Sonos Adds Third-Party Integration for Voice Control and Connected Home
By Rachel Cericola
What could make Sonos even better? Voice integration, of course. That’s actually happening, thanks to a partnership between the multi-room audio manufacturer and Amazon’s Alexa service.
But wait — there’s more. At an event in Manhattan earlier today, the company was talking up possibilities with Amazon and several other new partners, including Spotify, Pandora, Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, iPort, and Deutsche Telekom’s QIVICON.
“With the unprecedented growth in streaming, music has become abundant and immediate,” said John MacFarlane, chief executive officer at Sonos. “Together with a growing ecosystem of partners, we’re making sure Sonos owners can easily play the music they love out loud in every room in the home, and intuitively control that experience using our app, our partners’ apps, touch and voice.”
Sonos will soon add integration with Amazon’s popular Alexa platform. Photo: Sonos.
Of course, one of the most wanted features is voice control. Sonos users will soon be able to use Alexa-enabled devices, such as the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, in order to control a Sonos system. Thanks to the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) SDK, the whole thing will be insanely easy. There won’t be any new phrases or weird commands to learn. Instead, just ask Alexa to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, and more, and it will flow to Sonos speakers throughout the house. Users can also issue voice commands to play, pause, skip, control volume, and more.
Snnos says that the voice capabilities will come via a software update on new and previously purchased Sonos and Alexa-enabled devices, including the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. However, the option will be an exclusive to invite-only beta testers later this year, with general availability coming sometime in 2017.
“Our mission is to fill every home with music,” said Patrick Spence, president of Sonos. “We don’t care what you listen to, how you get to it, or in what room — we just want it to be effortless, quick, and epic. Alexa on Sonos will be all that and fun, too.”
For something more immediate, know that Spotify Connect is adding new functionality for Sonos users. The streaming service says that Sonos will soon be the only whole-home sound system that can be fully controlled directly from the Spotify app. You will need a Spotify Premium subscription to enjoy those perks, which include play controls and options for grouping and ungrouping rooms. It even allows anyone on your Wi-Fi network to use their own Spotify app to play music through connected Sonos speakers. Look for that free software update to be available as part of the Sonos public beta program this October.
Additional features are expected in the near future as well. Sonos is currently working on a new direct control experience with Pandora, as well as ways to deliver higher-quality listening experiences. Also, the company just announced its first-ever endorsed partner integrations with connected home leaders Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, iPort, and Deutsche Telekom’s QIVICON. This will put the Sonos sound platform into more connected homes, allowing listeners to access music from a touchscreen, light switch, remote, and more.
“Custom installers are at the vanguard of making the connected home a reality,” said Spence. “For years, they have worked tirelessly to bring disparate technologies together, and are pushing hard to make smart homes both accessible and ubiquitous. Our work together ensures our sound platform integrates well with their systems now and in the future.”
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