not cheap at all. You cannot blame it all on the others and be surprised about all the frustration you see here. What you expect. So if it‘s all about iOS, two questions:

    1. I need ONE newer Sonos speaker which is Airplay compatible (what models pls?) and I can play/stream my local iPhone sound out of the Music App across ALL speakers, also older ones?
    2. Is there an Android App which has a „play on this Android“ feature?

     

    106rallye
    December 27, 2019

    AirPlay 2 is supported on Sonos One, Sonos Beam, Sonos Playbase, Sonos AMP, Sonos Port , and the second-generation Play:5. The two Ikea Symfonisk speakers are also Airplay 2 capable. The Symfonisk Bookshelf speaker is the cehapest option to get Airplay 2 to you Sonos system using Sonos devices.

    As long as you have one of the AirPlay 2 supported speakers, you can group the rest of your Sonos system with it and play your music throughout the entire house. One caveat: if you have only one Airplay capable speaker, only one user at a time can use that to Airplay to a group.

    I'm not an Androis user, but as I understand it you can still play from an Android Phone (or tablet) like you used to do from an iPhone.

    By the way: did you explore the Google Music Free option?

    Lyricist II
    December 27, 2019

    thx. Makes perfect sense regarding one user per Airplay stream, that‘s totally fine as long as I can group with older speakers.

    I assume there are no retrofit possibilities for older speakers nor any special upgrade offers?

     

     

    106rallye
    December 27, 2019

    Sorry, no retrofit. Upgrade offers only on older Sonos stuff, see https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939850/sonos-trade-up-program-connect-play-products-discount-offer

    Please pay attention: the upgrade will lead to a deactivation of the product you’ve chosen to upgrade/replace. Seeing it’s the holiday season, some better offers may be around. Ikea Symfonisk is still the cheapest option.

    Lyricist I
    December 28, 2019

    Why can’t SONOS just provide this ONE feature that many of us iOS users bought them to do - that is what was advertised when I decided to go all in with SONOS - I have 10 speakers and a connect amp - What is so hard to comply when they kept it for Android users - So disappointed!

    Senior Virtuoso
    December 28, 2019

    Johnny A, You have a One, so can Airplay to that. And you could connect via the line in on your Play:5. Less convenient, but viable. 

    Contributor I
    December 30, 2019

    Funny how all these people say “There is a solution” yet none of they say what the solutions is….  All require spending money either for a subscription or new hardware. The people that buy this expensive hardware value their time greatly. When you make them spend time researching issues, they also spend time researching other options, as I will be doing. That is how long term customer leave for good.

    Sonos has failed.  Their stock came public at $20, dropped below $10 and now sits at $15…  I have a friend who works for Sonos, When Sonos was going public, I told them to stay away from the stock.  The company keeps failing on the user interface and now this issue. Sonos has failed their customers and is failing as a public company.