Can Siri Control Sonos?

Can Siri Control Sonos?

Affiliate Disclosure: When you buy a product via our links, we sometimes earn a referral fee. Learn more

Are you fond of Apple products and Sonos smart speakers at the same time? But do you miss talking to Sonos smart speakers referring as Hey, Siri? Instead of Hey, Alexa? Or Hey, Google?

The big question is can Siri control Sonos? The good news is yes, Siri can control Sonos speakers through a workaround. The only condition being the Sonos speaker should be Airplay compatible. Now the question arises Are Sonos Speakers Airplay Compatible? To answer it, yes, most of the Sonos smart speakers are now Airplay 2 compatible.

To provide more specific information on the same, all the Sonos products are compatible with Airplay or Airplay 2.

  • Sonos Amp
  • Sonos One and Sonos SL
  • Sonos Play:5 Gen 2
  • Sonos soundbars like Sonos Beam
  • Sonos Five and Sonos Move
  • Sonos Arc
  • Sonos Playbase
  • Sonos Roam (portable speaker)
  • SYMFONISK Wi-Fi bookshelf speaker, picture frame with Wi-Fi speaker and
  • SYMFONISK table lamb with Wi-Fi speaker

Further reading: What is Sonos? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Wireless Sound System

What If Your Sonos Speaker Is Not Airplay Compatible?

There is no need to worry even if your Sonos speaker is no Airplay compatible. You can still control your Sonos with Siri voice assistant by grouping.

You need at least one Sonos product to be Airplay compatible in this case. An Airplay compatible Sonos product can communicate with Siri and allow other Sonos speakers in the group to follow commands.

For grouping, your Airplay compatible Sonos product with a non-Airplay Sonos product, follow Settings > System > Airplay > group non-Airplay products in Sonos app.

If your Airplay compatible Sonos speaker is in a surround sound setup, its Airplay feature won’t work.

How To Allow Siri To Control Sonos?

Note that this works as a workaround and won’t allow you to communicate with Siri directly through Sonos product.

This method allows you to add your Sonos product to the Apple Home app and then commanding Siri to play music on Sonos product through it.

This means you will be restricted to only a few commands you can give to Siri to control Sonos. You may not be able to activate skills, get the latest news, traffic news, and other fun.

However, if you only want Siri to control Sonos for playing music using Apple Music, it will work for you just right.

Adding Sonos To Apple Home App

For Siri to control Sonos, you first have to add Sonos product to Apple home App. For this, follow the steps below:

  • Open the apple home app on any of your iOS devices (updated to the latest software update)
  • Tap the (+) icon on the top right corner of the screen.
  • Choose Add Accessory
  • Tap on I Don’t have a code or Cannot Scan
  • Now, tap on the Sonos product you want to add. At this stage, make sure your Sonos product is powered on and is in a working position.
  • The Sonos product name and room name should be the same as in the Sonos app
Can Siri Control Sonos 01
Image source: Taro Matsumura

Further reading: How To Use Airplay 2 With Sonos?

Setting Up Airplay 2 With Sonos Speaker

To let Siri control Sonos, you need to first set up Airplay 2 on Sonos speaker. The steps to follow include:

Update Sonos App And Sonos Speaker

For first-time users, download the Sonos App from Play Store on your iOS device (preferably). If already downloaded, make sure it is updated to the latest version.

Now, it’s time to update your Sonos speaker. To update a Sonos speaker, follow:

  • Open the Sonos app on an iOS device
  • Tap on More in the right bottom corner of the screen
  • Tap on Settings
  • Scroll down to find Online Updates
  • All you Sonos speakers that need updates will be updated to the latest version

This means all those Airplay compatible Sonos products will start supporting the Airplay 2 feature as well.

Play Audio On Apple Device Using Airplay

Once your Sonos product is compatible with Airplay 2, follow the below steps:

  • Go to your iPhone or iPad Control Centre supporting Airplay 2. On iPhone devices, you can open Control Centre by either swiping up or swiping down.
  • Once Control Centre is open, on the Now Playing Widget, tap on the speaker selection button.
  • On Tap on Airplay icon visible in the right upper corner of the widget
  • From the below list of Available speakers, select the Sonos speaker you want to play music with.

Now, since you have already added Sonos speaker on your Apple Home app, you can just command Siri to play music from Sonos speakers.

Commands To Use Siri To Control Sonos

Some of the commands that can be used to control Sonos through Siri voice assistant include:

  • Hey Siri, turn it up in the bedroom
  • Hey Siri, play classic music in the kitchen
  • Hey Siri, play Apple Music 1 radio
  • Hey Siri, play (song name) in the living room
  • Hey Siri, play (song name) on (Sonos speaker name)

It is advisable to name your Sonos room and Sonos speaker in easy words that are easily understandable by the voice assistants.

FAQs

Can The Home Kit Control Sonos?

Yes, some of the Sonos products that have inbuilt Apple Home kit compatibility can be controlled through Home Kit. These Sonos speakers include Beam, Amp, Playbase, Play, and Sonos One.

Can Apple Homepod Control Sonos?

Apple HomePod is one of the best iOS devices to control Sonos speakers and also to use Siri to control Sonos. Be specific in mentioning the room and speaker name when commanding Siri to play music.

Is Sonos A Good Investment? 

Sonos seems out of budget at first, but Sonos manufacturers speakers that require only a one-time investment. They are known for their long-lasting durability and never get outdated.

Conclusion

If you are in a hurry, you can know that Sonos speakers do not directly support Siri voice assistants. However, Siri can be used to control Sonos through a workaround. This workaround allows you to play music on Sonos speakers through Siri.

For this, you need to add your Sonos speaker to your Apple Home app and then set up your Airplay compatible Sonos product on iOS Now playing widget. Next, use your iOS device to talk to Siri and play music on Sonos speakers.