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No Bluetooth workaround for Sonos One?

  • 12 March 2018
  • 49 replies
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M
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So yes, the lack of Bluetooth is a glaring issue that I think we all would like to see resolved at some point. Really limits things in a big way, but I kind of wonder if it's possible to do a work around some how.

So, we can take our tablets, with the Sonos app, and run the Sonos One speakers using a number of associated apps, like Spotify, iHeart, Amazon, etc.

Say you just want to watch a movie or something on your tablet, and output the sound to the speakers? If you can output the music stream via Wifi why can't Sonos or some enterprising young developer create a compatible app that will take any sound feed from your Sonos connected device and stream via Wifi the same way?

Seems almost too logical and simple to me. Thoughts?
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Best answer by pwt 13 March 2018, 15:19

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49 replies

S
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I feel pretty ripped off by Sonos. I am VERY sorry i bought one. The lack of bluetooth AND wireless functionalty has left me with a doorstop, for a speaker. I quite simnply wanted to be able to play whatever i am listening to on my Ipad. Sorry, gotta pay for Youtube. ..really? I can listen to you tube on a crappy cell phone but not on my Sonos? Same drill with the various listening services. I can listen to them on my ipad but HAVE TO PAY a subscription to run through my Sonos. I am sorry. this thing is worthless.
M
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
Danny, you must be an insider. You tirelessly maintain patrol here 24/7 every day to immediately dispel, spin, and ridicule every single negative post from a frustrated user. I mean, come on already - It's getting old.
S
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Just one more thing you gotta pay for or buy to make this thing even basically functional. So Danny, that car I sold you, I never said it had brakes or a fuel tank. There is a basic level of performance assumed by a normal person. This is not a Google policy issue. Other companies make functional systems. Google doesnt stop them Sonos has made design and marketing CHOICES. I can buy a 20 wireless speaker that is more functional than this thing. THAT is how they ripped me off. And people "forgetting" to mention the "little issues" in their reviews. Thats how.
jgatie
I have medical patients who make errors. Sometimes it destroys their kidneys. Sometimes their child dies or they marry someone with a genetic disorder. I wonder how telling them to better research their medication, childs behavior or partner would go over? You have the compassion of a brick.

Are you seriously comparing a medical accident, a child's death, or a genetic disorder to the lack of research of an audio speaker? Seek help, man. Seek help.
Smilja
I feel pretty ripped off by Sonos. I am VERY sorry i bought one. The lack of bluetooth AND wireless functionalty has left me with a doorstop, for a speaker. I quite simnply wanted to be able to play whatever i am listening to on my Ipad. Sorry, gotta pay for Youtube. ..really? I can listen to you tube on a crappy cell phone but not on my Sonos? Same drill with the various listening services. I can listen to them on my ipad but HAVE TO PAY a subscription to run through my Sonos. I am sorry. this thing is worthless.
1) YouTube Music is not identical to Youtube the video platform

2) As an example...

Can I use Spotify Free with Sonos?

No, you need a Spotify Premium account to listen to Spotify on your Sonos.

https://support.spotify.com/dk/listen_everywhere/on_speaker/sonos/

3) It's up to the respective service to specify the terms and conditions for third-party platforms like Sonos. How are streaming services supposed to survive, when no-one wants to pay for content?
»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
jgatie
Sometimes screaming feels good. Sonos makes me feel bad. I have lost time and money buying it, I am not going to waste more selling it. I have not tried Airplay. I will familiarize myself with it. You are correct it will NEVER be what i want. Now I need to find a replacement that does and actually works.

You are wasting your time screaming here in multiple posts because it "FEELS good", but you aren't willing to take the time to sell it to get some money back on a product that makes you "FEEL bad". Pretty unproductive exercise, no?

Oh and the day I let an inanimate object (or even an animate object) dictate how I FEEL, is the day I cut out of this realm. Life's too short to allow a bad purchasing decision to dictate my mood. Just sell the damned thing, you will "FEEL" much better.
melvimbe
Just one more thing you gotta pay for or buy to make this thing even basically functional. So Danny, that car I sold you, I never said it had brakes or a fuel tank. There is a basic level of performance assumed by a normal person.

I agree that people often make this assumption, but it simply isn't an accurate assumption. The Homepod doesn't have bluetooth, does have airplay though. The Google Home products don't have bluetooth either, they use chromecast. Amazon's echo products have bluetooth in some cases, usually to send audio to better speakers, but it can be setup to be just a 'dumb' bluetooth speaker. You're correct that the vast majority of audio/speaker products have bluetooth in some form or another, but not all, and certainly not in the smart speaker market.


This is not a Google policy issue. Other companies make functional systems. Google doesnt stop them Sonos has made design and marketing CHOICES. I can buy a 20 wireless speaker that is more functional than this thing.


You can buy a bluetooth speaker for 20 bucks, absolutely. Perhaps an echo dot or google mini on sale. But you can't buy the audio quality, multiroom functionality, and everything else Sonos does for $20. That's not to knock $20 bluetooth speakers. They have their place, but you're really comparing apples to oranges. It's kind of like comparing a hammer to a cordless drill.


THAT is how they ripped me off. And people "forgetting" to mention the "little issues" in their reviews. Thats how.

Sonos used to specifically say that it wasn't bluetooth on the frontpage, explaining the difference between wifi and bluetooth. I wish they never took it down. People still assumed it had bluetooth, but it did seem to help.
Danny
S
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I have medical patients who make errors. Sometimes it destroys their kidneys. Sometimes their child dies or they marry someone with a genetic disorder. I wonder how telling them to better research their medication, childs behavior or partner would go over? You have the compassion of a brick.
jgatie
What kind of thread is this?! ....at least it gave some good laughs this morning.

Crops up all the time. Buyer does no research, blames Sonos for not being what it isn't. Just another day in EnTitletown (as opposed to Titletown, which is where I live).
Ryan S
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Let's take a breath everyone and remember to try and stay friendly. The community doesn't allow personal attacks on other users, name-calling or otherwise. I understand getting frustrated and upset, but let's try to keep things pleasant. I'm closing this thread for further comments now, and let's please try not to spread the sentiment to other threads.

@sepharad, I'm sorry you got the wrong information, and if you happen to locate the thread here that you saw saying so, please feel free to send it my way. I'll make sure to correct it as we try to make sure the right information is always available here.

We're always trying to find ways to make playing your music easier on Sonos, while making sure that quality of audio and consistency of stream remained up to our standards. Bluetooth has never been known for this and wasn't included in the product. We've added Airplay 2 fairly recently, and it's included in newer speakers with the needed hardware specifications.

About Airplay, I have found "The icon for Airplay will appear only if you have a gen2 ATV installed and on your Home Sharing network.". Does this mean i need another device to get an airplay icon on my ipad?

No. You need a Sonos device that supports Airplay 2. The Sonos One, Playbase, Play:5, or Beam. The others predate Airplay 2 and do not have the necessary hardware requirements.

The Amp also supports Airplay 2, and if you have any of those in the house, you can play the stream from an Airplay 2 device and group the Sonos speaker using the Sonos app with any others to play the same audio in all of those spaces.

Make sure you have a Sonos One and not the Play:1, the Sonos One has a flat top cap, with microphones built in. The Play:1 has older hardware and capable of being the receiver for the Airplay2 stream, you have to group it with another Sonos player that is.
Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
MikeV
Userlevel 7
Badge +21
There's a workaround, but it will require a Sonos device with a Line In connection. A variety of companies make Bluetooth receivers that you could connect to the Line In on a Play:5 speaker, Connect, or Connect:Amp. Connect your phone to that Bluetooth receiver, then tell your Sonos speaker of choice to play the Line In connection. Now anything you can play on your phone can be played through Sonos.

I don't expect Sonos to ever integrate Bluetooth. The short range and sharing of the 2.4 GHz WiFi band are recipes for disappointment as you walk around your house with your phone and walk out of range of the Sonos speaker you were connected to, or as you start streaming via Bluetooth and a speaker starts cutting out because the Bluetooth signal is interfering with the wireless signal.
The S in IOT stands for Security.
K
If the play 1/Sonos One had a line in jack, their use cases would have seen a big increase.

One example of this is that something like a Dot wired to the line in would have added bluetooth capability to the unit, along with all the features that the present Alexa Sonos integration lacks.

The 5 unit is too expensive/large for this use.
K
Who is the we? Someone that will successfully hack into Sonos proprietary protocols?
pwt
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
This is well-worn territory, although I fully appreciate the desire for the feature(s), and I think this need will be met by Sonos in a couple of different ways at some point.

Kumar's point is that if a third-party developer wanted to interface directly with Sonos playback protocols, that would require them to be hacked / reverse-engineered. That is factually correct.

Note that if you're an Apple user there are ways to enable AirPlay today (AirConnect, for example), and AirPlay 2 is coming natively to Sonos some time in 2018.

Moderator Note: As stated in this post, this is not intended functionality and we do not have an official workaround at this time. There are further suggestions in this thread for user workarounds, however.
4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port
R
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
Here's a workaround to play Bluetooth on Sonos...
https://www.instructables.com/id/Play-Bluetooth-on-Sonos-Using-Raspberry-Pi/
Smilja
Danny, you must be an insider. You tirelessly maintain patrol here 24/7 every day to immediately dispel, spin, and ridicule every single negative post from a frustrated user. I mean, come on already - It's getting old.
I get your frustration about not being invited as beta tester for Google Home. Doesn't justify an argumentum ad hominem.
»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
S
Userlevel 2
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Let me go one further. Many of the "Compatible" sites listed by all the fan boys, fail to mention that in europe, half or more aren't available. And it's not just you tube, little ones like...Pandora...then theres Spotify, I had a nice collection of music there, but noooooooo. I have to PAY to hear the music ON SONOS. Not pay to hear the music Dan, Pay to hear it ON SONOS. Another agreement made that leaves me with a paperweight unless i subscribe to their system of Ransom.
jgatie
Just one more thing you gotta pay for or buy to make this thing even basically functional. So Danny, that car I sold you, I never said it had brakes or a fuel tank. There is a basic level of performance assumed by a normal person. This is not a Google policy issue. Other companies make functional systems. Google doesnt stop them Sonos has made design and marketing CHOICES. I can buy a 20 wireless speaker that is more functional than this thing. THAT is how they ripped me off. And people "forgetting" to mention the "little issues" in their reviews. Thats how.

The requirement for a paid subscription is a decision made by the music service, Sonos has nothing to do with it. Pandora allows free subs, as does Slacker, whereas Spotify requires a premium subscription just to use their own Spotify Connect protocol. Sonos has no financial incentive to limit accounts, for participation in the Sonos Music Partners program is open to all, and it is free.

By the way, you have an iPad, have you tried Airplay yet?
jgatie
Let me go one further. Many of the "Compatible" sites listed by all the fan boys, fail to mention that in europe, half or more aren't available. And it's not just you tube, little ones like...Pandora...then theres Spotify, I had a nice collection of music there, but noooooooo. I have to PAY to hear the music ON SONOS. Not pay to hear the music Dan, Pay to hear it ON SONOS. Another agreement made that leaves me with a paperweight unless i subscribe to their system of Ransom.

I suggest you return your Sonos for a refund, or sell them on e-Bay if outside the return period. They are never going to be what you wish them to, and complaining about it here is nothing but an exercise of screaming at the wind.
S
Userlevel 2
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People still post that it IS bluetooth. I read a posting today that set me off.

I am not annoyed by the device, I am annoyed by the people who made and market it. Jgatie i honor how YOU feel about inanimate objects, I am sorry you cannot manage to scrounge together that same understanding for other, but thanks for the moking comment.

How do they survive if people dont pay....well Spotify survives with ADS. Lots and lots of them.

The sound quality...it is merely adequate. Muddy to my ear. So I am not all that enthused about and semblence of high fidelity.

What device supports what services is a two way choice. Sadly, the consumer can only vote with his /her money. in my case, they got my money, and boy am I annoyed about it.
Smilja
People still post that it IS bluetooth. I read a posting today that set me off.

I am not annoyed by the device, I am annoyed by the people who made and market it. Jgatie i honor how YOU feel about inanimate objects, I am sorry you cannot manage to scrounge together that same understanding for other, but thanks for the moking comment.

How do they survive if people dont pay....well Spotify survives with ADS. Lots and lots of them.

The sound quality...it is merely adequate. Muddy to my ear. So I am not all that enthused about and semblence of high fidelity.

What device supports what services is a two way choice. Sadly, the consumer can only vote with his /her money. in my case, they got my money, and boy am I annoyed about it.
Next time do your homework before buying a product that may not meet your needs.
»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
melvimbe
Yep it does I read a ton. i talked to users and NO ONE SAID, this thing wont work with most music sharing unless you pay. That it doesn't have the most basic broadcasting abilities as a remote speaker. I wish to God they had.

What users did you talk to? None at this site, obviously. Why are you choosing to complain here and not where you got bad information from?
Danny
S
Userlevel 2
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Actually one of the posters who suggested buying Sonos, stating it supported Bluetooth, WAS at this site. The reason i am complaining here, is when a buyer is shopping, this is where they are frequently linked. Just as this post was started by another person who also found the Problem annoying and wanted a workaround.

By complaining here, maybe someone who is shopping, can avoid the same error I made in buying this device.
jgatie
About Airplay, I have found "The icon for Airplay will appear only if you have a gen2 ATV installed and on your Home Sharing network.". Does this mean i need another device to get an airplay icon on my ipad?

No. You need a Sonos device that supports Airplay 2. The Sonos One, Playbase, Play:5, or Beam. The others predate Airplay 2 and do not have the necessary hardware requirements.
jgatie
I dont need to prove anything to you. It was at this site. If you dont like that I give a crack, what are you 12 years old?

I don't need you to prove anything to me. I already know you lied.
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