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Impossible to connect my SONOS ROAM in Bluetooth


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Hello,

 

as I just received my SONOS ROAM I have tried many times today to get it connected in Bluetooth by following the procedure as described in that link.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4989?language=fr

So I kept pressing the button at the back but the blue light never went on and as a consequence the product had been left undiscovered for my mobile phone.

Is there anyone who encountered the same issue & what should I do to get it solve.

Thanks for your help

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Best answer by shfawaz 22 April 2021, 23:07

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114 replies

Just adding my frustration to this thread.

Out the box sonos roam WILL NOT connect to Bluetooth filling instructions from Sonos website.

I have about a dozen Sonos devices which are all in some partial stranded state due to the mix of Sonos 1 and Sonos 2. I am so incredibly frustrated that thousands of dollars of equipment are unusable due to this situation.

I bought a ROAM bc I wanted to completely bypass the app and registration due to that level of frustration. I just want the SONOS audio quality without any of the SONOS app crap. I just want to AirPlay or BT to THIS ONE ROAM. That’s it.

 

looks like it’s not possible and I’ll return it. JBL can likely help me at half the price?

I don’t understand why you didn’t just use your ‘Sonos Move’ as shown in your community profile to achieve the outcome you were looking for, as that will play both Bluetooth and Airplay audio too without ever having to goto the Sonos App?

Indeed the Move works like that and it’s about the only Sonos product I still use regularly. It’s too big to carry with me on travel.

Userlevel 2

We have been struggling with this for a few weeks, off and on. 

Husband stumbled on what might work for others…

We have the Roam added to Sonos and updated. It will play using Sonos app. Of course problem was Bluetooth. So the issue was, we would do as directed; get the flashing white light and when you had a steady white light, press and hold and the blue light would supposedly illuminate and a tone would sound initializing  pairing. But what actually happened was that when you hold the power button the speaker eventually makes two little sounds and powers off. Never a blue light. The solution is to let go of the power button when you hear the small tones BEFORE power shut off. 

We have three of these beasts and it worked on each one of them. 

Also - conflicting Bluetooth connectivity can be confusing so use one device to control. We were not able to achieve individual pairing of a speaker on his phone and a speaker on my phone. Maybe if we are out of range from one another. 

Thank you!!! This worked for me - I wasn't letting go of the power button quickly enough. Very helpful tip.

Tried everything listed above but no luck.  Bluetooth pairing just doesn’t work on this product.  Really terrible for a supposedly high end product.  Every cheap Bluetooth speaker I own works easily but not Sonos Roam.  Wow how embarrassing for Sonos!

I plan on returning mine - the Bluetooth setup is not intuitive. Roam is for roaming - why do they insist on WiFi connection. Every time I pair - next time I come in it will not connect. I try to forget the device and then have to try 5 time to connect it again - ridiculous.

Just got the roam and same issue here.  App was a mess, wouldn’t connect, didn’t like the wifi.  Uninstalled and reinstalled it.  Didn’t help.   I can turn it on but it goes from flashing white directly to flashing green.  I want to just connect via bluetooth but it won’t go into pairing mode.  Holding the power button at any point of the process just seems to turn it off with no sound whatsoever.  Really very frustrating and not very, well modern.  Feels like a decade ago in regard to ease of set-up.   


I’m having the exact same problem. I was impressed with the very positive reviews. I found a great deal. Bought it. Never in my wildest nightmares could I have imagined finding it impossible to pair an audio device with my PC via Bluetooth. Till now it’s been like falling off a log. I’ve spent hours trying to figure it out - unsuccessfully. The “instructions” that come with the Roam are a joke. Sonos’ website is a bundle of utter confusion. Reading the tech manual for the Mars Perseverance rover is more comprehensible. Go online and folks offer a hundred different suggestions - but none work in my case. Blinking green light - no blue. No pairing. I’ll try one more day - then will send the worthless thing back for a refund. Sonos: please get your act together. Why is it that every other audio device maker in the world makes their products easy to set up and all you offer is confusion and frustration?

I’m a journalist. I take time to write honest customer reviews. I posted the following on Amazon, Best Buy and Ebay today:

“Set-up's a Nightmare. Software's Buggy. Stay Away!

I purchased the Sonos Roam based on the highly positive reviews attesting to the speaker's superior sound qualities. Well, I never got to hear them. I found it impossible to set up a connection with my PC or iPhone, having wasted hours fultilely going through the designated steps and researching online for tips and guidance. What I did find in my research was scores of complaints attesting to the same issue, including on Sonos' own website - which, by the way, is an incomprehensible jumble of confusion. The "instructions" that come with the device are a joke. Connecting to Bluetooth these days is like falling off a log. 1-2-3. Done. But somehow Sonos has managed to invent a product that makes the Mars Perseverence rover seem like a grade school science project by comparison. I wish the tech reviewers delved into the horrific frustration of setting this audio device up. Do your own googling and you'll find many dissatisfied customers bitterly calling the Roam a useless paperweight. Sonos' software furthermore draws criticism for being excessively buggy.  I'm returning mine for a full refund after one day of frustration and anger. Caveat emptor.”

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Just got the roam and same issue here.  App was a mess, wouldn’t connect, didn’t like the wifi.  Uninstalled and reinstalled it.  Didn’t help.   I can turn it on but it goes from flashing white directly to flashing green.  I want to just connect via bluetooth but it won’t go into pairing mode.  Holding the power button at any point of the process just seems to turn it off with no sound whatsoever.  Really very frustrating and not very, well modern.  Feels like a decade ago in regard to ease of set-up.   


I’m having the exact same problem. I was impressed with the very positive reviews. I found a great deal. Bought it. Never in my wildest nightmares could I have imagined finding it impossible to pair an audio device with my PC via Bluetooth. Till now it’s been like falling off a log. I’ve spent hours trying to figure it out - unsuccessfully. The “instructions” that come with the Roam are a joke. Sonos’ website is a bundle of utter confusion. Reading the tech manual for the Mars Perseverance rover is more comprehensible. Go online and folks offer a hundred different suggestions - but none work in my case. Blinking green light - no blue. No pairing. I’ll try one more day - then will send the worthless thing back for a refund. Sonos: please get your act together. Why is it that every other audio device maker in the world makes their products easy to set up and all you offer is confusion and frustration?

Angkor123 - if you still have your Roam and haven’t returned it quite yet, a flashing green light means the product hasn’t been set up via the Sonos app yet.

Please use the Sonos app to first set up Roam on your network, then you will be able to switch to Bluetooth by holding the power button down for 2 seconds.

see below

Angkor123 - if you still have your Roam and haven’t returned it quite yet, a flashing green light means the product hasn’t been set up via the Sonos app yet.

Please use the Sonos app to first set up Roam on your network, then you will be able to switch to Bluetooth by holding the power button down for 2 seconds.

 

Sonos Staff:

I tried that too. No success either. Sonos also plainly states one cannot use their app with a computer. Huh?! I was also unable to load it into my iPhone from the Apple store. And I find this whole app & Bluetooth relationship utterly puzzling. No audio device today should be this complicated to hook up. Life is too short. It goes in the mail today!

Sonos Staff:

I tried that too. No success either. Sonos also plainly states one cannot use their app with a computer. Huh?! I was also unable to load it into my iPhone from the Apple store. And I find this whole app & Bluetooth relationship utterly puzzling. No audio device today should be this complicated to hook up. Life is too short. It goes in the mail today!

 

Took me 2 minutes to set mine up and it has been running flawlessly ever since.  No “journalist” who is this inept at setting up electronics should be giving reviews. 

Sonos Staff:

I tried that too. No success either. Sonos also plainly states one cannot use their app with a computer. Huh?! I was also unable to load it into my iPhone from the Apple store. And I find this whole app & Bluetooth relationship utterly puzzling. No audio device today should be this complicated to hook up. Life is too short. It goes in the mail today!

 

Took me 2 minutes to set mine up and it has been running flawlessly ever since.  No “journalist” who is this inept at setting up electronics should be giving reviews. 

 

Attention Sonos Staff: I flag this comment for removal. The poster is rude and casting personal aspersions.

 

Userlevel 7
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The real problem does seem to be you not being able to install the Sonos app (Sonos is clear the computer app is not built for setting up a speaker) on your iPhone. What problem did you run into?

I was having the same issues. Pressing the power button for 2 secs did not bring up the flashing blue light/chime that signals pairing. Had first setup the Roam via my S2 app, as instructed, and it connected on my home Sonos system via wifi without issue… but would not connect to my device via bluetooth. Power was at 45% out of the box.

Then I tried plugging the Roam into a power source, retried the bluetooth sequence and… success! I was able to pair the Roam to my MS Surface.

Hope this works for others.