Sonos and Apple Music

[inhalexhale1]

If using Spotify, I can bypass the Sonos app completely and control my music with the Spotify app, with the audio going to my Sonos speaker.

With Apple Music, I do not see that option. It appears you have to use the Sonos app, which is not as good of an experience. Is this a limitation, or is there a way to use the native Apple Music app and choose the Sonos speaker as the output.

 

[robotica]

You have to use the Sonos app

 

[Brookzy]

Count your blessings - companies integrating their services = companies sharing the data they have on you. Before long you'll have Google ads tailored to what you've been listening to. Creepy as hell. Someone pointed out the lack of Apple Music integration in another thread and the only obvious obstacle is Apple giving a damn about privacy. Once they've figured that out Apple Music integration will get a lot better very quickly.

 

[M. Gustave]

I don't get the whole Sonos thing. What advantage does it have over using my iPhone with a simple Bluetooth speaker from Bose or Sony?

 

[chuyn]

I don't get the whole Sonos thing. What advantage does it have over using my iPhone with a simple Bluetooth speaker from Bose or Sony?

The speaker itself streams the music. Not the phone using its wifi/data to get the music and then relaying it to your Bluetooth speaker. Sound quality would be better (speaker getting info over wifi instead over Bluetooth from your phone) and saves your phone's battery.

 

[M. Gustave]

The speaker itself streams the music. Not the phone using its wifi/data to get the music and then relaying it to your Bluetooth speaker. Sound quality would be better (speaker getting info over wifi instead over Bluetooth from your phone) and saves your phone's battery.

Wifi vs Bluetooth, in and of itself, doesn't guarantee anything about subjective sound quality. It still has to be amplified, and projected via a particular speaker(s) and chassis.

 

[chuyn]

Wifi vs Bluetooth, in and of itself, doesn't guarantee anything about subjective sound quality. It still has to be amplified, and projected via a particular speaker(s) and chassis.

I'm not trying to get that detailed. A Bose or Sony speaker may be much better, or any other brand, but in general, the signal going over wifi will be less compressed than Bluetooth. Just trying to list whatever advantage it can have over a simple Bluetooth speaker. The main thing is it doesn't rely on the phone sending the music. And the phone won't be "tethered" as such in order to get music. You can tell it to play, and that's that. It can be controlled by insteon keypads as well, for example. Or have all of the speakers in the house in sync with each other or playing separate sources.

 

[pdjudd]

I don't get the whole Sonos thing. What advantage does it have over using my iPhone with a simple Bluetooth speaker from Bose or Sony?

This site lists many of the differences between the two.

With Apple Music, I do not see that option. It appears you have to use the Sonos app, which is not as good of an experience. Is this a limitation, or is there a way to use the native Apple Music app and choose the Sonos speaker as the output.

The reason the Spotify app does this is because Spotify worked with Sonos to implement this feature (by making the app have a subset of the technology in the Sonos app). The app has Sonos code in it - it's nothing inherent in the Sonos app that makes it work afaik. It's also possible that the Spotify app and the Sonos app has shared code so they can talk to each other.

This would have to happen with Apple music or iOS itself. Since music playing with Apple music is part of the core music features of the OS, Apple would have to make it a core feature of the OS. There isn't much of a reason to do this being that Apple wants to be agnostic. It would require re-tooling their OS for one manufacturer. It's not worth it unless they implement a separate sharing service that could work with all ecosystems. Apple probably says that such a system already exists - Airplay and Bluetooth (or maybe in the future with W1).

 

[M. Gustave]

This site lists many of the differences between the two

Thanks. For me, Bluetooth trumps it, but I can see why someone with cable/DSL wifi at home would go that route.

 

[AustinIllini]

I do bluetooth speakers very rarely, but they're annoying as heck. Every time you get a text message, everyone in the room knows. Sonos and Chromecast are far superior to their BT and TV counterparts.
[doublepost=1483208963][/doublepost]

I don't get the whole Sonos thing. What advantage does it have over using my iPhone with a simple Bluetooth speaker from Bose or Sony?

Expandability is far and away the biggest benefit. Adding another device to the system takes about 5 minutes and I have yet to have any real phasing issues.