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Ryan S
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.
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      353 replies

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      ltyler
      Lyricist III
      September 27, 2019

      Here is an idea. Why doesn't Sonos set up a 'Streaming Service' which is free to use for its customers with their device in order that they can play their music from their own device easier? Problem Solved
      Why should they, when Google Play Music already does it?

      1) Because Sonos have a duty of care to it's customers. 2) People do not like giving Google their data as it is sold on to the other lot of big corp who want to sell you stuff. 3) Because with Google Play you still have to use a middle manager to upload your content from IOS to Goole Play. If you regularly buy music then this has to be repeated time and time again. How laborious. 4) Because you could simply log onto to the Sonos streaming using the same log on as you use for this site....

      You want any more?
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      John B
      September 27, 2019


      Here is an idea. Why doesn't Sonos set up a 'Streaming Service' which is free to use for its customers with their device in order that they can play their music from their own device easier? Problem SolvedWhy should they, when Google Play Music already does it?      1) Because Sonos have a duty of care to it's customers. 2) People do not like giving Google their data as it is sold on to the other lot of big corp who want to sell you stuff. 3) Because with Google Play you still have to use a middle manager to upload your content from IOS to Goole Play. If you regularly buy music then this has to be repeated time and time again. How laborious. 4) Because you could simply log onto to the Sonos streaming using the same log on as you use for this site....

      You want any more?
      Well, one single, sensible and valid reason would be good.
      Translate
      ltyler
      Lyricist III
      September 27, 2019



      Here is an idea. Why doesn't Sonos set up a 'Streaming Service' which is free to use for its customers with their device in order that they can play their music from their own device easier? Problem SolvedWhy should they, when Google Play Music already does it?      1) Because Sonos have a duty of care to it's customers. 2) People do not like giving Google their data as it is sold on to the other lot of big corp who want to sell you stuff. 3) Because with Google Play you still have to use a middle manager to upload your content from IOS to Goole Play. If you regularly buy music then this has to be repeated time and time again. How laborious. 4) Because you could simply log onto to the Sonos streaming using the same log on as you use for this site....

      You want any more?      Well, one single, sensible and valid reason would be good.

      You got four already
      Translate
      John B
      September 27, 2019
      1) Duty of care doesn't mean provide yet another option when there are plenty of practical ones already. Sonos is a speaker manufacturer.
      2) Privacy can be protected if you want. Sonos aren't responsible for paranoia
      3) Life can be tough
      4) Ditto. But I think you can stay logged into GPM anyway
      Translate
      John B
      September 27, 2019
      No reasonable person could think there was a snowball's chance in Hell of Sonos being distracted by this sort of development for just a trivial gain.
      Translate
      ltyler
      Lyricist III
      September 27, 2019
      1) Duty of care doesn't mean provide yet another option when there are plenty of practical ones already. Sonos is a speaker manufacturer.
      2) Privacy can be protected if you want. Sonos aren't responsible for paranoia -
      3) Life can be tough.
      4) Ditto. But I think you can stay logged into GPM anyway
      R1) Yes. They are a speaker manufacturer who sold devices to Apple Customers who said you could play content from your device straight to the speaker. Now this is not possible they need to remedy this. The easiest way would be for them to develop my idea.
      R2) It is not paranoia. Read up on it. Privacy through Google and Amazon and Facebook is never safe. There have been several data breaches last year alone.
      R3) Yes life is tough. But "tech" shouldn't be. You don't buy an apple iphone because it is difficult to use! That would be a one way ticket to administration
      R4) It isn't about staying logged in... it is about only having to share your data with Sonos and not adding another third party into the mix.
      Translate
        ltyler
        Lyricist III
        September 27, 2019
        No reasonable person could think there was a snowball's chance in Hell of Sonos being distracted by this sort of development for just a trivial gain.
        You think keeping customers happy.... the millions that own an apple device "trivial?"... I do hope that you do not have a customer base. It's unlikely you do with that mentality.
        Translate
          jgatie
          jgatie
          September 27, 2019

          You think keeping customers happy.... the millions that own an apple device "trivial?"... I do hope that you do not have a customer base. It's unlikely you do with that mentality.


          Millions? As has been discussed, streaming of local libraries is only 7% of the usage on Sonos. Approximately 50% of those are iOS users. What portion of those are "On this iDevice" users is unknown, but given that the original use case for Sonos was streaming from a PC/Mac/NAS, it is most certainly less than 100%.

          As to a free streaming platform, Sonos is a small company, and maintaining a free streaming platform for such a small benefit would bankrupt them. After all, that's why Google sells your data. Besides, Sonos already offers a solution, the same solution they had long before "On this iDevice" existed. Set up a file share on a PC/Mac or NAS (which can be as inexpensive as a < $20 thumb drive connected to your router).
          Translate
          ltyler
          Lyricist III
          September 27, 2019

          You think keeping customers happy.... the millions that own an apple device "trivial?"... I do hope that you do not have a customer base. It's unlikely you do with that mentality.
          Millions? As has been discussed, streaming of local libraries is only 7% of the usage on Sonos. Approximately 50% of those are iOS users. What portion of those are "On this iDevice" users is unknown, but given that the original use case for Sonos was streaming from a PC/Mac/NAS, it is most certainly less than 100%.

          As to a free streaming platform, Sonos is a small company, and maintaining a free streaming platform for such a small benefit would bankrupt them. After all, that's why Google sells your data. Besides, Sonos already offers a solution, the same solution they had long before "On this iDevice" existed. Set up a file share on a PC/Mac or NAS (which can be as inexpensive as a < $20 thumb drive connected to your router).

          Just because the stats have been discussed it does not mean it is fact. I would like to see where this data has come from. Links please? (to the actual data and not someone saying exactly what you said above).

          It doesn't have to be a streaming service. Note the 'quotation marks' hinting at it being in name only. As I said after my initial post the service could be set up in a way that allows you to add 'your own content only' by adding as a service on the app. This way there is only a small development cost and would bypass the apple changes.

          You are assuming everyone has a computer or NAS or wants to have to go through a drawn out process to sync their music library everytime they purchase new music on their device. People want convenience. Especially when they have been sold this.
          Translate
          jgatie
          jgatie
          September 27, 2019
          Sonos has stated the 7% figure. Believe them or not, I don't care.

          As to not going through the "a drawn out process to sync their music library everytime (sic) they purchase new music on their device", wouldn't the same process be required with a Sonos supplied 'streaming solution'? Doesn't that also fail your convenience requirement?
          Translate
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