Is Amazon's Alexa Compatible with Sonos? Yes, but...

Author
Recent Posts

Gained early experience with automation technology in the private and industrial sector, can turn his living room into a movie theater with one voice command and is the owner of this website. He is happy to share his accumulated experience with every new article.

What is Alexa?

Alexa is the digital voice assistant from Amazon. She can be controlled via app and voice command.

With Alexa’s help, you can control smart home devices, play music, check messages, and much more at home. Amazon Alexa comes with a range of smart speakers from Amazon itself*.

For retrieving messages and similar services this is also sufficient. However, for great sound from your favorite music, we recommend connecting your Alexa to one or more Sonos speakers!

What do I need to connect Alexa to my Sonos speaker?

Alexa is compatible with all Sonos speakers since an update in mid-2017. You can connect older models from the Sonos Play Series* to Alexa by downloading the latest update.

The newer models have Alexa already pre-installed. Once you connect the two devices together, you can use Alexa to play music from your Sonos speakers using voice commands. You’ll also have many other options, as you’ll learn in the later report.

To get the best possible sound at home, all you need is a wireless router, one or more Sonos speakers and an Alexa-enabled device such as the Echo Dot*.

To connect your Sonos speakers to Amazon Alexa, you first need a Sonos account. To do this, follow these steps:

Download the Sonos app from the App Store on your phone
Tap on “Create new account”.
Enter your data
Confirm your e-mail address
Set a location and let Sonos access it by entering your zip code

Now you set up your Sonos speaker. Again, follow these steps to set up your Sonos speakers:

Tap on “Continue”
Tap on “Standard device”.
Now connect your Sonos speakers to the wireless network
Enter your WLAN password

Alternatively, if your speaker cannot find the wireless signal, you can connect your speaker to the router with a cable.

How do I connect Sonos and Alexa together?

Next, you can now connect your Sonos speaker to Amazon Alexa. Note that you must have your Alexa set up in advance. If you haven’t already done so, do so first.

Then follow the following steps again:

Open the Sonos App
Tap on “Browse”
Tap on “Add Amazon Alexa”.
Log in with your Amazon login data
Now your Sonos speaker is connected

There is another way to connect your Sonos speaker to Amazon Alexa. To do this, you use a feature of Alexa. It’s called “Skills.”

You activate “Alexa Skills” in the Alexa app. With its help, you can access many different Alexa services that make your life easier.

To use the Sonos Skill, follow the steps below:

Start Alexa App on your smartphone
Touch “Skills” in the main menu
Select “Sonos Skill
Tap on “Activate”.
Log in with your Sonos account
Say, “Alexa, find device.”
Select the Sonos speaker you found

What services are compatible with Sonos?

Unfortunately, Sonos speakers don’t allow you to take advantage of all of Alexa’s capabilities.

Sonos is currently limited to using music playback and voice prompts such as volume control and different playlist playback in different rooms of your home.

You can also voice control your TV with the right Sonos speakers and Alexa, and adjust its volume.

When you add the Apple Home Kit to your Sonos and Alexa combination, you can create routines that you control with voice commands. To do this, download the iHome app.

With a smart home device, you can have your Sonos speaker give you a voice alert, for example, that there is a fire hazard or something similar.

The range of smart home devices is huge and extends from smoke detectors, to plugs, to smart blinds.

Unfortunately, you have to do without drop-in, voice calls, messaging, timer, alarm clock and other functions. Of course, you can still use them via Amazon Alexa. The only difference is that they’re not transferred to your Sonos speakers.

What voice commands can I give Alexa for Sonos?

The big advantage of Amazon Alexa is voice control. So you can listen to your favorite music through your Sonos sound system without having to have your smartphone at hand every time.

In the bathtub, while cooking or while you are still lying comfortably in bed, this can be a real relief. Once you use this function, you won’t want to give it away.

Now let’s move on to the voice commands you can give Alexa to listen to your favorite music. To have Alexa play the music you want on your Sonos speakers, you’ll enter different rooms in the app. Name each speaker in your home the room it’s in. For example, bathroom, kitchen, kids’ room, and so on. You can use the following phrases as voice commands:

“Alexa, play Mozart in the kid’s room.”
“Alexa, turn it down in the bedroom.”
“Alexa, go play U2 in the living room.”
“Alexa, play songs to meditate.”

To stop the music:

“Alexa, stop playback.”
“Alexa, stop.”
“Alexa, abort.”

Further possibilities:

“Alexa, play next track.”
“Alexa, continue playback in the bathroom.”
“Alexa, skip the song.”
“Alexa, what’s going on in the kid’s room?”
“Alexa, set the volume in the office to four.”
“Alexa, turn it down.”
“Alexa, turn on the TV.”

How do I change the standard music service on Alexa and Sonos?

Alexa uses the set standard music service. You can change this in the Alexa app. Just follow the steps below:

Open the Alexa App
Select Settings in the menu
Tap on “Associate music with new service”.
Select your favorite music provider
Follow the instructions

Under “Manage Services” you can change your settings at any time. Compatible music services are: Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, Tuning, Apple Music and more

How do I change room names in the Sonos app?

The room name allows you to stream different music in different rooms in your home. It is important that you clearly say the name of the room in the voice commands. To change the room name, follow these steps:

Open the Sonos app on your phone
Press and hold the name of the room
Tap on “Settings”.
Tap on the name of the room
Enter the new name
Tap on “Done”

Sonos speakers – The best choice for music with Alexa

Sonos speakers come in a variety of sizes, strengths and price points. Whether you choose Sonos One*, Sonos Move* or Sonos Beam*, they all deliver great sound and are a great addition to your Amazon Alexa.

Conveniently, the music runs through your WLAN router and not through your smartphone. So your favorite music won’t be interrupted by calls or the like while streaming.

You can organize your own concert at home. With the TV speakers, you can set up your own home cinema. Sit back and enjoy the freedom of organizing your devices by voice command.

Even if not all services are supported, the sound is simply a huge benefit. So listening to music is even more fun!

Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.