Sonos One gen 2 features tips and tricks
There are a number of features offered by Sonos or its speakers, from the basics like volume control to using voice assistants like Alexa.
How to control volume on Sonos speakers
It depends on which Sonos speakers you have as to how you control volume physically. You can of course use the Sonos app and this is the same process for all Sonos speakers. You'll see the Now Playing card at the bottom of the Sonos app, tap to expand it and slide the volume bar across to increase and decrease volume.
For physical control, you'll find volume controls on the tops of Sonos speakers. The Play:1 has a "+" and "-" rocker at the top, while speakers with capacitive controls - 2015 onwards - have dots in a square format for adjusting volume. The right icon will increase volume, while the left will decrease. For the Era 100, Era 300 and Move 2 speakers, there is a volume trough for adjusting volume with a "+" and "-" either side to represent which way to slide.
How to control Sonos through Spotify
In the past, Sonos speakers had to be controlled via the Sonos app and that was that, but a software update a few years ago introduced the ability to control your speakers directly through Spotify, if you have a Premium subscription.
Follow the instructions in our how to control Sonos through Spotify feature to get this all set up. Once sorted, you'll see your Sonos speakers listed in the Devices Available tab of Spotify.
Stream directly from your iOS device to your Sonos speaker with AirPlay 2
Sonos supports AirPlay 2 on the Ray, Beam, Arc, Playbase, Play:5 (2015), Five, One, One SL, Move, Move 2, Roam, Roam SL, Era 100 and Era 300, but if you have at least one of these speakers. Then you can use one of them to stream with older Sonos speakers like the Sonos Play:1 or Play:3. To stream your favourite apps, YouTube, Netflix, Podcast or Apple Music through AirPlay 2 to your Sonos speakers, follow the steps below.
Begin playing the content you want to stream > Swipe up from the bottom of your iOS device to launch the Control Centre, or swipe down from the top right if you have a Face ID iPhone > Touch and hold the audio card in the upper right-hand corner to choose which speaker you'd like to play to.
How to unlock AirPlay for non-compatible Sonos speakers
As we mentioned above, AirPlay is only supported on the newer Sonos speakers but if you have one of these, you can use it to stream to older Sonos speakers.
Start playing content from Airplay to a compatible Sonos speaker > Open the Sonos app > Tap on Systems > Group non-compatible speakers with your AirPlay-compatible speaker.
To do this automatically, head to the Settings tab in the bottom right of the Sonos app > System > Airplay > Toggle on Group Non-Airplay Speakers.
How to make sure Dolby Atmos is working on Sonos Arc
The Sonos Arc and Sonos Beam 2 should detect a Dolby Atmos audio signal automatically, through HDMI ARC or eARC when connected to a TV that supports it.
If the source content has a Dolby Atmos soundtrack - such as 4K Blu-ray or supported Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ or Disney+ show - you will see the Dolby Atmos icon appear on the playback screen in the Sonos app. If it does not show in the app, it is not receiving a Dolby Atmos track.
Change the height audio on Era 300
The Sonos Era 300 is the company's first standalone Spatial Audio speaker and with that comes the ability to adjust the height of the audio when listening to compatible content. To do it open up the Settings tab > Tap on the room with the Era 300 in > Tap on Height Audio > Adjust between -10 and +10.
How to control Sonos with your voice through Google Assistant
The Sonos One, Sonos Beam, Sonos Move, Sonos Roam, and Sonos Arc don't just have Alexa support, they have Google Assistant support built-in too. The Era 100, Era 300 or Move 2 don't have Google Assistant despite being newer than others on this list so keep that in mind. As with an Amazon Echo device, you'll be able to control your compatible Sonos speakers through a Google Assistant-enabled device too, like Nest Audio or the Nest Mini and we have a separate how to set up Google Assistant on your Sonos system feature that you can follow for all the steps.
Use Siri to control Apple Music on your Sonos speakers
You can ask Siri to control Apple Music on your Sonos speakers too, assuming you have a subscription to Apple Music, an iOS device and AirPlay 2-compatible Sonos speakers.
Get your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV and say "Hey Siri, play [insert music request] [insert room name]," for example "Hey Siri, play Ed Sheeran everywhere."
You'll need to add your AirPlay 2-compatible Sonos speaker (see above) to the Apple Home app. To do this, open the Home app and tap '+' > Add Accessory > Select More Options > Tap the speaker you want to add > Done.
How to turn off the microphone on your Sonos-compatible speaker
If you have a Sonos speaker with voice control, so either the Sonos One, Era 100, Era 300, Move, Move 2, Roam, Beam, or Arc, you can turn the microphone on and off. If the light is on, the microphone is on and listening, allowing you to use voice control. If the light is off, the microphone is off, and you won't be able to use Alexa or Google Assistant.
To turn the microphone on or off, just tap or press it on the speaker. For the Era 100, Era 300 nad Move 2, there is also a physical microphone switch on the back of the devices you can turn off for extra privacy.
Set parental controls
Sonos allows you to set parental controls in order to restrict explicit content. It's currently only available for Amazon Music and Apple Music but no doubt this will expand to other services eventually.
Tap the Settings tab in the bottom right of the Sonos app > System > Parental Controls > Filter Explicit Content > Type in your Sonos Account password to turn on or off.
Add a song to My Sonos
Adding a song to My Sonos makes it easier to find. Find the song you're looking for > Click on the three dots in the top right > Click on the three dots to the right of the song title > Add Song to My Sonos.
Edit My Sonos
If you want to edit the order of what appears in the My Sonos tab (bottom left of the app), this is nice and simple.
Head to My Sonos > Click Edit in the top right. From here you can long press to rearrange the order in which things appear such as moving Sonos Playlists to the top, and tapping on each category will also allow you to delete things from the respective categories. Be sure to press Done in the top right when you're finished.
Add a playlist to Sonos Playlists
Sonos Playlist works similarly to My Sonos, but it is all about playlists, making them nice and accessible. To add a playlist to Sonos Playlists, find the playlist you want to add > Tap on the three dots in the top right corner > Add to Sonos Playlist.
How to create a playlist on Sonos
The Sonos Playlist section will not only allow you to add curated playlists, but also make your own playlist to play on your Sonos speakers. Click on My Sonos in the bottom left of the app > Click on edit in top right > Click on Playlists > Click on New Playlist at the bottom > Name Playlist. It will then appear in the Sonos Playlist section of the My Sonos tab ready for you to add songs to it.
How to add a song to a playlist on Sonos
Adding a song to a Sonos Playlist you've created or a playlist that has been created by somebody else but added to the Sonos Playlist section is easy. Find the song > Tap the three dots > Add to Sonos Playlist > Select the playlist you want to add it to.
Edit Sonos Playlists
You might have really liked a playlist a few months ago, but now every song within it drives you nuts. No problem. Tap on the My Sonos tab in the bottom left of the app > Scroll down to Sonos Playlists > Tap on the Playlists title > Tap on the Playlist you want to edit > Click the three dots in the top right-hand corner > Edit Playlist. From here you can delete songs or reorder them.
See Recently Played music quickly
My Sonos will also show your music history, if you let it. Recently Played, when on, will allow you to access music you've played recently quickly in the My Sonos section of the app.
Click on My Sonos in the bottom left > Scroll to Recently Played > Turn On.
Clear your Recently Played music
You might have played Ed Sheeran on repeat for the last two months, and now you're sick of him, so you don't want to see him appear in the Recently Played section of My Sonos. No worries.
Click on My Sonos > Tap on the Recently Played header > Click on Edit in the top right > Delete the songs you don't want to see appear, or press Clear All at the bottom.
Add songs to Queue
The Queue is for those days you want a selection of random songs rather than selecting a specific album or playlist you or someone else has already built.
Tap on the Search tab at the bottom of the app > Select Songs in the bar at the top > Type in any song title into the search bar > Tap the three dots to the right of the song title once you've found it > Add to End of Queue.
Edit the Queue
If you want to edit the Queue, or see what songs you've added to the Queue, you'll need to head to the Systems tab at the bottom centre of the app. From here, expand the now playing section at the bottom and tap on the two lines next to the room name at the top. You can then Clear, Edit or Save the Queue by tapping on the respective option at the bottom of the screen.
Edit will allow you to drag and drop the songs into the order you want, while Save will enable you to save the Queue as a Playlist and give it a name. It will appear under Sonos Playlists, so you can find it easily next time you fancy that random mix.
How to create a group or ungroup speakers on Sonos
The idea of a multi-room system is to allow you to play music in multiple rooms. To group speakers together or ungroup them, tap on the Systems tab in the centre at the bottom of the app > Your Sonos speakers will then appear in a list > Click on the square symbol with the arrow in the top right of the Room card of whichever speaker you want to group > Select or deselect various speakers > Done. Those ticked will play the same music.
It's also possible to group rooms with a touch. To do this, press and hold the play button on any Sonos speaker to group it with a room that's already playing. If different music is playing in different rooms, press and hold play on the speaker you want to group until you hear the sound you want.
How to play different music in different rooms on Sonos speakers
To play different music on different Sonos speakers, you just need to select what you want each speaker to play and group the speakers you want to play the same music together. Once grouped, you can select what you want each group of speakers, or singular speaker to play.
As mentioned above, speakers are accessed by tapping the Systems tab in the centre at the bottom of the app. From here you can group them, or ungroup them.
How to send music from Roam to another Sonos speaker with Sound Swap
The Sonos Roam has a feature on it called Sound Swap that allows you to press and hold the Play/Pause button on the Roam when on Wi-Fi - for about five seconds - to send its music to the nearest Sonos speaker. You can read more about Sound Swap and how it works, as well as what Sonos speakers are compatible in our separate feature.
Add a music service
Sonos supports over 100 music services, from the usual suspects like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, to the lesser known services. It's worth adding all the services you are subscribed to if you want the best possible experience and if you have the Era 300, and you want Dolby Atmos Music, you'll need to make sure you have an Apple Music subscription, or Amazon Music.
To add a music service, head to the Settings tab in the bottom right of the app > Services & Voice > Tap Add a Service under Music and Content > Tap the respective music service from the list or search using the search icon in the top right > Add to Sonos > Sign in.
Search for a song/album/artist/station/podcast
Searching for a song, album, artist, radio station, podcast, composer or even genre on Sonos is really easy. Using the search function within the Sonos app will search all the music services you are signed in to, enabling you to play whatever you've found with just a couple more clicks.
Head to either the Browse tab (music note symbol) at the bottom of the app to search through a specific music service you have signed in to or open the Search tab (magnifying symbol), also at the bottom of the app, and start typing into the search bar at the top, ensuring you have selected which type of music you are searching for, such as song or album.
Turn Crossfade on
Want to make sure your home or office is never silent? You can turn the Crossfade feature on when listening to an album, enabling one Beyoncé song to blend directly into the next. To do this, tap on the three dots to the right of song's title in the Now Playing screen > Toggle/Tick Crossfade on.
Set an alarm
Want to wake up to your favourite song, get your Playbar, Playbase, Ray, Beam or Arc to fire up when a match starts, so you don't miss kick off, or play some songs halfway through the day to stimulate your pet? Tap on the Settings tab in the bottom right of the Sonos app > System > Alarms > Add Alarm > Set the time, room, music, frequency and volume > Save.
You can choose how long you want the alarm to play for and turn Snooze Alerts on or off in Options. It's also possible to send the alarm settings to other Sonos speakers in other rooms by tapping on the room and toggling or ticking Include Grouped Rooms. Different alarms can be set for each Sonos speaker in your home too. If you set an alarm through voice command, you'll find this in the Alexa or Google Assistant app rather than the Sonos app.
Set a sleep timer
If you like falling asleep to music, you can get your Sonos speaker to play you a lullaby, or your version of a lullaby. Choose the album, song or station you want to fall asleep to and open the Now Playing screen, which is the one with the album art and volume control.
Following this, tap on the three dots > Select Sleep Timer > Choose the Duration. You get the option of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1-hour or 2 hours.
Make the most of Sonos Radio
Sonos Radio is free on Sonos (unless you opt for the HD version), but it isn't just useful for listening to your favourite radio station. You could use it to replace the TV commentators with your favourite radio commentary team instead, for example.
Tap the Browse tab (music note symbol) at the bottom of the app > Sonos Radio > Select category or search for the station you want. Don't be afraid to try new stations, it's free after all.
Catch every comment
If you've got a Playbar, Playbase, Ray, Beam, Beam 2 or Arc, there is a feature called Speech Enhancement that will boost the sound of voices, ensuring you'll hear commentators, or actors and actresses in films.
Tap on the Systems tab > Tap on the room with your Sonos home theatre speaker in > Tap on the square speech icon and turn it white to turn Speech Enhancement on.
Use Night Sound for more considerate late-night viewing
This is another one for those of you with a PlayBar, Arc, Beam, Beam 2 or Playbase. Turning Night Sound on will enhance quiet sounds and suppress louder sounds to make sure you don't have neighbours knocking on your door asking you to turn the volume down.
Tap on the Systems tab > Tap on the room with your Sonos home theatre speaker in > Tap on the moon icon and turn it white to turn Night Sound on.
Hear your favourite TV programme all over your house
Want to hear the football commentary from the bathroom, or have MTV playing throughout your house? If you have a Playbar, Playbase, Ray, Beam, Beam 2 or Arc, group it with the other Sonos speakers in your home where you want to hear what's playing on your TV.
Open the Systems tab at the bottom of the app > Tap on Group on the room where your soundbar is > Tick the speakers you want linked up to it.
Bring your own music
Love your friends but hate their taste in music? No problem, just play your own good music through their Sonos speakers. You'll need to get onto their Wi-Fi, but once you're on, open the Sonos app and add the songs you love to their Queue.
Use Sonos for a bedtime story
We say bedtime story, but it could be any recorded message from family, friends or loved ones that you want to fill your home with. Ask the recorder to send you the MP3 file, sync it with your music library, and you'll be able to play it using the On this iPhone/Device feature.
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