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Question

buffering issue

  • May 22, 2026
  • 33 replies
  • 285 views

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33 replies

Airgetlam
  • May 27, 2026

I think your iOS device is ‘hosting’ the show (if there’s more than one data set). But it could be the Apple server, depends on what the stream consists of. 

But what I was saying is that by using AirPlay 2, there’s a data stream coming from Apple to your iOS device, and then your iOS device is sending the data to your Sonos device. That’s two local streams (use of bandwidth on your local WiFi). When you’re using Sonos (via the controller), it tells your speaker where to get the data. So only the Sonos is streaming, and your controller isn’t. So there’s one stream on your WiFi, not two. Your iOS device is no longer ‘part’ of the stream. 

 

 


buzz
  • May 27, 2026

When a track terminates early and the.player attempts another track, this is an indication of a more severe communication issue.

When you start play using a SONOS controller, the player will work directly with the APPLE server. This is why you can remove your phone from the area and play continues. You could actually uninstall the controller and music will continue. When using AirPlay the phone is fetching data from APPLE then relaying wirelessly directly to the player, second by second. This can circumvent problems with your network accessing the APPLE server or the players. Issues will leave tracks in the diagnostic.

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  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • May 27, 2026

My son will be here this weekend.  I’ll have him read through this string of questions and replies.  For now, I found what I consider a workaround and intend to use it.  


106rallye
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Can you publish the work around here?


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  • Local Superstar
  • May 28, 2026

My guess, if Amazon Music and Apple Music via AirPlay are working fine, but the Sonos Apple Music Service is dropping packets, is the Sonos Apple Music Service is using more bandwidth than the network(s) are capable of. There have been several posts in the past of users artificially restricting bandwidth on their network(s) to force Sonos Apple Music service ABR to use a lower bit rate.

 


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • May 28, 2026

Can you publish the work around here?

I am a Boomer who ran my own business for 27 years, then my employees bought me out.  I never had to deal with tech, so I’m pretty limited on expertise there.  
my work around is to go to Apple Music and select the Sonos speakers inside Apple Music.  I did that and things play fine.  However. I was wrong in saying I can take my iPhone out of range of my WiFi and the system will continue playing.  I have a phone and iPad that share my Apple ID.  Leaving the WiFi with the phone, but leaving the iPad in the WiFi means the iPad takes over selecting songs.  That results in eventual dropping of the music stream too.  Why I don’t know, and it can be well over an hour before it drops.  Once it drops it will not recover until I manually start it again.  
I do have songs in my playlists that Apple Music once had in their library but has stopped offering. It is possible one of them gets chosen but is missing and that stops the stream.  An example is John Lithgow and Bebe Newurth (sp?) singing ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’.  I think a good rendition of the song, but since ‘me too’ it cannot be found digitally.  


106rallye
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You are using Apple AirPlay, that uses a connection via your phone. I did not know another iOS device keeps the AirPlay connection up after your phone has left the building though.


AjTrek1
  • May 28, 2026

@Warminup 

Go to this site:

https://www.discogs.com/shop/item/2722197679

You can find a used disc copy of NBC Celebrity Christmas with John Lithgow and Bebe Newuth singing Baby It’s Cold Outside. You can then burn it as a playlist to Apple Music.