Add Chromecast built-in Integration

Why would a person who has decided Sonos is not for everybody be posting long drama laden missives on a Sonos site lamenting the fact that Sonos is not for everybody?

Why would a person say X, when they have already decided X? Sounds consistent to me..

No drama though. I am not the OP. (Would you consider your dismissal of OP's issues to be speaking for him?) I'm simply weighing in on a post I have seen CONSTANTLY posted for years now.

I think the community's usual response is lacking, as I already explained (I understand it was too long for you).

We shouldn't be telling people they can do all the same things without Chromecast, or Bluetooth, or WISA, or Audio Pro, or Q-Symphony, or any other protocol. There are some things that cannot be done. Whether they matter to you or not is not the issue. They may matter to others, and they deserve the information to make that decision for themselves.

These features are also, as I have already made clear, not coming. So telling people to hold on or having representatives inform people they've forwarded their idea to the team in any hopeful capacity is absurd, as if they had never before thought of adding Chromecast. It's nothing more than a strategy to get people to invest in the Sonos ecosystem and keep them there.

Now I'm really going to blow your mind:

I'm not a big Chromecast guy.

But if it's important to you, if you want to control multi-room speakers from Google Home or a hub, don't buy Sonos. They aren't speakers to supplement your ecosystem. They're a competing ecosystem. A closed-wall garden around multi-room in an era increasingly aware of wireless functionality.

But if that's you, don't worry either. Google could buy Sonos a thousand times over if they ever feel the need. There will be plenty of very capable Chromecast speakers going forward.

As I said before, basically every active speaker at this point, outside of Sonos, will have Chromecast (usually alongside multiple other protocols).

Sonos has the first-mover advantage and a comprehensive line. They're trying their best to leverage this as long as they can.

If the Sonos ecosystem works for you, you won't be disappointed in the sound.

If not, like in the case of OP, look elsewhere..

Not sure why you would absolutely need Chromecast when Spotify has Spotify Connect and other streaming services have comparable ways of streaming to Sonos. Even I, an Apple user, mostly stream music using the Sonos app.

I have two examples in my last post alone.

Some people need Chromecast for cohesion. Or maybe they simply prefer that UI. It's not for us to tell people what they want or to tell people what they want is not valid. It's toxic behavior.

I don't use Chromecast, but I completely understand when Google Home users buy something else. In fact, I encourage it.

There is no need for this forum to carry water for Sonos. As long as Sonos chooses not to target these users, their forum should follow their lead.

Sonos is never going to support Chromecast, but here's another 500 words on why it should.  

Port, Amp and Five are not older products, they are the current lineup of Sonos products.  And there is absolutely zero reason to think that Sonos plans to no longer sell any products with aux input capability.  if that were the plan, they would stop producing the Port, since that’s practically it’s primary reason to exist.  It would also have been rather easy to remove the line in on the Five.  Then of course, it would make no sense to allow the Roam to bring in bluetooth input into the system. And stop selling turntables that use the aux input.  Beyond the products themselves though, the ability to play have an analog source, and share the audio with other speakers in the system,  is a strategic advantage for Sonos, since not every multiroom system can do that.

The aux input was never designed as a way to integrate with other wireless audio systems.

The reason people ask what features they want to use Chromecast, and anything else, for is because people often assume that Sonos can’t meet that feature some other way.   For example, a person may not understand that Sonos can stream audio directly, not through your phone or tablet like bluetooth, which is why bluetooth is only on the portable products.  OP stated that he wanted to be able to control his speakers through Google Home, which you can do with Sonos without having Chromecast.  The point isn’t to tell customers what should matter to them, but to provide information so they can make an informed decision.

Except that the same sentiment was given for Sonos ever getting DTS, or bluetooth, both features that have actually happened.  That doesn’t mean that chromecast will definitely come to Sonos, but it means it’s not impossible.  There certainly isn’t anything wrong with Sonos staff saying that the request is noted.  If people want to falsely believe that acknowledging the request is the same thing as affirming that it will happen, that’s not Sonos fault. 

Not at all surprising actually.

This is not true.  You can control Sonos speakers through Google...or Amazon Alexa, or Airplay, and many other smart home hubs.  What you can’t do is have your Sonos speakers play in sync with other smart speakers.

If Sonos wanted to sell, they would have done that already.  I don’t think Sonos will be looking to do that anytime soon, at least while they seem to be on an upward trend. 

Apple and Amazon speakers will not.  Since Amazon has a huge marketshare, it’s hard to conclude that basically every active speaker has chromecast.  But people don’t expect Echos or Homepods to have chromecast as they recognize them as competitors to Google, rather than subordinate companies paying licensing fees so they can play in Google playground.

This is basically true.  My only point to add is that if you like what Sonos seems to offer, than it’s worth while to consider all the features it offers, if you really need chromecast, bluetooth, etc since Sonos has other ways of providing these features.  It’s not about telling people what they should want, but giving them the information to make an informed decision.

I never argued that Sonos should support Chromecast actually. 

My first, and only, real point is why I very much doubt they ever intend to support Chromecast short of a buyout:

Again, for those lost in the weeds, low budget Chromecast speakers severely undercut Sonos. This allows customers that would otherwise be willing to invest in Sonos to get the multi-room solution they want without paying for a premium product. This, once upon a time, was Sonos' bread and butter. Nowadays, these relatively affordable options are a direct threat.

This is why you see Sonos play nice with some ecosystems and not others. They are attempting to leverage their first-mover advantage to prevent other companies from flooding the market with low-cost multi-room solutions.

Sonos competes well in the hifi market. They simply can't compete with low-budget loss leaders.

Google went all in on these low-cost, multi-room speakers. Sonos doesn't like that. 

No Chromecast. Focused legal resources against Google. Competing voice AI and media ecosystem incoming.

Cause and effect. 

The response following yours is very fair. But if you want to use Google Home/Chromecast, for whatever reason, don't buy Sonos.

Google picked the fight when they launched their Nest speakers. Sonos doubled-down with their lawsuit.

Until Google decides it will cost less long-term to own Sonos, this corporate squabble will continue.

Don't let any PR convince you otherwise.

Buy what works for you today. Understand it may not work for you tomorrow.

The smart home wars are still in their early years..

Sonos are defending the patents they secured when they INVENTED wireless multiroom audio. Not to do so would be commercial suicide.

Yes you can get cheaper multiroom systems now and that is a danger for Sonos. But I just don't happen to want an inferior system. Each to their own.

Slim Devices / Logitech probably won’t agree.