Setting up your Sonos speaker with Alexa opens up a world of hands-free music control. You can use voice commands to play your favorite tunes, adjust the volume, and even control playback across multiple Sonos speakers throughout your home. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the setup process, troubleshooting common issues, and ensuring a seamless integration between Sonos and Alexa.
Connecting Sonos to Alexa: The Initial Setup
The process of linking your Sonos system to Alexa involves a few key steps. Follow this sequence to get started:
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Log out of Amazon Apps: Begin by logging out of all Amazon-related applications on your mobile device or computer. This includes apps like Amazon Prime, Amazon Shopping, and the Amazon Alexa app. This step ensures a clean starting point for the integration process.
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Disable the Sonos Skill: Open the Amazon Alexa app and navigate to the Skills section. Locate the Sonos skill and disable it. This temporarily disconnects the two services.
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Deregister Sonos Products: Within the Alexa app, remove any registered Sonos devices. This ensures that Alexa no longer recognizes your Sonos speakers.
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Remove Alexa from Sonos: Open the Sonos app and remove the Alexa voice service. You’ll find this option in the voice services settings within the Sonos app.
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Force Close Apps: Force close both the Sonos and Alexa apps on your device. This clears any temporary data and ensures a fresh start.
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Reconnect Alexa to Sonos: Reopen the Sonos app and add Alexa back as your chosen voice service. Follow the on-screen prompts to re-authorize the connection.
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Enable Sonos Skill & Register Devices: In the Alexa app, re-enable the Sonos skill and register your Sonos speakers. This re-establishes the link between the two platforms.
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Add Music Services: Ensure your preferred music services (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music) are linked to both your Sonos and Alexa accounts. This allows you to request music from these services using voice commands.
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Test and Troubleshoot: Test the integration by asking Alexa to play music on your Sonos speaker. If you encounter any issues, refer to the troubleshooting section below.
Troubleshooting Common Sonos and Alexa Connection Problems
Sometimes, the initial setup might not go as smoothly as planned. Here are some common issues and solutions:
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Different Amazon Accounts: If you’re using different Amazon accounts for your Echo device and your Sonos system, you might need to repeat the setup process on each account. Ensure that the account linked to your Sonos system in the Sonos app matches the account used on your Echo device.
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Echo Display Control Issues: If you have an Echo Show or other Echo device with a display and it’s not controlling your Sonos speakers, ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network and linked to the same Amazon account.
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Sonos App on Multiple Devices: If you’re using the Sonos app on multiple phones or tablets, ensure the setup process is completed on all devices using the same Amazon account.
Conclusion
Integrating Sonos with Alexa provides a powerful and convenient way to enjoy your music. By following this step-by-step guide and troubleshooting tips, you can seamlessly connect your Sonos speaker to Alexa and enjoy hands-free control of your audio experience. If you continue to have issues, submitting a diagnostic report through the Sonos app can provide valuable information for further troubleshooting.
