Sonos App controls no longer appear on your lock screen


After updating to 9.0 on iOS, I am getting the message "Sonos App controls no longer appear on your lock screen" on all my updated devices. The lock screen controls stopped working on all my controllers with above message.
I do not have any other music player running nor I have any sort of voice over configured. Settings for the app are correct with both hardware volume control and lock screen controls enabled on all devices.

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226 replies

Userlevel 3
So, it’s not only we don’t get AirPlay 2 on our 1000€+ systems, but also we got ripped off controls, too. It’s quite a fckup, isn’t it?
Userlevel 3
This is so extremely disappointing! Sonos needs to give users the choice to enable or disable airplay functionality. Sonos controls in the lock screen was one of the main things that sold me on Sonos!! Sonos you NEED to fix this!!!
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
This is a real shame. It seems we gain functionality on the one hand, and lose it on the other. Mind I'm not as bothered about the lock screen as I am losing control from Apple Watch, which loses out also as far as I can tell.
Userlevel 2
Regardless of the technical issues and whether it's Sonos or Apple's fault, it is Sonos duty to ensure their customers have the best experience possible. They were eager to email us about the upgrade's benefits but not about the detriment. 9.0 disables lock screen control and you only found out when it was too late, within the 9.0 App. To simply share this in the same email we received in the morning would not have been much to ask [which already was screwed up as it falsely stated the Playbar was supported (which tells you a lot about how things are running at Sonos)]

SONOS Please re-release 8.6 as a legacy app or offer it in the Test Flight platform, but don't screw over your customers that have invested thousands of Dollars in you eco-system you just took a crap on for a feature that only makes you be less Sonos like!
Userlevel 3
I'd really like my lock screen controls back. I have been using my Apple watch to control Sonos for years! Huge step backwards for this app. Very disappointed.
Userlevel 1
Like many of you in this thread, I'm also quite dismayed to have lost the lock screen controls, hard volume controls functionality, AND, especially, the ability to control the music via my Apple Watch with the new Sonos update and the addition of the AirPlay 2 functionality. Can anyone at SONOS speak to whether these features might come back in the future, as it appears that MANY loyal SONOS users have been negatively affected by these changes in the updated app.

I, for one, would gladly revert back to the previous SONOS app build if I could, especially considering that I do not own any AirPlay 2 capable SONOS devices nor, due to the investment already, do I plan to purchase any to replace my current SONOS speakers.

ANY feedback from a SONOS REPRESENTATIVE would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Tom526. What I do not understand: Yes, I do have an apple TV, but I don't have a single AirPlay2 capable device in my household, so I'm gaining nothing, but I still see the loss of the functionality?
Userlevel 1
I am very disappointed in the version 9 software. Before this upgrade I loved my Sonos Play:1. I told everyone that I talked to about my Sonos that it was the best purchase I made in a long time. I loved how the Sonos app worked on the iPhone. I could see the music that was playing on the lock screen and I could control the volume with the hard buttons on the side of the phone. It even worked well with two iPhones in the house controlling it. But apparently those were happier times that were not meant to last.

It is ridiculous that the official fix it to turn of airplay on every other device on the network. I have three Apple TVs, why would I turn off a feature that I use? Why not give the Sonos app a toggle to turn off the AirPlay functionality? I can't use AirPlay2 with the Play:1, why not let me turn it off so I can continue to use the app in the user friendly manner that was available before, while still being able to use AirPlay on my Apple TVs? I am so disappointed, I created a forum account just to post this comment.
Userlevel 1
This update makes for an absolutely ridiculous way of forcing new third party functionality at the cost of what might be one of the best and most useful Sonos features.

Lockscreen controls are a must and moreover, useful for every user. This is lost to make way for an Apple specific function, which a lot of users don’t have any need for and above all is only available for users running the most current Sonos hardware. More ironically even, it is lost for the likes of AirPlay, a streaming technique which flaws actually brought a whole lot of customers to Sonos in the first place.

The official Sonos “fix” to switch AirPlay completely off in order to regain the lockscreen controls functionality is plainly absurd. It not only kills the very intent of the update, but even aggravates loss of overall functionality in the quite likely case you have an AppleTV running for video.

Properly fix this ASAP Sonos
The very least that could be done is creating a switch in the Sonos app to toggle AirPlay functionality and thereby giving users at least a choice of switching between lockscreen controls and AirPlay functionality!

You can disable Airplay functionality if you don't need it, which should bring the controls back:
https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3381?language=en_US


Yes, but I'm using Airplay for the Apple TV, so disabling is no option. But since I have no sonos devices supporting AirPlay2 it seems I am one of those guys loosing something really nice with this update.
Userlevel 1
I worked it out !
I simply unplugged the apple TV box that I never use anyway.
Then went to sonos app
More tab - settings - advanced settings
Then “Reset Controller”
The Lock screen now works again.

Hope this helps out others.
Userlevel 1
This is a real failure by Sonos. I use the lock screen controls all the time especially at night, and Unplugging Apple TV is not an option.
Sonos need to fix this.
Userlevel 4
Badge
The easy fix to all this is allow users to disable AirPlay support on the Sonos platform. It baffles me they released this without including this option. It was enabled with software, it can be disabled with software.

Most of us likely bought Sonos for it's native multi-room audio capabilities. AirPlay has it's uses, but is significantly inferior to the native Sonos solution as it requires your device to be constantly connected and sending audio. Sonos is both the sender and player. It doesn't drain my iPhone battery. It just works beautifully.

In addition, their solution of disabling Airplay isn't viable for anyone who has a Yamaha receiver (maybe other brands too), because Yamaha provides no way to disable AirPlay. You have to unplug it from your network, or segment it off on a separate VLAN that blocks AirPlay.

They succeeded in releasing something that made my experience with their product worse, and the only way to fix it is to make my experience with products they have nothing to do with worse. I think the only way to formally complain is submit a support request, which I did yesterday.
Userlevel 5
Badge +2
I do not have any AirPlay 2 Sonos devices and I also lost the iOS Lock Screen control for Sonos which is not ideal. I could not find an article on how to disable AirPlay in the Sonos app.
Userlevel 2
Another half arsed software attempt! Great speakers, no complaints there BUT SONOS really need to get a new APP Team!
Not only did we have to wait months for Alexa to work in Australia but when it "was" activated, we only got about 50% at best, of the full Alexa features and NOW with the update to version 9, lock screen controls for IOS no longer work unless you disable your whole house from using Airplay! Come on you guys get your act together or at least don't release updates until they work flawlessly 100%!!!!!
To be honest, I think you guys at Sonos know that SONOS users have invested heavily in your system and know that we HAVE to put up with crap software as we ain't going to change what we have as we outlayed such a large amount of money in the first place.
NOT HAPPY JAN! :@:(
Userlevel 1
Version 9.1 needs the option to disable Airplay support within the Sonos controller. Like many others, I do not have any Sonos Airplay 2 compatible devices, and the lock screen controls are a huge part of the user experience.

Turning Airplay off on Apple devices is not the solution.
Userlevel 1
This is a gigantic fumble. No doubt there are all kinds of technical reasons, API limitations, hardware and software issues that I don't understand and Sonos felt their hand was forced in some way. Nevertheless, there was NO warning PRIOR to the update, so I naively walked into a gigantic downgrade for my system. I don't have any Airplay 2 compatible Sonos devices (I have 2 connects and 2 connect: amps) so there's no added functionality for me at all. Sonos either needs to fork a "Sonos classic" app for people who don't need Airplay compatibility or work with Apple and figure this out. Not only did I use the lock screen functionality all the time but now it doesn't work with my Apple Watch either (which was indispensable in the pool).

I'm not asking heads to roll or threatening to sell all my equipment but, seriously Sonos, this is a crappy way to treat your existing customers.
Userlevel 3
I have 2 Sonos Play:1 speakers in the garage. As most people, if a favorite song starts to play, I raise the volume. Previously, I did this by just just rolling the crown on my Apple Watch. It didn't matter if I was washing the car or trying to fix the lawn mower with greasy hands. Now, I have to fish my phone out of my pocket but first either drying or cleaning my hands.

I know this might not seem like a big problem but sometimes you miss the little things.

Sonos...please make things simple again! Get a little customer feedback BEFORE taking away options from the application. Didn't you learn anything from the Dark Mode deletion just a few months ago?

Fingers crossed that you do right and fix this quickly. Customers remember this sort of thing and will take it into account when it comes time to upgrade/add to their audio system or recommending one to friends and family. There is a lot of competition out there.
Please help and take me back to how things were before I did the app update. I don’t need any of this functionality. I can’t figure out to disable AirPlay like it mentions in the article.
Userlevel 1
My Sonos Play:1 was updated to 9.0 today, which as far as I can tell brought me no new benefits ... However I can no longer control my Play:1 without first unlocking my iPhone (or other iOS) device which is immensely frustrating. Why roll this software to a device that does not support AirPlay2?

I have an Apple TV which uses AirPlay so I have no desire to disable AirPlay, but I do want to restore the full functionality of using my Sonos prior to upgrading to 9.0

Sonos have managed to reduce the functionality and usability of the product, effectively changing how it works and providing no improvement. It’s extremely frustrating and disappointing

I'd extremely keen to know how I restore this functionality? How do I formally complain to Sonos?

So mad right now!
Userlevel 2
For the most part, Sonos has been good at not doing things that harm the user experience via updates and mostly add features that enrich it. While then Airplay is nice for those that want it, removing the lock screen controls is truly a “head scratcher”. I can’t imagine any QA users would say “yes - make that change”. Please fix.
Badge
I sent an email to support about this because it is a deal breaker for me. I have four expensive Sonos players on my network, two Play:3s and two Connect Amps. When I bought the first I was concerned that the player lacked a display to show me information about the playing track, which the Squeezebox Radio that it was replacing had had, and even the ancient SliMP3 I used before that did. When I built my own network music player software, I even jury rigged a plasma display to the Linux box I was using to control it. Lacking one seemed a poor and cheap design choice, but trying out the Play:3, I found that I was able to live without it because I could use my lock screen (and even more importantly, my Apple watch, at a quick glance while cooking) to find out information about the track playing if it caught my attention as something I might want to add to my DJ collection.

This is crucial functionality to me. I used to pay my cable company a few dollars extra each month during the nineties, in order to rent a “DMX DJ Remote”, a clunky, heavy remote control with an LCD display that would show me this information about tracks playing on the digital music service I subscribed to.

And now it has gone away, and my expensive investment in Sonos equipment, supposed to be full-featured, is suddenly unusable. I can’t turn off my AirPlay devices, because I use them for streaming video.

I need Sonos to work the way it used to. It doesn’t ever need to interact with AirPlay, I use it for different things. But I need to be able to see what is playing at a glance on my watch, and control it there and on my lock screen.
Userlevel 3
I can’t believe Sonos hasn’t been able to figure out a way to make this work!! (On their own or in partnership with Apple). Lock screen control was one the main reasons I went with Sonos in the first place. I agree with some of the previous comments, give users the ability to disable air play 2 functionality in the app to restore the lock screen controls. Give people the option.
I have the same issue. AirPlay is disabled, lock screen controls are set to "on" but I still can't use the volume buttons when on lock screen.
Userlevel 2
The lock screen controls were a feature I used constantly. I, like other people have already posted have no airplay 2 devices but I do have airplay 1 devices. I have to unplug all these devices to get the lock screen controls back which is just silly