Sonos is known to produce audio units that provide quality sound, premium design and are easy to work with.
Most of the speakers and audio units are packed with features and come in budget ranges that allow everyone to have their pick.
Many models also feature native support for Alexa and Google Assistant as well, which allows the capacity to operate to stretch its wings and incorporate voice commands within them.
So naturally, many people tend to inquire does Sonos work with HomePod as well?
In this article, let me quickly cover a lot of pending queries that I have been receiving with subjects revolving around Sonos and other smart speakers.
I have been on a quest to resolve many reader queries that I receive on this blog and across the social media surrounding it.
Here are some of those topics that I feel are worth your time, given that you are interested in smart gadgets.
- Can HomePod Have Multiple Users?
- Do Smart Plugs Need Wi-Fi?
- 10 Solar Powered Smart Gadgets You Need To Have!
- Do Smart Gadgets Slow Down Wi-Fi?
- 8 ways to boost Wi-Fi signal for your smart gadgets.
So, let’s start with the most obvious and the most asked query,
Does Sonos Work With HomePod?
The answer is, yes, Sonos speakers can in fact work with HomePods, the only condition is the speaker must be AirPlay 2 compatible. If it is indeed AirPlay 2 compatible, the pairing up of Sonos with Homepod is fairly simple and intuitive.
And as time advances and as technology advances along with it, we are seeing a shift where even tight ecosystems like Apple are opening their doors so to speak.
And rightly so because I think tech giants are now realizing that in the long run being inclusive is much more beneficial rather than being truly exclusive.
Because here is the reasoning behind that, a person who is used to working within the ecosystem of Apple devices regardless has his or her eyes on other similar operating environments like Android.
And people in this new generation seem to have a very different kind of love affair with performance.
Yes, the design and robustness do matter but if they are getting better or equal performance at the cost of other factors, they will start looking at other options.
So, inclusion is the new trend that we are seeing in tech and a peek of this trend is something that we are witnessing in this article on does Sonos work with HomePod.
But before you go ahead and try pairing your HomePod with your Sonos speakers, there are a few things you will have to do.
In the upcoming sections let’s learn precisely how you can pair up your Sonos devices to your HomePod.
Is Your Sonos Speaker Capable Of Pairing With HomePod?
As I said, in order for you to be able to pair your Sonos speaker to your HomePod its important that it supports AirPlay 2.
What this does is allow the user to stream music to a variety of devices including HomePod.
Let me list down different Sonos speakers that I know for a fact support AirPlay-2 and thus have the inherent capacity to get paired with HomePod.
- Beam - The smart, compact soundbar for TV, music, and more.
- High definition sound - Experience rich, detailed sound for your TV that fills the entire room.
- TV, music and more - Play music, TV, movies, podcasts, radio, audiobooks and video games.
- Easy control - Control Beam with your voice, remote, the Sonos app, and more.
- Class 10 for Full HD video recording and playback (Full HD (1920x1080) video support may vary based upon host device, file attributes, and other factors)
- Sonos One - The powerful smart speaker with voice control built-in
- Brilliant sound - Get rich, room-filling sound with Sonos One, and control it with your voice, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay2, and more
- Voice control - Amazon Alexa is built right in so you can play music, check news, set alarms, get your questions answered, and more, completely hands free
- For every room - The compact design fits just about any space. Put it on your kitchen countertop, or tuck it away on your office bookshelf. It's humidity resistant so you can even put it in the bathroom
- Stereo sound with 2 - Pair 2 Sonos Ones together in the same room for stereo separation and more detailed sound. Use a pair as rear home theater surrounds with Arc or Beam
- Works with Alexa for voice control (Alexa device sold separately)
- The original bigger room, bigger sound wireless speaker with five custom drivers for full bodied sound at any volume
- Connects directly to your home’s WiFi network, no wired connection needed
- Wirelessly streams your music library and favorite online music services like Spotify and Pandora
- Control your music with the free Sonos controller app on your phone, tablet, or computer
- The sleek soundbase for TV, movies, music, and more
- Playbase practically disappears beneath the TV while its ten amplified speaker drivers deliver deep booms and crystal clear whispers
- Stream sound directly from your iPhone or iPad and ask Siri to play Apple Music
- Playbase is just the beginning of the ultimate home theater experience. Wirelessly connect Sub and a pair of surrounds at any time for even more immersive entertainment
Now if you are looking to get a Sonos and you already have a HomePod in your household or maybe it’s the other way around.
Then I urge you to get one of the Sonos device that I have listed.
Or if you already have one of the devices that I have just listed.
Congrats, its time for you to learn how exactly can you pair your Sonos speaker with your HomePod.
How To Link Sonos Speakers With HomePod?
One thing that is true with Apple devices and we discussed this in my previous post on do homepods work with multiple users, is the seamless integration of Apple devices.
If you have more than a few Apple devices I think you will agree, how easy is it to interconnect all these devices together.
In the context of the discussion, integrating Sonos speakers to your HomePod is just as easy provided AirPlay-2 support exists.
Here are the steps that you need to take to complete the pairing.
Note: Before you go ahead and proceed with the pairing, I urge you to check that the hardware is up to date and is sporting the latest software release. Outdated software can lead to bugs that affect smooth operation and sometimes problem in pairing as well.
Therefore, when you are pairing devices as is the case with this one that do not belong to the same ecosystem, its always better to keep the software updated.
Adding Sonos Speaker To The HomePod Group,
Alright so let’s begin.
First and foremost, we need to ensure that the speaker gets identified withing the Apple ecosystem.
This is pretty straightforward actually,
- Just open the Home App on your iOS device of choice and begin adding the new device by tapping on the “+” symbol.
- Next tap on “Add Accessory“.
- Once you have done that enter the 8-9 digit code provided to you by following the instructions by Sonos.
- Note that if you don’t have the code with you, you can also choose the “Don’t Have A Code” or “Can’t Scan?” option.
- Once you have completed entering the code, tap the Sonos speaker to complete the pairing.
- After this the Sonos speaker will automatically connect to the HomePod and you won’t have to repeat the steps.
One added step that I think you can take especially if you have more than one speaker is assign a name to the added speaker just so that everything remains organized.
For instance, naming the speaker to living room sonos (if it is kept in living room) will help keep things organized and clean if you have more than one speaker.
In addition, if you wish to use voice commands with Siri, this will help specify which device are you referring to when talking to Siri.
Initializing AirPlay 2
The capacity to pair a non-iOS device into the iOS ecosystem is a recent happening.
As explained in an earlier section of this post that tech giants are now moving towards having a more inclusive attitude, realizing I think people don’t like to be trapped and cherish options.
AirPlay 2 can be regarded as one such step towards inclusion.
In the original version of AirPlay, you could only pair one speaker at a time.
With AirPlay 2 you can not only pair more than one speaker but you can also include speakers from other manufacturers as well.
This is very convenient for obvious reasons as you can now have different speakers for different rooms now.
Was AirPlay 2 not incorporated, Sonos speakers wouldn’t have been able to communicate with devices apart from those manufactured by Sonos.
Follow the below steps to set up AirPlay 2 so that both Sonos and HomePod can communicate with each other.
- First things first, open your app store and install the official Sonos App onto your device.
- In the AirPlay 2 App and tap on the AirPlay icon and find the Sonos speaker on the list visible in front of you.
- Start selecting speakers (yes you can select multiple speakers) to which you wish to stream music to.
Once you have taken all the steps described above, including the steps needed to include Sonos device into the HomePod domain you should be able to stream music here on without any problems.
You can even run voice commands and carry out various tasks using Siri including control of smart devices.
It’s actually a very incredible sight to be able to control different devices in different rooms, capable of playing music at your command, all accessible via AirPlay 2.
Can You Simultaneously Stream Music On Multiple Devices?
Before we end this post on does HomePod work with Sonos, let me give you a bonus tip.
So many HomePod users also ask me if it is possible to stream music or podcast on multiple devices together.
And so many of you may think what is the point of that?
Well, it actually makes a lot of sense for a lot of people.
For example, if you are operating a gymnasium which has a relatively long hall, I think using this setup to play music or even podcasts is very viable and apt.
Talking about podcasts, I am really big on them and like to catch up on my favorites while I am doing casual stuff.
An arrangement where I can stream a podcast on multiple rooms allows me to not bother about keeping my speaker in a specific place.
So, answering your question can you stream on multiple devices simultaneously on this network of HomePod and Sonos speakers?
The answer is yes you can stream on multiple devices simultaneously using inherent capability of HomePod. Follow the steps explained below once you have added the Sonos speaker onto the network of HomePod using Home app.
- Swipe up to gain access to Control Center on your iOS device of choice.
- In the Now Playing widget tap on the “Speaker Selection Button“.
- Once you have done that tap the AirPlay button and select one or all the Sonos speakers and the HomePod speaker.
Once you have completed these steps successfully, using “Play All” you will be able to successfully stream your music or podcast simultaneously to all the speakers spread throughout your household.
Interesting stuff isn’t it?
Summary,
I hope with that I answered your query on does Sonos work with HomePod in a comprehensive sense.
We looked at how big tech companies are now tending to have an inclusive outlook in their expansion strategy.
And as a consequence of that they are beginning to open their doors to involve more devices from different manufacturers into their domain.
Which is actually a very good thing especially for customers who enjoy prioritizing performance over brand.
Lastly, we learnt how exactly can you can link Sonos to HomePod and stream your music on AirPlay 2 compatible devices.
And then we ended the post with a bonus tip on how you can stream your music and podcast on multiple connected devices together using the Play All feature.
I hope I have covered the topic in a holistic sense.
Still if you think there is something that I might have missed out on and or any query that I should have resolved but haven’t.
Don’t hesitate to let me know it in the comments section below.
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Take care of yourselves and I will see you in the next one.
Bbye!
