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Cannot group Sonos system with Google Home devices

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218 replies

K

I'm looking for this as well, group the sonos speakers with the google nest / home. Should be nice if Sonos will make anothet statement after a year of this TS.

W

Just the beginning of an Integration that’s seen no improvement in the last year?

F

I’m just adding my voice to the crowd here 

 

I love my Sonos One, and I’ve been saving to add more to my bedroom and kitchen for the seamless music experience sonos advertises, but this lack of real integration is really driving me away from Sonos, 

 

why would I buy another Sonos one when I can’t fully integrate it into my google home app, 

the nests are getting better and better, and google is adding more and more, and over a year since this was posted Sonos still hasn’t done anything or released any definitive statement, 

 

Fully integrated Sonos into google home already 

 

G

I’m hoping for Sonos to say something about this soon, a solotion to come very soon.

If not I will also sell my Sonos One’s 

As they do have a usless Google assistant integration

S

I am as frustrated as most others about this. I found that JBL is a step ahead of Sonos. JBL link integrates perfectly with Google Nest speakers and groups can be created. I would prefer to buy more Sonos speakers but will not do it until Sonos and Google speakers can be grouped in the Google home app.

Will look closely into this solution and sell my beam and other play:one on the market! Im tired at the lack of integration with my other google devices.

R

 

Sonos,

After all this waiting. And after multiple articles. And after multiple phone calls to your service reps (including today), I’m now being told that you cannot group your Sonos system devices with your Google Home devices (after being told for months and more than a year that the aid be able to group them). Even the rep I spoke with today tried to help me and didn’t find out it wasn’t possible until he spoke to a system engineer. You can do it with Amazon devices, but STILL not with Google devices

In all honesty, what is the point of adding Google assistant to Sonos if you can’t even use Sonos speakers with Google Speakers together in a group? It’s pretty useless for me to be in living room, have to get up and walk to my kitchen to say “hey google, play x in my Living Room” and then walk back.

I am also frustrated by this. The strange thing is that this actually did work at one point. I have a speaker group in Google home that still contains some Sonos speakers and some of my Google hub displays and nest wifi mesh speakers. I can't delete it or edit it and I've since added more speakers in my new home. It seems strange they would remove this feature. I would love to have this working again since I don't need fancy expensive Sonos speakers in every room in my house but sometimes would like a song to play throughout the entire house. Please add this back Sonos! 

G

I am as frustrated as most others about this. I found that JBL is a step ahead of Sonos. JBL link integrates perfectly with Google Nest speakers and groups can be created. I would prefer to buy more Sonos speakers but will not do it until Sonos and Google speakers can be grouped in the Google home app.

jgatie

It is not possible to group Sonos speakers with Google speakers.

S

Any feedback from Sonos represented ?
 

I just bought Sonos One with intentions to Welcome Sonos to my Google Ecosystem, really looking forward to enjoy what i have read about, the sound Sonos can deliver to my home, garage, outside my house, where i need new equipment or have existing solutions today.

Beside good sound with some punch, I am looking for better look, active speakers taking less space and also using less equipment, hence smart/active the way forward for me.

What I'm not looking for is to replace my ecosystem, where i use Google Assistant today, with my alarm, cameras, vacuum cleaners, dishwasher, washer, dryer, etc. 


I do need speakers, smart speakers with a punch, what i can read, Sonos can deliver a punch, but if only with there own ecosystem, and not together with for example, google home, in groups with other speakers, i struggle to see how to add Sonos to my home.

 

Hope Sonos can give us some input here.

 

BR.

 

N

I found a workaround that works almost perfectly. If you have a Chromecast you can add that to a homegroup and have your Sonos devices play through that. Oddly it doesn't work with the Shield or the cast enabled tv, just the Chromecast. The only issue is volume. I want the Chromecast at 100% always and control the volume on Sonos devices manually. Hopefully, with the new group controls, they're rolling out I'll be able to lock individual devices at a specific volume soon

L

Indeed, Sonos has been doing very well, but thats because they havent had any real competition in the smart speaker market, but that has also changed with more brands making their own. And once the big three start making their own line of decent speakers that can match or even out perform the sonos speakers it wont be easy for Sonos to keep up, mainly as they dont have a smart home system with voice assistance.

And even if Sonos were to try building their own smart home system, like so many others (yes Im looking at you Samsung), I feel that train left a long time ago and I just dont see them ever compete with the big three.

And as you say, the integration between the systems are very complex and will cost too much time and money to develop and relies heavily on a sold long term relationship that rarely last. (Sony Ericsson is a good example)

 

It is just my opinion but for the long term future as we see it develop today I just dont see Sonos maintaining its position as just a solid smart speaker for very long.

 

One idea for sonos would be to drop their own software, put that money into R&D to build even better speakers and beg the big three to help develop a true integration software using their platforms, paying them a royalty.. And maybe, just maybe they are lucky one of the three will say yes, but I doubt it as the they are already on their way to out perform them in hardware anyway..

bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +21

Wow doom and gloom.  Sonos are doing very well with year on year growth and I can see them maintaining a healthy market share.  Can’t see Apple buying them as there is no technology Sonos has that Apple would want for their core products, which is the normal reason they buy companies.

Being able to group and play a common source across different speaker manufacturers with different software and communications protocols is a headache I can’t see any of the players in the market trying to resolve.

L

I could see apple buying sonos like they did beats, for several reasons.

One could be that Apple fails with their own line of smart speakers and see sonos speaker technology being a possible addition that will help develop their own ecosystem (like google did with nest). It would be a smart move in my opinion as it would get rid of competition, increase their line of products and acquire all sonos users into the apple world, potentially new users for other apple products. It would also put them as a serious contender agains the big guys Amazon and Google.

The reason whey they would NOT make this move could be that they perhaps actually have some better products coming up that would challenge the sonos speakers or even be a better option. This along with that Sonos doesnt have the same smart home integration and only focus on being a sound system rather than smart home system, a closed network which really isnt optimal for integration with any third party. That would limit sonos future or even diminishing it eventually becoming obsolete like old analog stereos.

 

The future will definitely be the big three, Google, Amazon & Apple.. Where in all this sonos will end up is still uncertain, but my bet is they wont survive on their own..

 

If in fact it was Sonos move to ask google for the integration only show they are not prepared for the future, and as Google has already announced they are preparing a new smart nest speakers that will compete with the sonos one only shows that they see sonos as weak and will probably NOT move towards a full integration rather ditch them all together.

 

I think Sonos will have to make a decision pretty soon rather than later if they want to survive, my best bet is to sell now before no one wants/need them anymore.

melvimbe

The Google lawsuit could actually result in improved integration between the two.  Google did not originally want to do an integration at all, but were persuaded to by Sonos stating they would look the other way about other potential lawsuit issues.  Integration was the better choice for Google.  The same could occur here as well, but I honestly don’t think either company wants customers to be able to buy the competitors product instead of their own.

Danny
jgatie

“Strong rumors”?  LOL.  I’ve heard that “rumor” a half dozen times over the last decade.  Nothing but obscure websites looking for clicks.

L

Ok, so I think the fact that there are strong rumours that Apple is about to aquire Sonos for themselves will kill any idea of integrating it with anything BUT apple home, so keep dreaming boys and girls.

Im returning my sonos today that I just bought as I just heard and I wont be locking myself in apples world.

Also, sonos and google are apparently in a lawsuit, cant see that helping much either.

 

Google is planning on releasing some new speakers so I will hope they are up to standards and can replace my sonos devices.

J

 

In all honesty, what is the point of adding Google assistant to Sonos if you can’t even use Sonos speakers with Google Speakers together in a group? It’s pretty useless.

I saved my money for months and months to buy my playbar and I am disappointed 😞 

If you already have lots of Google speakers then there probably isn't any point. Sonos is a fully integrated multiroom system in itself - the original and best - to which voice control has now been added. For lots of customers and potential customers there's a lot of point in that.

B

 

In all honesty, what is the point of adding Google assistant to Sonos if you can’t even use Sonos speakers with Google Speakers together in a group? It’s pretty useless.

I saved my money for months and months to buy my playbar and I am disappointed 😞 

O

Come on already. Fix that problem Sonos!!!!!

P

Well I think this may explain a lot of the seemingly-inexplicable missing features within the GA-Sonos ‘integration’. As I suspected it’s nothing to do with any technical limitations.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056198/sonos-google-statement-lawsuit-ces-reaction-big-tech

Thank you for this article. I only wish I had seen it before I dumped my hard-earned cash into a Sonos speaker.
 

I have no problem at all in settling for a JBL speaker, if they have full GA integration. Thank you for letting me kick the tires Sonos… But I think I’m going to trade in your Fiat, for a Lamborghini!

P

Like others I am extremely disappointed that Sonos and/or Google hasn’t resolved this issue with grouping speakers (Sonos One’s and Beam’s with Google/Nest speakers). This clearly is a feature that everyone has expected and want with the Google assistant integration.

It has been some months now, since the original post was created and we as the customers still have no insight to whether this feature is being worked on or not, it would be great if Sonos could at least comment on whether it was in development and/or something that is never going to happen. From there it will give us the ability to decide if we should invest in a fully integrated OR part integration with Sonos and Google Assistant environment.

It can be done with Alexa so I don’t see why this can’t be done with Google Assistant.

I love my Sonos speaker… But I am afraid my next purchase will not be Sonos because of their inability to bring us

P

In all honesty, what is the point of adding Google assistant to Sonos if you can’t even use Sonos speakers with Google Speakers together in a group? It’s pretty useless for me to be in living room, have to get up and walk to my kitchen to say “hey google, play x in my Living Room” and then walk back.

 


Perhaps I'm not understanding your scenario properly, but I don't know see why you would ever have to do any walking to another room as you describe, unless you don't have an GA compatible speakers in the living room at all.

If you have a Sonos One or a Beam in your living room, you can enable it for GA and then say "hey google, play x" to that device.. If you have have Google home speaker in your living room, then you say hey google, play x in my Living Room” to that device. If you don't have any GA device in your living around, there is no feature that would prevent you from having to walk to another room to give a voice command.

 

The ability to group Google assistant speakers means you can play the same audio source synchronized in Multiple rooms at the same time. 

E
Userlevel 2
Badge

https://9to5google.com/2020/02/15/assistant-sonos-default-speaker/

Anyone got this working ? I can now see my Sonos speakers and set them as a default (I couldn’t before), but music still plays through my Google Home device.

R

I am immensely disappointed in the lack of ability to group my Sonos One with my google home speakers.  This is unacceptable and makes my Sonos essentially useless in parties.  I’d rather pick 5 decent speakers over 1 sorta good overpriced one.

melvimbe

Well I think this may explain a lot of the seemingly-inexplicable missing features within the GA-Sonos ‘integration’. As I suspected it’s nothing to do with any technical limitations.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056198/sonos-google-statement-lawsuit-ces-reaction-big-tech

 

I don’t think the recent news really changes much of what I said above.  Although Google may have used some of Sonos tech to do their multiroom audio, they are still not the exact same protocols.  I don’t think the lawsuit is really going to change much as far as this goes.

 

As far as other missing features, it’s hard to say whether Google didn’t want to give those features, Sonos didn’t want to implement and maintain them, or the Sonos hardware just couldn’t do the required processing.

Danny
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