It took more than a year, but Google Assistant support has finally arrived on Sonos.
When I first reviewed the Sonos One, I wrote that it was a promise for the future as the out of the box functionality was great, but would really only be fully realised once both voice assistants were enabled.
The development and negotiations with Google clearly proved more difficult than first thought, but now thankfully they’ve made good on their promise and delivered it.
Here are a few things you can do with the Google Assistant on Sonos:
- Listen to some tunes. Or news. Or podcasts: While you’re able to play music from all the services the Assistant already supports—including YouTube Music, Pandora, and Spotify—you can also use the Assistant to skip to the next track, pause the music and change volume from the 100+ music services already available on Sonos. It’s also easy to catch up on the latest episode of your favorite podcast just by asking the Assistant.
- Enjoy entertainment: With the Google Assistant on Sonos Beam and a Chromecast-enabled TV, you can turn on the TV, switch from music to TV, and adjust the volume. You can also stream videos from popular services.
- Plan your day: Get help with things like your flight information, or traffic on your commute to work.
- Manage tasks: Set alarms and timers, pull up your calendar appointments, or add items to your shopping list.
- Get answers: Ask all your questions on sports, weather, calculations, translations and more.
- Control your home: Ask your Assistant on your speakers to adjust the temperature, lighting, and other smart home devices connected in your home.
Get started with the Assistant on your Sonos speaker or soundbar
If you already own a Sonos One or Sonos Beam, it’s easy to set up the Assistant. Your speaker and soundbar will automatically receive a software update introducing the Google Assistant as a voice assistant option. To add Google Assistant to your Sonos speakers,
- Go to “Voice Services” in the Sonos app under Settings
- Select Google Assistant
- Follow the guided setup process
The rollout starts in the U.S. and then will expand support to the UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, France, The Netherlands and more over the coming months.
