Having a home automation device like Alexa is a God-sent.
First, using voice commands allows you to do so much more with less effort. Overall, it makes your everyday life so much easier.
But did you know that Sonos can make your life even better?
Continue reading to know more:
- The different Sonos devices (and what’s great about them).
- Whether or not Alexa is compatible with Sonos devices.
- 3 things you can do with a Sonos device and an Alexa.
- And so much more…
Is Alexa compatible with Sonos?
Sonos devices are compatible with Alexa. They can pair with Alexa as long as the Sonos Skill is enabled. Newly released Sonos devices such as Arc, Move, and Beam has built-in Alexa compatibility. With this, you would no longer need a separate Echo or Echo dot device to use Alexa with Sonos.
3 things you can do with Sonos and Alexa
#1: Listen to music
You can listen to music using either the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot alone.
But did you know that Sonos can make your experience better?
Sonos is a popular brand in the tech industry.
It produces a wide variety of top-quality speakers. This includes:
- Sonos Arc.
- Sonos Sub.
- Sonos One.
- Sonos Five.
- Sonos Port.
- Sonos Amp.
- Sonos Move.
- Sonos Beam.
- Sonos Roam.
- Sonos Boost.
- Sonos One SL.
- Sonos Roam SL.
Pairing your Sonos speakers with your Alexa makes the sound quality so much better.
Also, you can integrate your Spotify account with your Sonos speakers. The brand partnered with Spotify to ensure that your listening experience is top-notch.
They even made sure that it’s easy to pair your phone to the speaker.
Simply go to Spotify Connect on the app. Then, find your Sonos speaker on the list of available devices.
Recommended article: (13 Fixes) Spotify Not Working On Android [Guide]
#2: Get a better built-in microphone and speaker
Alexa’s greatest feature is its voice command capability.
You’ll simply talk to the speaker, and they’ll give you an answer. It’s like Google but without the need to type anything.
Just ask, and Alexa will respond to you.
That’s how the collaboration with Sonos and Alexa made this experience even better.
Sonos devices offer high-quality hardware. There’s a better built-in microphone and speaker used on the Sonos.
This provides better communication between you and the electronic device.
But how does voice command work on Sonos?
It’s just like the Amazon Echo and Echo dot. It uses a built-in microphone in order to hear you talk.
From there, it’s Alexa who deals with voice controls and commands.
Alexa acts as the brain, and Sonos is a tool to deliver messages clearer.
You can do all this by pairing your Amazon Echo or Echo dot with a Sonos device.
If that’s too troublesome…
Then, you can get the newer Sonos devices that have built-in Alexa already. This includes:
- Sonos Arc.
- Sonos One.
- Sonos Move.
- Sonos Roam.
- Sonos Beam, Gen. 2.
#3: Use group voice commands
Using Alexa and Sonos together elevates your listening experience.
But aside from playing music, what else can your Sonas speaker do?
When the Sonos Skill is enabled, you can use voice commands with your device.
You can command to:
- Start some music
- Queue up playlists.
- Play, pause and skip songs.
- Control the speaker volume.
Your Sonos speakers will also be able to perform basic Amazon Alexa commands.
It’ll understand if you ask it to “Play workout music” or “Play Taylor Swift.”
It even gets better with the Sonos Multi-speaker commands.
So, imagine you have multiple Sonos speakers around your house.
You have one in the bedroom, kitchen, and living room.
With the system, you can alert all of these speakers at once.
How?
It’s like sending a message to a group chat.
You can tell your Sonos speaker in your bedroom to “play some music in the kitchen.” It can do exactly that.
All you have to do is to group your Sonos devices using your Alexa app.
Here’s how:
- Open the Alexa app.
- Select the Devices menu.
- Tap on the ‘+’
- Choose to Add Group
- Select the Create a Room or Device Group option.
- Assign your Sonos devices into one group and label them accordingly.
Aside from music, you can also use this feature to command your home system.
Look at it as if the Sonos speakers become an extension of Alexa.
While your Amazon Alexa sits in your living room…
You can still engage with it as long as there’s a Sonos speaker nearby.
Want to know more about this topic? Check out this video:
However, your Sonos speakers still can’t:
- Start calls.
- Use Whisper mode.
- Set timers and alarms.
- Find and play songs using lyrics.
- Start playing music directly from the Sonos library.
How to use Alexa with Sonos?
You can pair your Amazon Alexa device with your Sonos to use them.
To do that, you first need to check if Alexa on Sonos is available in your region.
Some countries don’t have this feature available yet.
So even if you have Alexa and Sonos on hand, you wouldn’t be able to pair the 2 devices together.
So far, there are 13 counties with the Alexa and Sonos collaboration enabled. This includes:
- Italy.
- Japan.
- Spain.
- France.
- Austria.
- Ireland.
- Mexico.
- Canada.
- Australia.
- Germany.
- New Zealand.
- The United Kingdom.
- United States (except Puerto Rico).
Check out the Sonos website to see the countries next on the list.
And if you see your country on the list, proceed to download both apps on your phone.
That’s the Alexa app (iOS and Android) and Sonos app (iOS and Android) on your phone.
Then, follow these steps to enable Sonos Skill:
- Open the Sonos app.
- Head to the Settings tab.
- Select Services & Voice.
- Choose to “add Service.”
- Select Amazon Alexa.
- Log on to the Alexa app.
- Sign in to your Sonos account.
- Choose to enable Sonos Skill.
Once enabled, you can use the Alexa app to find discoverable devices. You can finish pairing your Sonos devices here.
You also have the option to use a voice command to do this. Simply command Alexa to ‘discover my devices.’
Why is Alexa not compatible with my Sonos speakers?
Sonos devices are Alexa-capable devices. However, only select regions support this collaboration.
If you’re outside of these regions, you wouldn’t be able to use Sonos for Alexa.
You would only be able to use Amazon Echo or Echo dot for your home automation.
But, if you’re dealing with some pairing and connectivity issues, here are tips to fix that:
- Turn Sonos Skill on and off.
- Make sure that your microphone is enabled.
- Place your Sonos speaker away from the walls.
- Make sure you’re using only 1 Amazon account per system.
If these didn’t work, you might need a more advanced fix. Contact either Alexa or Sonos customer support for better assistance.