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Sonos Move - Speaker Phone

  • 19 September 2019
  • 15 replies
  • 9355 views

So I own several Sonos One and a Sonos Beam and am very happy with what the system does. Having said that I am very frustrated with what it doesn't do.

I have a Sonos product in every room in my house except my office. I work from home and do not like having headphones in my ear and prefer to work through a speakerphone. Unfortunately Sonos does not have a product that works as a speakerphone and the most frustrating point is that Sonos does not support Alexa phone calling, texting or any other outside calling feature. And NO, I do not want to buy an echo dot.

So now I see that the Sonos Move is coming out and am very interested in the Bluetooth feature with the Far Field Microphone array. Unfortunately, I only see from the marketing about how great it is for talking with AI assistants like Alexa and absolutely no information about how it will work as a professional speakerphone.

My Question is: Has the Sonos Move been tested as a Bluetooth speaker phone? If so how well do the far field microphones work for translating my voice over the phone? Does the system use Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for microphone tuning? Noise cancellation, Echo cancellation....etc?

Please let me know. I would really like this to work. Thanks
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Best answer by Misfit 19 September 2019, 20:40

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15 replies

Userlevel 7
Hi X_gallo

The Move is not a speaker phone. Everything to know about the move can be found here.

Cheers!
I know it is NOT a speakerphone but with Bluetooth I would assume that it can work as one like any other Bluetooth device with a microphone and a speaker. If I am connected to my phone on Bluetooth and say "Hey Siri, Call Bob" You're telling me my phone can't use Sonos Move to make the call?
Userlevel 5
Badge +13
You're telling me my phone can't use Sonos Move to make the call?

I mean it's bluetooth, it'll play the audio from your paired device but wont "make" the call that's done on your phone.
I believe the microphones are turned off in bluetooth mode. It was not designed for the use you want.
Userlevel 7
Hi X_gallo

You appear to be under the mis-conception that Bluetooth (BT) once implemented on a device is universal or one size fits all. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In this link you'll find there are at least 36 different profiles under which BT can be deployed. Which profile used is determined by the product manufacturer.

I'm sure Sonos had a very good reason for not making tele-communication part of the BT profile for the Move. However, that 's not to say that the feature (profile) won't be implemented in a future update.

Apple just released (or will be releasing) it's new Apple Watch and iPhone 11. Some updates will come during this cycle and other may not appear until the next generation. However, I'll bet your house ☺️that the next Apple Watch and iPhone are already done.

Sonos doesn't always change products to introduce a new feature like it's competitors but releases upgrades (or refreshes) over a period of years before the next generation is revealed. In most cases a Sonos product is deemed EOL because the internal electronics can no longer support any additional firmware.

In the case of the Move it was probably more about staying relevant in a competitive market. But like it's competitors Sonos doesn't spill the beans about upgrades or product release until it's ready to put the product out for mass consumption. That is one reason why Sonos has a loyal following...it's products are not made obsolete or yesterdays news on yearly basis.

I hope this answers your question about BT and how its used on the Move. Although it may not subside your frustration.

Cheers!

You're telling me my phone can't use Sonos Move to make the call?I mean it's bluetooth, it'll play the audio from your paired device but wont "make" the call that's done on your phone.


Absolutely. The phone would make the call but the audio would come from the speakers. Just as if I paired with my car or any other bluetooth. What I was really concerned about though are the microphones. Will the microphones on the Sonos Move pair with my phone for the call or will i be using the microphone on my phone. I am going to look for a dealer with a demo unit i can test out. If it works I'll post. Thanks
Userlevel 7
Badge +18
If you check out the thread in Announcements for the Move as already suggested above, you’ll see:

“When in Bluetooth mode, Move doesn't have the microphones active. The speaker won't be playing your phone call either, as it's not set up as a Bluetooth headset. That may be a feature to suggest to the team for the future though, they'd be interested in if there's enough demand for something like that. Move can get loud, with a wide sound stage, which may make taking calls on it pretty awkward.”
I'm sure Sonos had a very good reason for not making tele-communication part of the BT profile for the Move. However, that 's not to say that the feature (profile) won't be implemented in a future update.


I can think of a few reasons why the feature doesn't exist, at least as the Move is introduced. One is that the feature would require additional development and testing. Something that Sonos may not have wanted to put time into in order to make it available for the Fall season.

Maybe more importantly, a speakerphone doesn't exactly fit the use case that Sonos was trying to fulfill here. While at home in your office, Sonos wants you to use the speaker in wifi mode, so that it can work with all the other Sonos speakers in your home. If you left it in BT mode, you wouldn't use wifi at all and essentially it's just another BT speaker. (I haven't looked, but isn't there already good BT speakers that do this?) Sure, it's your speaker, do what you want with it, but Sonos makes money by selling speakers, selling a system, not individual speakers here and there.

It may also cause as much confusion and frustration as it would be helpful. As stated already, that would only work in BT mode, and some people will get confused and believe the feature works for wifi as well. They won't want to understand why. And a relatively common complaint around here already is that Sonos doesn't have wifi (through Amazon or Google) calling features. Sure BT calling seems 'easier', but people will beleive Sonos should have done wifi calling first.

One of the reasons I bought Sonos Move was to be able to have phone calls with it via Bluetooth.

It is very helpful when you are working from home and you have long phone meetings.

I was very disappointed that this fuctionality is not implemented. How could I imagine, in 2019, that a BT device with a micro could not be used for phone calls ?? 

I’m sure I’m not the one.

Does anyone knowns how we could express this requirement to Sonos, for a future implementation ?

One of the reasons I bought Sonos Move was to be able to have phone calls with it via Bluetooth.

It is very helpful when you are working from home and you have long phone meetings.

I was very disappointed that this fuctionality is not implemented. How could I imagine, in 2019, that a BT device with a micro could not be used for phone calls ?? 

 

 

It’s just my opinion, but I feel the exact opposite. There is no need to assume functionality these days when product research can be done rather easily and quickly.  I’ve actually seen quite a few cases where a product has the hardware to accomplish something where the software is not in place to get it done for various reasons.   Although in this case, I don’t think Sonos specifically states in their FAQ that it can’t be used for phone calls.  It can be implied when they state that the mic is off while in BT mode, but it wouldn’t hurt to directly address the assumption.

 

I’m sure I’m not the one.

Does anyone knowns how we could express this requirement to Sonos, for a future implementation ?

 

Sonos staff reads these fourms, so you’ve just made your feature request.

Userlevel 1

Being able to use a Move as a speakerphone would be excellent - please make it happen SONOS

 

Userlevel 1

Same here. I would really find iOS phone integration valuable. The Move. moves with me around the house and its an obvious benefit

Userlevel 1

No BT phone is a deal breaker for me - all other BT speakers I have come across support the BT phone profile. Just turn it on for goodness sake.

As a Sonos Move owner I’d also love if on Bluetooth I’d be able to do phone calls. For me it’d be a fair tradeoff to use Bluetooth during the working hours and change to wifi connection afterwards when I’m not making business calls frequently anymore. Dear developers, please add this feature in a near-future update! Let it be our Christmas gift!

Userlevel 4
Badge +8

It seems I'm in the minority here.  I already have cheaper and smaller bluetooth speakers I can make calls with.  I cannot open my Move until Christmas and I will be using it a dinner party later that evening.  What I do not want is to hear my phone ringing across it as I and my guess are listening to music. I purchased this purely for Music.I can see how being able to use it as a speaker phone my be appealing to some, so if it is added I hope it is something you can disable.

Just my 2 cents.