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Joel-RhinebeckNY
Contributor I
December 23, 2022
Answered

Play a sonos playlist using sonos voice control

How can I get the hey Sonos command to play one of my Sonos playlists. Whenever I tell Sonos to play the playlist it automatically goes and play some radio station or other. Not very helpful so far.

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Mike H
Mike HAnswer
Retired Sonos Staff
February 23, 2023

Hey @Joel-RhinebeckNY, Sonos Playlists are now supported, as per the latest update to SVC 1.1.

It will also prioritize your Sonos Playlists vs your Music services. So saying “Hey Sonos, play 80’s Hits” Will pick your playlist with that name, over for example Apple Musics.

You can read more about it here: We are introducing Sonos Voice Control version 1.1.

How we survive is what makes us who we are - Rise Against

19 replies

controlav
Lead Maestro
February 23, 2023

I updated my Roam (does SVC get updated as a part of that - I can't see a way to update that) but when I ask it to play a playlist it says before it can do that I need to subscribe to a music service.

That makes sense, as Sonos don’t support voice access to your local library.

Author of the leading independent Sonos apps for Android, MacOS, iOS, Windows and Xbox.
Ken_Griffiths
February 23, 2023

It seems there are four MSP services that SVC currently supports:

  • Amazon Music
  • Deezer 
  • Pandora
  • Sonos Radio 

It would be nice to see that list extended, with alternative ‘voice’ options, as I’m not a fan of the current one (Sorry Mr. Esposito🙏), but more than that, I still wish for the option to switch off the earcon acknowledgment tone, as it reminds me of an old Windows 3.11 stop-error tone... or at least allow me to change it to something else.

Local Superstar
February 23, 2023

I updated my Roam (does SVC get updated as a part of that - I can't see a way to update that) but when I ask it to play a playlist it says before it can do that I need to subscribe to a music service.

That makes sense, as Sonos don’t support voice access to your local library.

It doesn’t make sense to me, I’m not asking it to directly play a song from my local library - I’m asking it to play a core Sonos function - an ‘internal’ Sonos playlist.

Sonos Voice now supports Sonos Playlists.  To me, that means I can ask Sonos Voice to play a Sonos Playlist - at the point of asking, it doesn’t care or know what is in that Playlist - it should just start playing it.  That playlist could contain songs from whichever source - why does that matter?

I can play a Sonos Playlist by ‘playing’ it through the Controller - if asking for it to be played is now supported, I don’t see the difference.

Mr. T
February 23, 2023

It seems there are four MSP services that SVC currently supports:

  • Amazon Music
  • Deezer 
  • Pandora
  • Sonos Radio 

It would be nice to see that list extended, with alternative ‘voice’ options, as I’m not a fan of the current one (Sorry Mr. Esposito🙏), but more than that, I still wish for the option to switch off the earcon acknowledgment tone, as it reminds me of an old Windows 3.11 stop-error tone... or at least allow me to change it to something else.

Apple Music too

Joel-RhinebeckNY
Contributor I
February 23, 2023

Hey @Joel-RhinebeckNY, Sonos Playlists are now supported, as per the latest update to SVC 1.1.

It will also prioritize your Sonos Playlists vs your Music services. So saying “Hey Sonos, play 80’s Hits” Will pick your playlist with that name, over for example Apple Musics.

You can read more about it here: We are introducing Sonos Voice Control version 1.1.

So this will also get a Sonos playlist made from songs stored on a local NAS to start playing?

Sonos Playlists live on the speakers, you are referring to Imported Playlists, which live in the local library.

Sonos haven’t said anything about voice support for local libraries that I have seen.

 

This works beautifully for all “Sonos Playlists” I created from my music library on my windows desktop which is on the same network as my Sonos speakers through a whole house Linksys Mesh Router system.

Thanks, JoelW
Local Superstar
February 23, 2023

Hey @Joel-RhinebeckNY, Sonos Playlists are now supported, as per the latest update to SVC 1.1.

It will also prioritize your Sonos Playlists vs your Music services. So saying “Hey Sonos, play 80’s Hits” Will pick your playlist with that name, over for example Apple Musics.

You can read more about it here: We are introducing Sonos Voice Control version 1.1.

So this will also get a Sonos playlist made from songs stored on a local NAS to start playing?

Sonos Playlists live on the speakers, you are referring to Imported Playlists, which live in the local library.

Sonos haven’t said anything about voice support for local libraries that I have seen.

 

This works beautifully for all “Sonos Playlists” I created from my music library on my windows desktop which is on the same network as my Sonos speakers through a whole house Linksys Mesh Router system.

Good to hear.  I don't understand references to expecting Voice to work for local libraries as this isn't what the announcement is for. It's for Sonos Voice supporting Sonos Playlists. I don't see how the content of those Playlists is relevant when the request is just to play it.

February 24, 2023

So if I understand it right, if one wants to play an album using SVC via the local NAS, it just needs to part of a Sonos playlist and then it will play using SVC even if the broadband connection is not there?

And why is there a version number for SVC - does it not get automatically added on to the latest version as part of the S2 update process?

Local Superstar
February 24, 2023

So if I understand it right, if one wants to play an album using SVC via the local NAS, it just needs to part of a Sonos playlist and then it will play using SVC even if the broadband connection is not there?

That’s exactly my understanding - however controlav believes it makes sense that it doesn’t work that way and airgetlam evidently agrees.

It would be good if Sonos/ @Mike R. H. could clarify expected behaviour.  I don’t see how the content of a Sonos Playlist relates to initiating its playback vie SVC.

And why is there a version number for SVC - does it not get automatically added on to the latest version as part of the S2 update process?

I don’t know - and don’t know if/how the version can be checked.  I haven’t manually updated it separately - other than installing the latest software update.

Mike H
Retired Sonos Staff
February 24, 2023

So if I understand it right, if one wants to play an album using SVC via the local NAS, it just needs to part of a Sonos playlist and then it will play using SVC even if the broadband connection is not there?

That’s exactly my understanding - however controlav believes it makes sense that it doesn’t work that way and airgetlam evidently agrees.

It would be good if Sonos/ @Mike R. H. could clarify expected behaviour.  I don’t see how the content of a Sonos Playlist relates to initiating its playback vie SVC.

And why is there a version number for SVC - does it not get automatically added on to the latest version as part of the S2 update process?

I don’t know - and don’t know if/how the version can be checked.  I haven’t manually updated it separately - other than installing the latest software update.

Hi @sjw, It should indeed work like you assumed, if it does not that would be seen as a bug. I am currently in the process of testing it myself, but SVC takes around 24 hours to [[read the updated playlist]]. I have flagged this for the SVC team and they are also looking into it.
SVC 1.1 is what everyone that updates their system will have. The 1.1 part is to indicate a feature update to SVC.

How we survive is what makes us who we are - Rise Against