How to switch from Airplay to direct Sonos streaming?

Perspective is irrelevant.  It’s a two way communication between speaker and service using the API that Sonos built.  Therefore, if Apple wants to add the ability to swtich from Airplay, to playing on Sonos directly, they can write code to do that.  

Even  if the API uses was Apple’s I seriously doubt that Apple would allow a speaker to request playback of whatever’s playing on an airplay stream  midstream, initiated from a different app on a different device. 

This is just fiction.  Sonos supports 138 streaming services.     As far as the tech already being in place, Sonos existed long before an Apple music streaming services existed, and created their API, before Apple, or other streaming services really, even considering having playback outside of their streaming apps.  Your assumption that Apple is big, so they must have been first, is simply not correct.

Why is it always Apple users who refuse to believe anything is Apple’s fault, even when shown objective facts which place the blame on Apple?  It’s like a boss I used to have.  If anything in the software design clashed with his incredibly meager ability to understand software design, his standard retort was “Well, then it’s poorly designed.”  He’d rather cut off a limb than admit he may be the one who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. 

With Sonos-initiated playback the player is the master, whereas in AirPlay mode the player is the receiver/slave and the iThing sender the master.

It’s not just Apple users.  We see the same reaction with the integration between Sonos app and android, or the complete lack of chromecast support. There is even some cases where integration between Sonos and Amazon isn’t working and it’s assumed to be Sonos fault.

I think it may just be natural to assume that the bigger company dictates to the smaller company Sort of a ‘might makes right’ assumption.  That’s not entirely incorrect in some sense because a break in integration between a big tech company and Sonos will surely hurt Sonos more than the big tech...although probably not as lopsided as you’d think.

Perhaps it’s because Apple and others seem less approachable with their issues?  No one I can get Apple to fix the issue, they are too big to care, so I’ll complain to Sonos instead?

Personally, I see it more with Apple users, but I may be biased.  I’ve had people actually go lobby Google Play Music and/or YouTube when informed about the workings of SMAPI.  I’ve personally never seen an Apple user do the same, it’s always either “No, it’s Sonos’ fault” or “Why should I do the work, Sonos should lobby for me.”

And the reason for that is the Sonos Music API.  If Sonos approached this like Bose or Bluesound, they’d have less than a dozen (and sales for those units show it).  Seems like maybe Sonos is doing something right. 

It’s also ‘the last thing in the chain’ that is to blame, everything upstream must already be working perfectly, no?

Yet in other tech, people are perfectly capable of figuring out blame.  Nobody blames Samsung TV’s when the cable is out or Netflix is down.  So while your post may be human nature, there’s something else at work here.  I’m going with the Jobsian Reality Distortion Field.  😉

I think the argument who’s responsibility it is is not necessary. Both functions are already in the app. Streaming directly from (in my case) Spotify and stream through Airplay. The only thing that is needed is to add a button to switch from airplay to a direct stream, so you can shut down Spotify on your device and leave the building. Because Sonos is the only one who can change their app, this one is on Sonos its plate. Wkr Tysson

Sorry, but I do not think Airplay is “already in the (Sonos) app”. It is on your phone and in (probably) the app you use to play your music. The Sonos app is just a remote control, so it is illogical to assume Airplay is built into it.