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Sonos upgrade now music dropping when iPhone sleeps

M
Userlevel 1
Hi, I have an iPhone 7 running the latest iOS 11.4.1, and just updated the sonos app. Now whenever my phone goes to sleep, the music from my iPhone library stops playing. Tried sonos e support, no resolution. Tried phone support, same result. I have a sonos play1 and 5 with a bridge. Have never had this problem. Re boooted everything and re installed the app, same problem. The only other devices I have at home are a tv and a ps4, so interference should be minimal.
To those in the community who berate people asking questions that “have been answered over and over”, I’m looking for help, not attitude.
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Best answer by miked13 11 June 2019, 22:20

Mike i tend to agree with you. If Sonos has no solution to this problem there needs to be other remedies offered to the impacted customers. They can’t just say “sorry the functionality you paid for does work anymore”. I am sure anyone could dig up the old marketing which stated that Sonos could be used to stream direct from iOS.

Unfortunately Sonos is going to remove the 'On this iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch' feature in a future version:
https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2922?language=en_US

Announcement: https://en.community.sonos.com/announcements-228985/upcoming-changes-to-on-this-iphone-or-ipad-playback-6826585
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125 replies

Airgetlam

djouret, I think you’re skipping over the fact that Apple made the change that forced Sonos to “ditch” this secondary, feature from the Sonos system.And that there are multiple ways that are still around from before that feature was added to the Sonos system, as well as others that have been added since “from this device” was put in.

In fact, there is an entire thread about how to continue to play your music, despite this change,  here .

Bruce
D
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same here, ditching the music from iPhone  feature is very disappointing. Sonos just takes the money from customers and throws out any feature, who cares right? you’ve sold the system so what do you care about your customers.... 

B
This fix worked perfectly for me. Thanks.
B
Ok, I'll eat crow, and I hope this fix works for the rest of you: from the WiFi settings of your iWhatever, "Forget" the network, then re-join it. On one device I had to forget the network then bounce the iPad and then it worked.

I've done this on an iPhone and two iPads – all of which were giving me the same issue yesterday. I kicked off 3 separate albums from 3 separate devices on 3 separate Play:1 speakers, locked them, and walked away. Previous to this fix, the music would’ve stopped about a minute after the device was locked. At this point, they've all been playing uninterrupted for about 20 minutes and I’m feeling pretty optimistic that I’ll be able to listen to an entire evening of music with my phone in my pocket.

It looks like Sonos V.9 and iOS 11.4.1 were released at about the same time, and I definitely took both updates at the same time, so I may have conflated the two. I hadn’t had any issue with streaming or downloading on locked iOS devices and the only symptom of the bug (at least for me) was evidenced in Sonos playback. That said, Sonos is also the only non-native app I was using.

A couple other notes: Battery conservation mode was never part of the issue -- I don't use it, and confirmed I have that switched off. Also, I don't think that the devices were disconnecting from wifi when they were locked/sleeping because downloads didn't abort. Finally, AirPlay doesn't seem to have been in the mix either. Having it on doesn't break it, and disabling didn't fix it.
Airgetlam
Well, if you put them on eBay, you're likely to get pretty close to purchase price for them. I've currently got 17 of them, and don't have any additional rooms that need a speaker.

On the other hand, it does feel like there are a lot of alternate options that Sonos provides, that have been discussed substantially in the multitude of various threads about this issue.

I get that you're angry. And I'm sorry that Sonos had to do this. I assume they've spent at least since iOS 11 changed the system looking in to ways that they could "fix" the problem, and just have been unsuccessful.

To be honest, I moved away from playing "on this iPhone" quite a long time ago. I couldn't deal with the battery drain. Initially, I had all my music on my Mac's hard drive, and played from there. Subsequently, I moved to an NAS for my music. For podcasts, I used PocketCasts for quite a while, but when Sonos came out with AirPlay 2, I moved back to OverCast, which is my preferred podcast app. And for TuneIn Premium sources, I also use AirPlay 2.

Unfortunately, I think if you read the legal documents that you agreed to when you purchased/installed software/started using Sonos, you'll find that there are clauses that suggest that the software is subject to change at any time.

Nor do I think that this is being done at a whim by Sonos. I feel confident that they didn't want to do this as much as you don't want them to do it, but they really didn't have any choice. And the fact that you can still play from your phone in other ways makes it slightly less aggravating.

Think of it from a business perspective. What benefit do they have in future revenue by doing something like this? That's the only way to look at it....how it affects future business. Are they going to lose some people in the process? Probably, people like you will be so angry that they won't consider all of the other options that Sonos offers, and base their decision only on one aspect. Sonos will not be happy to lose future sales from those people. On the other hand, the system clearly wasn't working the way it was, and Apple isn't going to change their mind, either. So Sonos feels it's time to bite the bullet, stop the bleeding, and move forward with the many other ways to play music from your iOS device.

Yea, it sucks. But it's business. Change is often an unhappy thing.
Bruce
K
Userlevel 3
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No worries, Stuart, happy to be of assistance.

But if you want to be pissed, be pissed at Apple. They're the ones who "broke" the system.

But in all honesty, another Sonos speaker is a good thing :)


Sonos marketed the product to work with apple... I’m pissed at Sonos. They’re the ones who collected my money. They’re the ones who said “it will work with your iPhone” they’re the ones who made money off of it. It’s 100 percent on Sonos. So disappointed this is being removed. I now have captive equipment that is severely degraded.

if you’re such a supporter, why don’t u buy my degraded equipment from me?

Sonos dropped ball hard
I
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
To clarify - if I buy a Sonos with AirPlay 2 facility it will connect via my iPhone and play through my older, non compatible speakers?

Yes - but **only** those older speakers that are grouped with the AirPlay 2 capable speaker. Depending on how much Sonos kit you own, and how you typically group it, this limitation may or may not be issue.

I typically only create two groups - upstairs and downstairs - and only really wanted the AirPlay 2 function upstairs, so buying only one new speaker worked for me. YMMV.

P.S. I don’t know if you can stereo pair a new speaker with an old one and still use AirPlay 2. Perhaps someone else here does.
Airgetlam
No worries, Stuart, happy to be of assistance.

But if you want to be pissed, be pissed at Apple. They're the ones who "broke" the system.

But in all honesty, another Sonos speaker is a good thing 🙂
Bruce
S
Wow!
I’m well impressed with the speed of the (positive) reply to my query.
I'll order from John Lewis tonight and get set up again.
Still pissed that Sonos are forcing me to spend another £200 on them though.
Many thanks Bruce.
Stuart
Airgetlam
Ah, perhaps I need to be more clear. I used the term "grouped" very specifically. I don't believe that there are any Sonos speakers that are AirPlay 2 that can be "paired" with a non-AirPlay 2 speaker. So you can't expect to have a stereo pair set up. What you can expect is one Sonos "room" that can receive AirPlay 2, and that "room" can be grouped with any other "room" you have. I do this fairly frequently, sending an AirPlay 2 signal to a Sonos One, which I then group with a pair of PLAY:3s.
Bruce
Airgetlam
Yes, if you purchase a Sonos that can receive an AirPlay 2 signal, it can be grouped with any of your other speakers.
Bruce
S
Another dimwit here!
To clarify - if I buy a Sonos with AirPlay 2 facility it will connect via my iPhone and play through my older, non compatible speakers?
Otherwise I’ve just wasted £750!
J

It provides Airplay 2 functionality to all you Sonos speakers would be my guess.Yes, that's correct. Apologies for being unclear. The main caveat being that it only provides Airplay 2 functionality to those (old) Sonos speakers grouped with the (new) Airplay 2 capable speaker.
I don't think you were unclear, I think I was being dim.
I
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
It provides Airplay 2 functionality to all you Sonos speakers would be my guess.

Yes, that's correct. Apologies for being unclear. The main caveat being that it only provides Airplay 2 functionality to those (old) Sonos speakers grouped with the (new) Airplay 2 capable speaker.
bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
I applaud your attitude, although I am unclear as to how buying a Sonos One addresses the issue....?
It provides Airplay 2 functionality to all you Sonos speakers would be my guess. ive used Airplay2 when playing a Youtube video on my iPad and was impressed how minimal the lag was.
Saw you at the Air Race yesterday.....
J
I applaud your attitude, although I am unclear as to how buying a Sonos One addresses the issue....?
I
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
Number of class action threats on this forum? I have lost count. Number that have actually happened? Zero.

Yup. Not worth the effort.

I too was impacted by this problem, when playing podcasts, but solved it recently by spending $199 on a new Sonos One Gen 2, which as a fun byproduct also gave me Alexa support, which my spouse loves.

Life is too short etc, especially when $199 will fix this "first world" problem.

YMMV.
M
Userlevel 5
Badge +13


New to this discussion but have been dealing with issue for months too. Couldn’t be more frustrated. Based on the supposed response from the CEO the only solution for direct play from an iOS device is using airplay, which not older Sonos devices don’t support. It would seem that since Sonos originally marketed these devices to support direct playback from iOS, that they should provide a real, working solution. Can they push down a firmware update that would allow older hardware to support airplay? If not, are they offering owners of older hardware an airplay compatible device so that it can be grouped together so that all older devices will support airplay? If not, a refund of now obsolete devices seems to be in order. Candidly, I’m shocked that Sonos hasn’t issued a public statement on this. My hunch is that they are fearful that it could turn into a costly recall.I'd be happy with a refund on my speakers or a heavy discount (75% off) of new Sonos speakers with AirPlay 2 support. Otherwise if this is not fixed, perhaps a class action lawsuit is in order?I am in for the class action lawsuit.

Wonder what lawyer would actually take this up. lol.
J


New to this discussion but have been dealing with issue for months too. Couldn’t be more frustrated. Based on the supposed response from the CEO the only solution for direct play from an iOS device is using airplay, which not older Sonos devices don’t support. It would seem that since Sonos originally marketed these devices to support direct playback from iOS, that they should provide a real, working solution. Can they push down a firmware update that would allow older hardware to support airplay? If not, are they offering owners of older hardware an airplay compatible device so that it can be grouped together so that all older devices will support airplay? If not, a refund of now obsolete devices seems to be in order. Candidly, I’m shocked that Sonos hasn’t issued a public statement on this. My hunch is that they are fearful that it could turn into a costly recall.I'd be happy with a refund on my speakers or a heavy discount (75% off) of new Sonos speakers with AirPlay 2 support. Otherwise if this is not fixed, perhaps a class action lawsuit is in order?I am in for the class action lawsuit.
Number of class action threats on this forum? I have lost count. Number that have actually happened? Zero.
F
Userlevel 3
Badge +1

New to this discussion but have been dealing with issue for months too. Couldn’t be more frustrated. Based on the supposed response from the CEO the only solution for direct play from an iOS device is using airplay, which not older Sonos devices don’t support. It would seem that since Sonos originally marketed these devices to support direct playback from iOS, that they should provide a real, working solution. Can they push down a firmware update that would allow older hardware to support airplay? If not, are they offering owners of older hardware an airplay compatible device so that it can be grouped together so that all older devices will support airplay? If not, a refund of now obsolete devices seems to be in order. Candidly, I’m shocked that Sonos hasn’t issued a public statement on this. My hunch is that they are fearful that it could turn into a costly recall.I'd be happy with a refund on my speakers or a heavy discount (75% off) of new Sonos speakers with AirPlay 2 support. Otherwise if this is not fixed, perhaps a class action lawsuit is in order?

I am in for the class action lawsuit.
M
Userlevel 5
Badge +2
Mike i tend to agree with you. If Sonos has no solution to this problem there needs to be other remedies offered to the impacted customers. They can’t just say “sorry the functionality you paid for does work anymore”. I am sure anyone could dig up the old marketing which stated that Sonos could be used to stream direct from iOS.

Unfortunately Sonos is going to remove the 'On this iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch' feature in a future version:
https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2922?language=en_US

Announcement: https://en.community.sonos.com/announcements-228985/upcoming-changes-to-on-this-iphone-or-ipad-playback-6826585
P
Badge
Mike i tend to agree with you. If Sonos has no solution to this problem there needs to be other remedies offered to the impacted customers. They can’t just say “sorry the functionality you paid for does work anymore”. I am sure anyone could dig up the old marketing which stated that Sonos could be used to stream direct from iOS.
M
Userlevel 5
Badge +2
New to this discussion but have been dealing with issue for months too. Couldn’t be more frustrated. Based on the supposed response from the CEO the only solution for direct play from an iOS device is using airplay, which not older Sonos devices don’t support. It would seem that since Sonos originally marketed these devices to support direct playback from iOS, that they should provide a real, working solution. Can they push down a firmware update that would allow older hardware to support airplay? If not, are they offering owners of older hardware an airplay compatible device so that it can be grouped together so that all older devices will support airplay? If not, a refund of now obsolete devices seems to be in order. Candidly, I’m shocked that Sonos hasn’t issued a public statement on this. My hunch is that they are fearful that it could turn into a costly recall.

I'd be happy with a refund on my speakers or a heavy discount (75% off) of new Sonos speakers with AirPlay 2 support. Otherwise if this is not fixed, perhaps a class action lawsuit is in order?
M
Userlevel 5
Badge +2
worked when i turned background refresh on. only slid Sonos to on. all other apps to off.

Do you have non Sonos Airplay devices on the same network? I do, and background refresh did not fix the problem for me.
P
Badge
New to this discussion but have been dealing with issue for months too. Couldn’t be more frustrated. Based on the supposed response from the CEO the only solution for direct play from an iOS device is using airplay, which not older Sonos devices don’t support. It would seem that since Sonos originally marketed these devices to support direct playback from iOS, that they should provide a real, working solution. Can they push down a firmware update that would allow older hardware to support airplay? If not, are they offering owners of older hardware an airplay compatible device so that it can be grouped together so that all older devices will support airplay? If not, a refund of now obsolete devices seems to be in order. Candidly, I’m shocked that Sonos hasn’t issued a public statement on this. My hunch is that they are fearful that it could turn into a costly recall.

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