Contributor I

Answered

SONOS ALEXA Integration?

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Been waiting to hear news about when this will happen and am starting to think it never will. I have Sonos and Alexa in every room. I did this with the assurance that Sonos and Alexa are going to work together. There has been next to no news regarding integration for the past 6 months.... When can we expect to hear about Sonos and Alexa integration? Is it still happening? Please any update would be appreciated.

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Ryan SAnswer

Retired Sonos Staff

Hi everyone, there's a lot of interesting discussion going on here and I love the energy you all have around voice control and Alexa. My message from way earlier in this thread is still very much still the case, so I'll quote it here:

Thanks for jumping in everyone. Great answers already. As suggested, I can't really provide any extra details today, but I assure you, we're as excited about this as you are. It is coming. We'll let the world know as soon as there's more to say, and we'll announce here on the community (and elsewhere) if there are any opportunities to help us beta test.

On top of that, I just want to take a moment to make sure everything is clear about a few things. First off, to use voice control with Sonos, you will need to have a device with Alexa built in. We're largely talking about Amazon Echos and Dots here, but you never know what other fun gadgets may work as well, at launch or after it.

Second, once the software is live, it will work with every updated Sonos component. As long as you already have an Alexa-enabled device, you aren't going to need to buy any new hardware to use Alexa with Sonos. Just make sure your players are updated to the latest version of the Sonos software (when Alexa control comes out for Sonos), you will be able to take advantage of the voice commands sent by your Alexa-enabled devices. We're not going to go into the magic right now, but there have been some pretty good ideas here in the thread already.

That's all for now. More to come later, so stay tuned!

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

Airgetlam

There's a lot of other threads with basically the same question, although search functions on this forum are suspect. The gist is, they promised to have it out in 2017, and it's not ready yet. Generally speaking, Sonos doesn't post timelines for releases.

Bruce

CladnerAuthor

Contributor I

I understand that their our a ton of threads out their about this very subject. I also would have to think that the more threads created about this topic the more aware SONOS will be how ready a lot of their clients are for this technology. Thank you for your reply Bruce. Hope you have a great day!

Airgetlam

You're most welcome, although I'm fairly certain, having been involved in my fair share of software development processes that there's no amount of board posting that would have any effect whatsoever on the speed of the team. In fact, often to the opposite, as I often had difficulty keeping my developers from reading the boards. The more posts there were to get them riled up, the slower the development effort, even if I forbad them to post in the boards.

At this point, I think Sonos is quite aware of the pent up desire for the software to be released.

I hope you have a wonderful day as well.

Bruce

jgatie

It has been confirmed several times by Sonos personnel that it is being worked at this time and will be released this year. Assuming it is in private beta right now, it means they are going to be especially tight lipped. In other words, the less you hear, the more is going on. Unlike Denon and others who promise things which then never come to fruition, when Sonos announces they are working on something, they deliver.

Ryan S

Retired Sonos Staff

Thanks for jumping in everyone. Great answers already. As suggested, I can't really provide any extra details today, but I assure you, we're as excited about this as you are. It is coming. We'll let the world know as soon as there's more to say, and we'll announce here on the community (and elsewhere) if there are any opportunities to help us beta test.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

brandon.arnold

Lyricist I

It is coming. Glad to hear this, as I very much want better Alexa integration. I worry that the innovation will be focused on the hardware side more, like another line in for Alexa or even built-in Alexa. Would not benefit the $1.5k Sonos hardware I've already got.

jgatie

It is coming. Glad to hear this, as I very much want better Alexa integration. I worry that the innovation will be focused on the hardware side more, like another line in for Alexa or even built-in Alexa. Would not benefit the $1.5k Sonos hardware I've already got.

No need to worry. It has been stated the implementation will not require a line-in, and will work with all former and current Sonos products sold.

J

Jeepdon

Lyricist I

No need to worry. It has been stated the implementation will not require a line-in, and will work with all former and current Sonos products sold.

Where was that stated? I ask because an article on Variety indicates that you'll still issue commands to an Echo.

Oh... I suppose the deal there is, "you talk to the Echo, and an Alexa skill talks to your Sonos over the Internet to make your Sonos do stuff." That feels less like "integration" than having the Echo features built into a new kind of Sonos device. So I don't have to have an Echo. I guess that's the "Sonos will eventually make its own speakers with integrated microphones for voice control." bit.

jgatie

Where was that stated? I ask because an article on Variety indicates that you'll still issue commands to an Echo.

Oh... I suppose the deal there is, "you talk to the Echo, and an Alexa skill talks to your Sonos over the Internet to make your Sonos do stuff." That feels less like "integration" than having the Echo features built into a new kind of Sonos device. So I don't have to have an Echo. I guess that's the "Sonos will eventually make its own speakers with integrated microphones for voice control." bit.

It was stated in this forum, by a Sonos tech. If the search function was worth a damn, I could link to it. However, it was also implied in the press release when they said:

http://press-us.sonos.com/134980-sonos-with-partners-and-industry-leaders-ushers-in-new-era-of-connected-home-listening

These new voice capabilities will be delivered in a software update that will work with new and previously purchased Sonos and Alexa-enabled devices such as Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV.

Since all "new and previously purchased" Sonos devices do not have line-in, so you can assume a line-in is not necessary. However, at first an Alexa device will be needed, though the CEO has stated that a microphone array with Alexa tech is the next phase.

Also, it is not merely an Alexa skill, it is a full on integration between the two companies.

brandon.arnold

Lyricist I

That feels less like "integration" than having the Echo features built into a new kind of Sonos device. So I don't have to have an Echo. I guess that's the "Sonos will eventually make its own speakers with integrated microphones for voice control." bit.

Built-in Alexa may be on the roadmap of future hardware, but the mics in current-gen Sonos hardware do not have the capabilities of Echo mics. In other words regardless of whether Sonos implemented Alexa Cloud or something into the Sonos firmware the mic wouldnt have the necessary range.

But I already have an Echo/Dot in every room with a Sonos and I do not mind them to be separate. I was actually worried that Sonos would focus on upgrading the mic alone, as you suggest, and require me to upgrade my hardware in order to say "Alexa, play album X in the living room and bedroom" for example. Jgatie's comment speaks to this being a firmware/cloud software upgrade only so that feature would be back compatible.

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