Roam - Seamless Music Transition Between Wi-Fi & Bluetooth

  • 24 April 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 1591 views

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RE: Roam - automatic / seamless change between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi while continuing to play music with my doing nothing / taking no action.

Yes, Roam is paired with my iPhone’s Bluetooth.

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I don’t understand the automatic switching feature ... 

I still don’t have the following answers to my questions for the Roam:

1. I am playing a song on Wi-Fi at home using my Spotify App. If I leave my home in the car, will the song continue to play without my doing nothing / talking no action as Roam will automatically connect to Bluetooth to continue playing the music?

2. I am playing a song on Wi-Fi at home using my Spotify via. the Sonos App. If I leave my home in the car, will the song continue to play without my doing nothing / talking no action as Roam will automatically connect to Bluetooth to continue playing the music?

3. I am playing a song using Bluetooth in my car using my Spotify App. When I enter my home, will the song continue to play without my doing nothing / talking no action as Roam will automatically switch to Wi-Fi to continue playing the music

Please make me understand this seamless switching feature of Roam as documented by Sonos - I must be missing something as I struggle to understand this - currently, I have to manually intervene to change Bluetooth settings on my iPhone & play the song on Spotify - this is NOT SEAMLESS - currently Roam automatically connects to Wi-Fi when the Bluetooth connection is manually disconnected and that is all it does leaving me to re-play the music!

Thanks! 

... In Partnership and Service,

Raj

 

 


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5 replies

Raj
I don’t think you can do any of those things that you mention, where did you read this and in what context?

Switching seamlessly between Bluetooth and WiFi for me means I can play to the Roam over WiFi and/or Play to it over Bluetooth, no need to keep connecting or pairing once the initial connections have been established, just play the available audio using either connection.

Also, perhaps more importantly, with Sonos Roam, you can play to it over Bluetooth, then group the Roam with other wireless connected Sonos speakers, which will also output the Bluetooth audio in sync over their WiFi connection.

Badge +3

Dear Ken,

 

Thanks for your feedback ...

I may be reading too much on the following for Roam on sonos.com - ‘Roam automatically connects’ and articles Googled:

*** sonos.com

‘A seamless listening experience, everywhere.

Enjoy the unmatched Sonos experience on Wifi, and stream directly from your smartphone, tablet, or computer using Bluetooth.

Roam automatically connects to your home network and pairs with your phone when you're away. So all you have to think about is what to play.’

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Regards.

~ Raj

 

 

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Dear Ken,

Very interesting ...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gearpatrol.com/tech/audio/amp36014550/sonos-roam-review/

‘But the coolest feature got canned.

At its launch event last month, Sonos promised this functionality would go even further, and that the Roam would automatically switch between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modes. Specifically, you were supposed to be able to pick up Roam while it was streaming music over Wi-Fi, take it anywhere you wanted, and once it got out of Wi-Fi range it would connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth without stopping the music. A seamless transition. 

I was never able to get Auto-Switching — specifically when going from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth modes, i.e. leaving the house — to work on my Roam review unit. And now, before launch, Sonos has confirmed that auto-switching feature has been updated. Or really, partially removed. Now the music will stop when you leave the house, by design. To start it back up again, you just have to manually switch the Roam to Bluetooth mode by pressing the back power button or by just going to the Bluetooth Settings menu on your smartphone. A small hitch, but one that significantly downgrades the magic factor.’

 

Regards.

~ Raj

 

 

 

 

 

 

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

That would have been a fantastic feature if it had happened & I even heard that it had the auto switching. Why would that get cancelled or were there issues with it.

Badge +3

Dear @mike1726 & @Ken_Griffiths 

The following is on the previous link that I provided, and follows the quoted paragraph:

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‘According to Sonos, this change to Auto-Switching was made out of an abundance of caution to prevent a Roam from automatically connecting to an unintended device — like an unsuspecting person's smartphone — suddenly broadcasting its audio for all to hear. The Roam can remember up to eight Bluetooth devices, and the feature was designed to run down this list when looking for devices to connect, which should mean it would only have found devices that had been attached to it before. Apparently that leaves too much space for error for Sonos to be comfortable leaving that feature enabled, though it never worked for me before it was pulled.’

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... In Partnership and Service,

Raj Dhir