Please allow Siri to control Sonos for iPhone/iPad devices.
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Sonos reps have stated the lock screen controls were implemented using a silent track playing on the phone in order to trick the iOS into thinking the phone is playing when it is really Sonos. iOS seems to only allow audio playing on/through the actual phone to have lock screen control, so Sonos had to resort to the silent track trickery. This may explain why the watch and Siri can be used to play/pause/skip, because they are being tricked by the same silent track.
Won't let me post pics. But yea only the watch accepts the Siri commands. The phone says can not do
Won't let me post pics. But yea only the watch accepts the Siri commands. The phone says "hmm... I can not do that in 'sonos' right now"
This has been an interesting thread with a clear consensus that some type of Siri support for Sonos would be a welcome thing. Before I add my $.02 to the discussion, I'm going to sidestep the platform wars (e.g., "Sonos should support Alexa instead of Siri") by stating that I bought into the Sonos system PRECISELY because of its strong support for iOS and MacOS. For Sonos to abandon or lessen support for these platforms would be a decision that would rightly anger what I'm guessing is a huge segment of their installed base. They can do it, but I don't think it would not be a wise business decision.
The calls for support to be added through HomeKit are, I believe, misplaced. The HomeKit API and architecture are all about home automation and Apple has many other fish to fry there (e.g., coordinating with all the other companies who are in the home automation business). What''s important to understand is that the HomeKit API does NOT currently support control of music devices. As such, that's a dead end for Sonos unless Apple decides to add it. Given that Siri already controls Apple's music applications just fine, I don't see Apple shifting it's music control efforts to this API and don't think this is a safe place to hang one's hopes.
A more likely path to what we iPhone/iPad owners would like (i.e., voice control of the Sonos controller app on iOS devices via Siri) would be for Apple to open up the Siri API to music apps. Apple has announced that it is opening up the Siri API on iOS 10 via SiriKit, but is only doing it for a limited number of "Domains and Intents" (https://developer.apple.com/sirikit/) at first. Unfortunately, "Music" is not a Domain that SiriKit is supporting for 3rd party apps out of the gate. Many people suspect that Apple is proceeding with caution here. As popular as something like Alexa is, day one of support for 3rd party use of Siri will produce more server traffic than Amazon ever sees for Alexa. There are far more people out there using Siri than there are Alexa and opening up SiriKit to music apps (e.g., Pandora, Spotify, Sonos, etc.) will produce a boatload of traffic. I think Apple is wise to test the waters before opening the floodgates.
With these considerations in mind, I think the best thing Sonos could do, if it is committed to supporting Apple's platforms, would be to work with Apple on opening up the SiriKit to music apps down the road. Having music become a supported domain would give us Siri control over the Sonos app and we'd get just what we want. My fear is that Sonos will take a different path, as hinted at by the microphones included in the new Play:5; developing their own voice control architecture. This would mean that every Sonos speaker I own (three first generation Play:5s and six Play:1s) is out of the running. It would also mean that I'd need to be close enough to the speakers for the microphones to hear me. Even if I bought new Sonos speakers with included microphones, I'd only get voice control if I was next to one of them, and not my older ones. Definitely not a "take care of the installed base of users" kind of solution.
Conversely, I've always got my Apple Watch on my wrist and almost always am close enough to my phone for "Hey Siri" to work. For users of the Apple ecosystem, building Siri support into the Sonos controller apps via SiriKit is, far and away, the best path. Let's all cross our fingers that Sonos and Apple are in discussion to allow this in the future. Let's also ask for it whenever we can so that Sonos knows we want existing users to be well supported.
The calls for support to be added through HomeKit are, I believe, misplaced. The HomeKit API and architecture are all about home automation and Apple has many other fish to fry there (e.g., coordinating with all the other companies who are in the home automation business). What''s important to understand is that the HomeKit API does NOT currently support control of music devices. As such, that's a dead end for Sonos unless Apple decides to add it. Given that Siri already controls Apple's music applications just fine, I don't see Apple shifting it's music control efforts to this API and don't think this is a safe place to hang one's hopes.
A more likely path to what we iPhone/iPad owners would like (i.e., voice control of the Sonos controller app on iOS devices via Siri) would be for Apple to open up the Siri API to music apps. Apple has announced that it is opening up the Siri API on iOS 10 via SiriKit, but is only doing it for a limited number of "Domains and Intents" (https://developer.apple.com/sirikit/) at first. Unfortunately, "Music" is not a Domain that SiriKit is supporting for 3rd party apps out of the gate. Many people suspect that Apple is proceeding with caution here. As popular as something like Alexa is, day one of support for 3rd party use of Siri will produce more server traffic than Amazon ever sees for Alexa. There are far more people out there using Siri than there are Alexa and opening up SiriKit to music apps (e.g., Pandora, Spotify, Sonos, etc.) will produce a boatload of traffic. I think Apple is wise to test the waters before opening the floodgates.
With these considerations in mind, I think the best thing Sonos could do, if it is committed to supporting Apple's platforms, would be to work with Apple on opening up the SiriKit to music apps down the road. Having music become a supported domain would give us Siri control over the Sonos app and we'd get just what we want. My fear is that Sonos will take a different path, as hinted at by the microphones included in the new Play:5; developing their own voice control architecture. This would mean that every Sonos speaker I own (three first generation Play:5s and six Play:1s) is out of the running. It would also mean that I'd need to be close enough to the speakers for the microphones to hear me. Even if I bought new Sonos speakers with included microphones, I'd only get voice control if I was next to one of them, and not my older ones. Definitely not a "take care of the installed base of users" kind of solution.
Conversely, I've always got my Apple Watch on my wrist and almost always am close enough to my phone for "Hey Siri" to work. For users of the Apple ecosystem, building Siri support into the Sonos controller apps via SiriKit is, far and away, the best path. Let's all cross our fingers that Sonos and Apple are in discussion to allow this in the future. Let's also ask for it whenever we can so that Sonos knows we want existing users to be well supported.
Other posts have mentioned that Sonos has a press conference slated for the end of August where they are going to release details on their voice integration.
While we don't know about Siri integration, I would imagine we are going to get a native Echo skill. Siri integration might not be too far fetched with IOS 10 about to release and I'm sure Apple has multiple 3rd party Siri partners they are working with to showcase the support in the new ios.
While we don't know about Siri integration, I would imagine we are going to get a native Echo skill. Siri integration might not be too far fetched with IOS 10 about to release and I'm sure Apple has multiple 3rd party Siri partners they are working with to showcase the support in the new ios.
I'm sorry, but a thread over a year old with barely over a page worth of posts is not "a clear consensus" of anything. There are folks who want Siri control. Let's leave it at that.
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