Song Skipping

  • 29 January 2018
  • 24 replies
  • 1490 views

I purchased a Sonos 5 to replace a dead Bose sound dock. First, I really like the sound quality of this product. Regretfully, I encountered a playback/song skipping issue that Sonos doesn't seem to have an answer for. During playback, at random times, Sonos skips to the next song. Sometimes a few seconds into a song. Sometimes a few minutes into a song. Incredibly annoying. I tried (tirelessly) to work with Sonos to resolve the issue, but to no avail. They say to call with any problems, but don't tell you that there is often an hour plus hold time. That leaves you with e-mail support with a different technician every time you get a response. Every time the issue was blamed on my wireless router, which works perfectly with EVERY OTHER DEVICE IN MY HOME (TVs, phones, laptops, iPods, doorbells, thermostats, etc.). They also say that this is an uncommon problem. Judging from the number of folks on this forum with the same issue, this is something they need to shine a light on and fix ASAP. Seems bluetooth connectivity would resolve this issue. In my case I was pushing the limit of return availability with the retailer, and could not continue the back and forth with a different tech every time, and no fix in sight. Returned the system and purchased a Google Home Max. Bluetooth connectivity, yea! Sounds almost as good as the 5 and costs $150 bucks less. Best of luck to everyone with this issue! Sorry it didn't work out.

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24 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +22
You say sonos doesn't have answer for. You called them and they reviewed a diagnostic of yours and had no answers.

Sounds like an interference/bad signal type issue to me.

Maybe one of the guys from Sonos can elaborate looking at your support tickets.

I assume you are wifi only (no sonos speakers hooked to router). What happens if you plug the Play:5 into the router. Does it still skip?

People come to support forums for answers to issues - seeing issue on support forum is not indicative of any kind of widespread issue (very much the opposite - sonos is about the most stable way to stream).
Well, I called only twice because (as mentioned) the wait time was over an hour to speak to someone. And of the 5 different techs I corresponded with via email, none came up with a solution.

I'll gladly supply my support tickets to assist anyone from dealing with the same hassle I did.

No Sonos speakers are connected directly to the router. Sort of the point. The competitors don't need to be connected directly to the router to work effectively since they have the option of bluetooth connectivity. If it would've worked as advertised, I would've gladly kept it.

I disagree. Seeing multiple questions on the support forum regarding the same problem is VERY indicative of a widespread issue. Glad it works well for you. It did not for me.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
I asked if you could plug the speaker in to router to see if it is a wireless issue or not. I don’t expect you to leave it hooked to router. I’m trying to troubleshoot where the issue is.
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I had similar issues when playing songs from my Samsung phone. It would skip to the next song on the play list before finishing the current song. I eventually realized it only happens when I leave my phone alone, i.e not actively using it. After changing router channels and a variety of other attempts, the solution was simply to switch off the power saving capability in Android. If you do not tell Android to not save power when your phone is not actively being used by yourself, it will attempt to put processes to sleep. Go to Settings -> General -> Power Saving and switch this to off. You can also specifically switch it off per app, like Sonos.
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Re previous reply: Menu on some phones is Settings -> Device Maintenance -> Battery -> Unmonitored apps
Yes — I have the identical issue — it will play one song perfectly, then skip ahead a minute or two into the next. It will not play more than one or two songs before skipping forward mid-song, and sometimes skips out of several songs in a row. This behavior began with the 9.0 version. I have a top of the line gigabit router/switch/access point that handles several dozen other devices without issue, and is the same one in use when the older software randy@randymaclean.com without issue..
If you have an iPhone, the software update today is apparently supposed to help with that.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll download.the update and see if we can enjoy music throughout the house once again. 🙂
I wish I could report better news, but the issue is still present in today’s update. It played two songs completely, then skipped out of the third song after playing about two minutes of it. On the eighth, it skipped out about 90 seconds in. The issue seems to be occurring less frequently, but it’s still not fixed.
It gets worse from there... By the twelfth song, it eoesn’t play *any* songs completely. The update doesn’t appear to have addressed the issue at all..
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Might be time to ask Sonos for some assistance?

If you want the Sonos staff to look at your system wait until you have the issue and submit a diagnostic, then contact Sonos with the ID number and a description of the problem.

Starting your own topic here will make troubleshooting easier than tagging on someone else's topic. Twitter, Facebook and via phone are other options.
Thanks for the kind suggestions. The detail is quite helpful.

I did spend about an hour with Sonos support after the posting (most of it on hold waiting at the beginning of the call).

The tech was polite, and acknowledged that the issue is know, and goes back many months. He didn’t have a great depth of knowledge, and couldn’t do much more that listen to the sounds skipping in the background. He did attempt one troubleshooting item — disabling the AirPlay on my Apple TV, but that didn’t help at all.

I’ll do some homework, and find out how to run a diagnostic...

Thanks, again.
Thanks for the kind suggestions. The detail is quite helpful.

I did spend about an hour with Sonos support after the posting (most of it on hold waiting at the beginning of the call).

The tech was polite, and acknowledged that the issue is know, and goes back many months. He didn’t have a great depth of knowledge, and couldn’t do much more that listen to the sounds skipping in the background. He did attempt one troubleshooting item — disabling the AirPlay on my Apple TV, but that didn’t help at all.

I’ll do some homework, and find out how to run a diagnostic...

Thanks, again.

See link...

Submit System Diagnostics
R M,

You may also find some of the suggestions in this link useful too..

Simple Fixes for Network Connection Issues
Same problem - simple solution. Sell Sonos 1 and get a Sony speaker instead. Bye bye Sonos.
I purchased a Sonos 5 to replace a dead Bose sound dock. First, I really like the sound quality of this product. Regretfully, I encountered a playback/song skipping issue that Sonos doesn't seem to have an answer for. During playback, at random times, Sonos skips to the next song. Sometimes a few seconds into a song. Sometimes a few minutes into a song. Incredibly annoying. I tried (tirelessly) to work with Sonos to resolve the issue, but to no avail. They say to call with any problems, but don't tell you that there is often an hour plus hold time. That leaves you with e-mail support with a different technician every time you get a response. Every time the issue was blamed on my wireless router, which works perfectly with EVERY OTHER DEVICE IN MY HOME (TVs, phones, laptops, iPods, doorbells, thermostats, etc.). They also say that this is an uncommon problem. Judging from the number of folks on this forum with the same issue, this is something they need to shine a light on and fix ASAP. Seems bluetooth connectivity would resolve this issue. In my case I was pushing the limit of return availability with the retailer, and could not continue the back and forth with a different tech every time, and no fix in sight. Returned the system and purchased a Google Home Max. Bluetooth connectivity, yea! Sounds almost as good as the 5 and costs $150 bucks less. Best of luck to everyone with this issue! Sorry it didn't work out.
Same problem - simple solution. Sell Sonos 1 and get a Sony speaker instead. Bye bye Sonos.
Hopefully Sonos finds a way to fix the skipping issue. I’ve tried everything for the past 8 plus months and the problem continues. I’ll try the “screen lock” idea but that’s a bandaid not a solution.

Sonos team, please don’t ask me to create a ticket, there are plenty out there to review. I’m the least of your worries, my system is basic. What have I tried you ask?

-reset wireless router
-changed WiFi channel
-created a new WiFi pass and kicked all family members off (just I access)
-reduced speakers to the same room to ensure no interference (WiFi is awesome at my place)
-turned off apple play on my puck
-called Sonos support and walked through various other ideas, tech was great but when problem surfaces shortly thereafter, I don’t have time to call again.
-changed various iPhone phone settings etc (trying screen lock idea next)

The list goes on. I love Sonos but when you’re forced to dust off a portable Bose speaker because your previously awesome Sonos system keeps skipping during group gatherings or home working, it’s gone to far. Drives me nuts.

Again, I absolutely love Sonos when music plays without skipping as it did for over a year before new software updates. I wish Sonos well but I will not invest in another Sonos product this Holiday season. Maybe Apple is trying to secretly kill Sonos as posted elswhere. Good luck Sonos
UPDATE: For me, keeping your phone unlocked and the Sonos app open at all times has stopped the skipping issue!!! However, this does not diagnose the problem or should be considered a fix. Leaving your phone open is a massive security risk. If you accidentally set your phone down and your four year old nephew or funny intoxicated friend starts poking around on it, you may end up with more issues than songs skipping...

Another theory, maybe Apple is about to buy Sonos??? That would work in my favor and explains Sonos's lack of fixing this issue. Again, love Sonos rand really hope they figure this out for the average user who just wants to hear his/her music without skipping.
UPDATE: For me, keeping your phone unlocked and the Sonos app open at all times has stopped the skipping issue!!! However, this does not diagnose the problem or should be considered a fix. Leaving your phone open is a massive security risk. If you accidentally set your phone down and your four year old nephew or funny intoxicated friend starts poking around on it, you may end up with more issues than songs skipping...

Another theory, maybe Apple is about to buy Sonos??? That would work in my favor and explains Sonos's lack of fixing this issue. Again, love Sonos rand really hope they figure this out for the average user who just wants to hear his/her music without skipping.
I think this is an Apple bug arising from the AirPlay-2 development, or it is being done by Apple deliberately to improve the battery life, or security of their devices. I’m not sure we can blame Sonos for this issue, it is the iOS device that is interrupting the playing stream here.
I still have song skipping issues unless iphone is left unlocked which creates a security risk as stated in my previous post.

FYI: I’m an average User who was left disenchanted after calling Sonos multiple times and switching various settings (wireless router, iPhone & Sonos). Ultimate it’s not worth my time or hassle to continue down this path. I just want my music to play without interruption. Even my cheap record player still works without interruption but my 21st century speakers do not.

Again, loved the Sonos brand, marketing and price point but I feel Apple is ruining the product. Yes, Sonos could tell me to switch more settings and spend more of my time trying to solve something they’re covering up.

Odd, i’ve never had this sort of customer exsperiance with an product that I loved. I really want this to work but it doesn’t. It’s like a high school relationship that you desperately want to work but you don’t have the foresight to realize that breaking up and moving on is significantly healthier.

I’m still crying over my first love and wish it would work like it once did (remember when Sonos...).
Move your music off of the phone, and onto a computer or NAS that don't sleep. You'll be much happier.
UPDATE: For me, keeping your phone unlocked and the Sonos app open at all times has stopped the skipping issue!!! However, this does not diagnose the problem or should be considered a fix. Leaving your phone open is a massive security risk. If you accidentally set your phone down and your four year old nephew or funny intoxicated friend starts poking around on it, you may end up with more issues than songs skipping...

Another theory, maybe Apple is about to buy Sonos??? That would work in my favor and explains Sonos's lack of fixing this issue. Again, love Sonos rand really hope they figure this out for the average user who just wants to hear his/her music without skipping.
I think this is an Apple bug arising from the AirPlay-2 development, or it is being done by Apple deliberately to improve the battery life, or security of their devices. I’m not sure we can blame Sonos for this issue, it is the iOS device that is interrupting the playing stream here.


Sorry, but that's BS. I have and continue to use multiple different manufacturer speakers and they all work perfectly fine with my iPhone and Apple ecosystem, including after the update to iOS12 with AirPlay2. Sonos is literally the only speaker system that I have this problem with. It is up to the speaker manufacturers to incorporate AirPlay2 code into their product and clearly Sonos hasn't done this, or at least not well anyhow. iOS12 will not allow the user to turn off lockscreen/sleep mode for obvious reasons... battery, security, etc. Sonos asking me to tap my phone every 3 seconds to avoid it going to sleep in order to play an entire album of music without it skipping every 60 seconds is absurd. There is no Apple conspiracy. This is Sonos unable to fix their software plain and simple. Really disappointed as I only joined the world of Sonos last month and invested in hundreds of dollars of speakers to find out that I can't play through a single song. Absolutely ridiculous.