Before Sonos sued Google in January, the two companies worked closely to bring Assistant to Sonos speakers. Despite that lawsuit, the integration continues to get new features, including the highly desired ability to set Sonos as the default speaker on the Nest Hub, Google Home, and other Assistant devices.
Assistant devices have long had the ability to “choose a default speaker for music.” For example, all song requests that you give a Home Mini could automatically play on louder Chromecast-connected or Bluetooth-paired speakers, as well as groups.
When Assistant on Sonos launched last May, the Sonos One or Beam sound bar could not be set as the default speaker. That is no longer the case. To set-up, select an Assistant device in the Google Home app and visit “Device settings” by tapping the gear icon in the upper-right corner. Scroll down to “Default music speaker” and select your Sonos device.
After a command is issued, Assistant will provide verbal confirmation that music is starting on another speaker, while controls appear on Smart Displays.
While Sonos has Assistant, hotword/voice recognition is widely panned compared to first-party Google devices. With this new default speaker capability, you can continue issuing commands to a Nest Hub (thus taking advantage of the screen) or Google Home, but listen to music on Sonos — be sure to turn off the microphone to avoid double pickup.
The ability to set Sonos as the default speaker on Assistant devices emerged for some beta users late last year. In recent weeks (via Reddit), it has widely rolled out, though there are some reports of device restarts being needed. Make sure your Sonos and Assistant speakers are running the latest firmware to take advantage.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments