Hi everyone,
I received my Sonos Roam yesterday and I am quite concerned by the battery drain on standby mode.
My roam is losing about 10% every hour on standby, which brings us to 10hours but I was expecting 10 hours in playing mode.
Should I be concerned by those stats are it was the expected consumption?
Thank you 
!
hi all. A software update was issued yesterday. I have installed it so let’s see what happens. Does anyone have a link to the info on software updates? does such a thing exist? Would love to know the official view on what was being fixed
The battery “drain” on the roam is not part of this update. The issue is not actually the battery itself, but the way they designed the product to work in an existing Sonos environment. The way its designed, if you keep the Roam in standby (sleep mode), it wakes up each and every time you use the Sonos app. And I use the app constantly throughout the day for OTHER speakers. That needs to change.
Their should be an option to wake with the App every time, or wake specifically when you want to use the Roam. The way it is now, I have to charge the Roam every 2 (maybe 3) days -- with only about an hours actual use. Sure -- I could totally power down the Roam, but then I would have to physically engage with it to turn it back on (not acceptable for a Sonos speaker).
So the best solution -- stop waking EVERY time you use the app.
Hi everyone,
I received my Sonos Roam yesterday and I am quite concerned by the battery drain on standby mode.
My roam is losing about 10% every hour on standby, which brings us to 10hours but I was expecting 10 hours in playing mode.
Should I be concerned by those stats are it was the expected consumption?
Thank you !
First, I really my Sonos products. But I’m unsure about the Roam. I’ve noticed significant battery drain as well; unlike my regular portable Bluetooth speakers. I experimented, charging the Roam to 100%. Left it unused for 4 days. It is not sync’d to any voice activation. After 4 days I “turned it on”. The battery was 63%. This should not be the case for a portable speaker. If I was to take it camping and did not have a power source, I could not rely on this speaker.
+14
@cpking You should return your device. Even if you put it in standby and not fully off Sonos says standby battery should last 10 days.
There might be a software problem that causes battery drain issues, but it is exacerbated by uncommon power button functionality, a poor website, and poor communication. Even the “essential guide to the roam” (https://blog.sonos.com/en-gb/guide-to-roam) doesn’t mention the standby/power functions. I mean come on Sonos, it’s the essential guide, don’t you think it should mention the standby/off functionality and how to use it?
The roam “setup” page doesn’t mention this functionality either: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4994?language=en_US
The official Roam product page doesn’t mention it either: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/roam.html
There is a “user guide” section in the official product page, but it just has a link which points to a broken page: https://www.sonos.com/support/en-us/sonos-user-guide/sonos-user-guide/roam/roam.htm
The Sonos website is slow, the font is WAY TOO BIG, and it is hard to find information. It took a very specific google search just to find the sonos article describing the power button functionality. https://support.sonos.com/s/article/5029?language=en_US
Pressing once for sleep and 5 seconds for off is not intuitive (to me at least). Especially since the Roam makes a sound and the lights go off when pressing it once. To me, (and possibly every other human being) that means the device is off.
Edit: they should add in voice prompts like many other bluetooth speakers. If you press the button once it should audibly say “Now entering sleep mode”. When pressing it for 5 seconds it should say “powering off”.
I’ve spent 35 years design/mfg from nuclear, turbines, healthcare imaging, and microprocessing… I overwhelmingly agree with you. Let’s go Sonos… fix it ASAP.
The issue is not actually the battery itself, but the way they designed the product to work in an existing Sonos environment and also poor feedback on the power button for those who want to turn it all the way off. The way its designed, if you keep the Roam in standby (sleep mode), it wakes up each and every time you use the Sonos app. And I use the app constantly throughout the day for OTHER speakers. That needs to change.
There should be an option to wake with the App every time, or wake specifically when you want to use the Roam. The way it is now, I have to charge the Roam every 2 (maybe 3) days -- with only about an hours actual use. Sure -- I could totally power down the Roam, but then I would have to physically engage with it to turn it back on (not acceptable for a Sonos speaker).
So the best solution -- an app solution to stop waking EVERY time you use the app; but allows you, via the app, to wake the Roam when you want to wake the Roam.
Managed to get mine working for my requirement by adding a 10,000 mAh power bank with a short braided cable. It is in the bathroom and was only lasting a few days due to waking up when another part of the Sonos was in use via the app. Not an ideal solution but means I only have to charge it once a week assuming everyone remembers to do the short button press after use rather than using Alexa. The wife and children are not able / willing to do the full power off which I can understand - it is a pain when you are rushing to get ready in the morning and difficult for the very young. Please Sonos, add a do not wake up Roam when using app option. You are penalising your most loyal users - those that have Sonos in many other rooms.
@cpking You should return your device. Even if you put it in standby and not fully off Sonos says standby battery should last 10 days.
From Sonos:
“When not in use, Roam switches to sleep mode to conserve power, and the battery can last UP TO 10 days.”
We don’t know how many times @cpking accessed the Sonos app during those four days while the Roam was asleep which would cause it to wake up and drain the battery quicker.
Thanks for your comment, my understanding of how this worked was different. Given this information I have a question. Am I only getting a 3 minute saving by stopping music by pressing the button to put in sleep mode as opposed to turning off music via Alexa? Remember I have a power bank connected, does the fact the roam is effectively plugged in (as long I have have charge in the power bank) make it act differently? I need to check again but I thought I witnessed the Roam emptying the power bank pretty quickly when it was turned off by Alexa rather than put in sleep mode.
I am having the same issue. I hold the power button and make sure its off and its still drains. Ive owned it about 5 months and im disappointed on the battery drain.
Holding the power button until you hear what? - You should hold it until you hear the 4 ‘descending’ tones - I suspect that’s ‘perhaps’ where your issue may lie.
I respectfully disagree. I know how to hold the button till I hear the sound that its completely off. I even check the app to make sure the speaker is not showing on the available speakers...and the battery still drains. Love the sound but someone overlooked the battery drain.
SV
+14
I mean the poster says they turned it off. 10 days vs 4 is ridiculous IMO even if it was on standby and even if the support says “up to 10”.
Thanks for your comment, my understanding of how this worked was different. Given this information I have a question. Am I only getting a 3 minute saving by stopping music by pressing the button to put in sleep mode as opposed to turning off music via Alexa? Remember I have a power bank connected, does the fact the roam is effectively plugged in (as long I have have charge in the power bank) make it act differently? I need to check again but I thought I witnessed the Roam emptying the power bank pretty quickly when it was turned off by Alexa rather than put in sleep mode.
This is my understanding…
If you use the Roam, such as playing music on the device and then ask Alexa to stop the audio, then at that point, the mic (& LED) stays on, for further voice instructions. Note the mic is also ‘on’ anyway if Auto-TruePlay is enabled.
Then after 30 minutes of inactivity when off its charger, (important) …it then goes into sleep-mode. At this point the mic (& LED’s) all switch off - leaving a low-power state for the WiFi adapter to receive a WOL packet to bring the device back to life.
If the App is then opened it sends a WOL request to the Roam and it wakes up fully (mic aswell) for 3 minutes waiting to see if you require the device, if not, it goes off to sleep again.
If you play/use the speaker after waking it up, off the charger, then it stays awake for 30 minutes after inactivity - so it then falls asleep, or you can manually put it to sleep using it’s power button.
The Roam can be moved to sleep mode by a quick press on its rear power button - but (importantly) please note that when the Roam is connected to any charger Qi, or USB, it is designed to always stay awake in those circumstances and not sleep at all - some Qi or power bank chargers though may power themselves off when the Roam has reached a fully charged stated and ‘some’ will power back on automatically when it’s charge falls.
I got 2 days using standby and I listened to it for 30 minutes.
I think Sonos need to review the 10 day claim. If this claim is still supported then I have a faulty Roam or there is something in my set up causing excessive battery drain. However, I have not read a single post where someone has achieved 10 days. It seems that people use the Roam by either using the ‘full off’ or keep it on a charger.
Worse is that when I turn my Roam back on my system loses it (it is present as offline in the app when it’s off but disappears when I turn it on.)
It is really frustrating because there is a good product blighted by battery (and in my case, connectivity) issues.
Hi everyone,
I received my Sonos Roam yesterday and I am quite concerned by the battery drain on standby mode.
My roam is losing about 10% every hour on standby, which brings us to 10hours but I was expecting 10 hours in playing mode.
Should I be concerned by those stats are it was the expected consumption?
Thank you !
First, I really my Sonos products. But I’m unsure about the Roam. I’ve noticed significant battery drain as well; unlike my regular portable Bluetooth speakers. I experimented, charging the Roam to 100%. Left it unused for 4 days. It is not sync’d to any voice activation. After 4 days I “turned it on”. The battery was 63%. This should not be the case for a portable speaker. If I was to take it camping and did not have a power source, I could not rely on this speaker.
This is odd. If you left it on standby/sleep mode (by tapping the power button) the Roam drains about 20-25% battery per day based on most people’s anecdotal experiences. If you left it powered off (by holding the power button for 5s) it should be negligible drain, closer to 1% per day.
So either your standby battery life is puzzlingly excellent (and actually in line with what Sonos advertised), or you should call support to diagnose if you have a defect
If you feel that strongly about it, contact a lawyer, and start up that suit. Don’t be that person who sits on the side waiting for someone else to do it.
Assuming you can find a lawyer to take the suit, of course.
hi all. A software update was issued yesterday. I have installed it so let’s see what happens. Does anyone have a link to the info on software updates? does such a thing exist? Would love to know the official view on what was being fixed
The battery “drain” on the roam is not part of this update. The issue is not actually the battery itself, but the way they designed the product to work in an existing Sonos environment. The way its designed, if you keep the Roam in standby (sleep mode), it wakes up each and every time you use the Sonos app. And I use the app constantly throughout the day for OTHER speakers. That needs to change.
Their should be an option to wake with the App every time, or wake specifically when you want to use the Roam. The way it is now, I have to charge the Roam every 2 (maybe 3) days -- with only about an hours actual use. Sure -- I could totally power down the Roam, but then I would have to physically engage with it to turn it back on (not acceptable for a Sonos speaker).
So the best solution -- stop waking EVERY time you use the app.
Apparently there was something for the Roam in this update according to many websites today….e.g. https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/sonos/156883-new-sonos-update-software-features-how-to-get-it
Not sure what to believe now
The whole ‘10 days on standby’ is a rather silly claim as I'm not sure of any real world case you would ever get it.
As it stands, if it is in range of your Sonos system then you won't get even close to it as it will forever be waking up.
And if it's while travelling you may as well switch it off completely to then get close to the life all the other similar speakers give by default.
The irony of the ‘workaround' of keeping your battery powered, portable speaker on charge surely isn't lost on many.
I’ve been reading the numerous battery issues as I am disappointed with the battery performance of the Roam. It’s still not clear to me if anyone is getting anything like the advertised (up to) 10 days in sleep mode? It seems that the only way to get near this is to go through the rather clunky ‘power off’ procedure. Surely that isn’t what Sonos intended? From the specs it reads that it should provide the 10 days without powering off. From the FAQs:
What is the battery life of Roam?
Roam offers up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. When not in use, Roam switches to sleep mode to conserve power, and the battery can last up to 10 days.
I haven’t recorded actual times yet but I’ve had to recharge many time and only used the Roam for a few hours. There is no chance that it would last for 10 days.
This is a shame because everything else about it is great (other than putting too many functions onto the power switch).
I’m seeing what looks like maybe 4 to 5 days (MAX) on standby -- even IF Sonos app not engaged during that time. Less, if Sonos App is engaged (causing the Roam to wake up periodically).
Thank you again Ken. Re. the last paragraph, if you quick press the rear button when connected to a power bank all the white lights go off on the Roam which I thought was indicating a sleep state despite being connected to a charger. So the white lights can be off despite the Roam being awake? If so then what are the white lights indicating when on?
I have a similar issue, but perhaps worse… I turned my Roam OFF, thinking I would use it for rehearsal at a theatre. It was fully charged according to the app. I didn’t need it for four days and when I tried to turn it on, it was dead.
Is it expected behavior for a device that is literally turned off and experience battery drain in less than a week with zero use?
How exactly are you turning off the Roam?
I held down the power button for five seconds. Got two chimes and the indicator went off. I don’t have a voice assistant installed on it.
I also have the issue, the Sonos app is used a lot in the house so the roam automatically turns on a lot which seems to drain the battery. When I go pick it up to take out it should be full but it's down at 60% when only charged the day before. Feels like for sure there is a solution in software but would be good to know its being worked on.
I do not have google or amazon installed on the roam.
After you turn off the Roam, does it turn on automatically when you open the Sonos app or does it say it is offline or not listed on your system?
Crutchfield In Bed With Sonos
Just to let you know that last week I submitted a one star review on Crutchfield where I purchased the Roam from and described the battery drain issues, and guess what? It never got published on their site. However, they have since published six 5 star reviews and one 4 star review. So, that’s how the system works...
Thank you again Ken. Re. the last paragraph, if you quick press the rear button when connected to a power bank all the white lights go off on the Roam which I thought was indicating a sleep state despite being connected to a charger. So the white lights can be off despite the Roam being awake? If so then what are the white lights indicating when on?
It does go to sleep if you press the button whilst on the charger, but if the Roam wakes up - it will stay awake whilst the charger is connected - you might have to test that though, but as mentioned some chargers will auto-power off themselves too when some devices reach full charge. Generally speaking if the lights are off then it’s in sleep mode. Also generally speaking if the Roam is left connected to a charger it should stay awake with status/mic light on etc.
Anyone successfully returned Roam and received a refund?
I thought mine was defected as I was charging mine constantly!
Only to find out that there are other users that have the accelerated battery draining issue.
Totally unacceptable.
Same issue’s. It’s only good if you’re using with a charger plugged in or else it’s waste of money. Stay away. Battery won’t stay more than an hour at max and it will drain automatically even when it’s turned off.
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