No Chromecast support - Returning product

The only reason why I and other friends of me not buying Sonos is the lack of the Chromcast support! This is really a shame dor many years😣

@John B

I shall let others be the judge of how sensible that opinion is.

I don't get what you're not seeing here. I remember the days when audiophiles use to spit in disgust at any music playback without lossless compression. The idea that you can play high fidelity music wirelessly was almost blasphemy a decade ago. 

Times change. People have children. And less patience. My daughter of 4yrs old knows how to cast audio and video from my Android phone. Which works great with my TV but nope not with the Bluetooth less Sonos. 

My main objections to your opinion is that 1) Sonos somehow never prioritised casting or grouping via Google Assistant 2) That it doesn't have a (good enough) purpose. 

The fact is that the promised this feature and haven't delivered (yet). And for those in the back piping up about Google dropping products, this is not about that so shut up. As long as Android phones still have an ecosystem, this feature will be relèvent for the Hub/Nest/Home whatever you want to call it. 

Sonos said initially that it was a Google issue when I first asked about even having any integration with the assistant. But it clearly isn't that much of an issue with them having released support. But having done this, why not go all the way and do it properly? It's just odd to only support integration part way when it isn't actually that difficult. So I have to ask myself, why have they chosen not to do it? Must be more to the story. 

As much as I like the speakers, having no Bluetooth and partial android implementation is annoying. Don't tell me "they never said they would provide this... People can choose with their wallet" blah blah blah. It's not good enough. 

It's a useful feature, the toolkit is there for software integration, it enhances your product and upgrading the software makes people want to buy more into the ecosystem (as I would have done instead of buying the Hub had proper Andorid support been offered). 

So I will vote with my wallet. But its a shame. 

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@SIRRON . “The fact is that the promised this feature and haven't delivered (yet).”

To which feature are you referring please?  Please would you direct me to where that feature is promised?

TIA

I have 37 Google Home devices dotted around my home, got a used Play:1 for 5 bucks. Just found out that I’m not able to group Sonos with the Google for synchronised playback. Won’t buy another used Play:1 for 5 bucks ever again. Sonos, do you hear me? 

A used Play:1 for 5 bucks? Well, lucky you!

I’ll gladly take it if you have no further need for it! ;-)

I think there may be an element of irony in @Smilja 's post.

Oh. So what does @Smilja mean? No, seriously, I’d like to know!

Just to make things clear, I’m not trying to be ironic here. Or funny.

In case this is veering off too much from the actual subject, please let me know, thanks.

My reasons for suspecting - indeed knowing - that @Smilja is being ironic are the exaggerated figures, and the fact that @Smilja is a frequent and very knowledgeable contributor to this Forum.

@Smilja can correct me if I am mistaken, but I suspect that post really belongs on one of the “I can’t believe that you can’t sync Sonos and Google speakers, I am going to sell my Sonos speakers” threads, rather than here on a “I can’t believe Sonos doesn’t support Google Chromecast, I am going to sell my Sonos speakers” thread.

I first asked about Google assistant integration a few years ago after purchasing a Play:5. I was told by a Sonos representative that lack of integration was a Google issue and not a Sonos issue (at the time, Sonos had Alexa integration). But, I was told that this functionality was coming and so I left it for a couple of years.

As time passed, I’ve added connected products to my household because I see the benefit of accessibility, convenience and enjoyment from having an homologated system. Then, moving more towards voice-command, I must admit that I like this more natural way of accessing my media.

Yet the most expensive component with the premium sound can’t provide the basic common functionality of the assistant provide by the more inexpensive components? I can’t believe this is down to lack of ability to integrate on the software side because they’ve done it with Airplay.

The way I see it, Sonos wants to prioritise their ecosystem whereas there is a better platform out there that more people use. If Sonos completely integrated syncing with assistant or even provided a bluetooth platform to combine smart devices in the Sonos app, I would have gone for that. 

As it is, I just can’t use the speaker fully in the way I want. I won’t by another when there are alternatives offering more flexibility. 

@SIRRON I think you have misinterpreted Sonos’ intentions here.  Sonos has added voice control to its system.  It did so with Alexa first. then Google.  Some of the voice control functionality available on Amazon Echo devices is available on Sonos devices, but not all.  Sonos devices are Alexa-enabled, but they are not Echo devices.  Exactly the same situation applies to Google speakers.

Sonos speakers cannot play in sync with Alexa or Google speakers, and Sonos have never indicated that they ever will.

As far as I am aware, Sonos has promised absolutely nothing specific in features beyond what is currently available.

I am baffled by your reference to integration of Airplay.  This is in no sense integrated into Sonos.  Sonos have merely made their more recent speakers Airplay-compatible, and when one uses Airplay to play to Sonos, one is barely using the Sonos system at all.

Yes, Sonos wants to promote its ecosystem.  Of course it does - Sonos IS its ecosystem.  Some additional functionality has been provided - such as Airplay and the ability to play from many music service apps.  But if you think anything else has been promised, think again.