Alexa Support for Apple Music Expands to Sonos Speakers

[MacRumors]

Amazon Echo devices have been able to use Alexa-based voice commands to control Apple Music since December, but the feature has been limited to Amazon's own devices until today.

Sonos One and Sonos Beam owners in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland are now also able to use Alexa to control Apple Music after adding the Apple Music skill to the Alexa app.

In the US, UK, and Ireland, you can now use your voice to control @AppleMusic through your Sonos One, Beam, or Echo device. Just add the #AppleMusic skill in your Alexa app. pic.twitter.com/2yNius56jo - Sonos (@Sonos) April 17, 2019

To get Alexa controls for Apple Music on Sonos, users will need to update to the newest version of the Sonos app, enable the Apple Music skill in the separate Amazon Alexa app, and link an Apple Music account.

From there, Sonos owners will be able to use commands like "Play My Chill Mix on Apple Music," or "Play Beats 1 Radio on Apple Music."

It's not yet clear if other Alexa-enabled devices will also be gaining support for Apple Music controls in the future, but right now, the feature is available on all Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices along with the Sonos One and Sonos Beam.

Article Link: Alexa Support for Apple Music Expands to Sonos Speakers

 

[Rogifan]

So you can control Apple Music with Alexa but not Siri? How does that make any sense?

 

[OriginalClone]

Nice

 

[robjulo]

Great news....been waiting for this for months.

 

[iosiseasy]

Still waiting in Canada for Apple Music for Alexa...

 

[Remy149]

So you can control Apple Music with Alexa but not Siri? How does that make any sense?

Easy sonos products don’t have Siri on them however you could always use her with any device you airplay music from

 

[afd]

I’d quite like a beam or a pair of Sonos Ones but I’d keep Alexa switched off. Rather just airplay from iPhone.

 

[Knocklaun]

This has been in place for a week or two but I can’t for the life of me make it work in Ireland. Alexa simply comes back with “can’t find ..... on Apple Music” no matter what you ask her. Would love a solution to this!

 

[Thomba]

Still waiting in Canada for Apple Music for Alexa...

Still waiting in the Netherlands for HomePod and ApplePay

 

[480951]

Still waiting in Canada for Apple Music for Alexa...

Yeah, I got mine for Christmas because I thought it would be coming shortly after and there’s still not even an announced release date. I’ve since put it back in the box and have it for sale. If no one buys it I might just give it away since I wasn’t that impressed with it and the only reason I got it was for something it doesn’t do.

 

[robjulo]

I don’t know if it will be available in Ireland or not, but it has not been out a week or two. It was literally just announced an hour or two ago on the Sonos site as “starting today”. Update your Sonos App and try again.

This has been in place for a week or two but I can’t for the life of me make it work in Ireland. Alexa simply comes back with “can’t find ..... on Apple Music” no matter what you ask her. Would love a solution to this!

 

[CarpalMac]

Should help facilitate some further Homepod price cuts...

 

[besler3035]

Has anyone gotten user-created playlists to work with this? I'm able to play Favorites, New Music and Chill playlists, but nothing else. It either says it can't be found or it plays an Amazon playlist with a similar name.

Song, album, etc. works great though.

 

[robjulo]

In my opinion, the only way HomePod would be worthwhile is if it was priced less than the One. The sound is largely equivalent, yet Sonos offers so many offer services and now with Apple Music integrated into Apple Music, I can’t imagine why anyone would pay any premium for a HomePod.

Should help facilitate some further Homepod price cuts...

 

[Rogifan]

Easy sonos products don’t have Siri on them however you could always use her with any device you airplay music from

No I meant how does that make sense for Apple?

 

[PastaPrimav]

So you can control Apple Music with Alexa but not Siri? How does that make any sense?

At this point who cares. This addition, which is basically "voice control of Apple Music on Sonos", is the one minor thing (that I care about) missing from my Sonos One as compared to Home Pod. I don't care which assistant it is.
[doublepost=1555531328][/doublepost]

No I meant how does that make sense for Apple?

Because they want people to have no reason not to subscribe to Apple Music, including someone buying a Sonos One over a Home Pod.

 

[burgman]

In my opinion, the only way HomePod would be worthwhile is if it was priced less than the One. The sound is largely equivalent, yet Sonos offers so many offer services and now with Apple Music integrated into Apple Music, I can’t imagine why anyone would pay any premium for a HomePod.

If you think the Apple Music functionality with Alexia is anywhere close to being a great experience, you must not own one of them to compare. If someone, like me, used all the available streaming services and found Apple Music on HomePod to be the best experience, why would I care about other services that I wouldn't use?

 

[Rogifan]

At this point who cares. This addition, which is basically "voice control of Apple Music on Sonos", is the one minor thing (that I care about) missing from my Sonos One as compared to Home Pod. I don't care which assistant it is.
[doublepost=1555531328][/doublepost]
Because they want people to have no reason not to subscribe to Apple Music, including someone buying a Sonos One over a Home Pod.

Again, how is that good for Apple and Siri? Maybe you don’t care but wouldn’t Apple want people controlling Apple Music using Siri instead of Alexa? Unless being able to do so would also mean users could control Spotify using Siri?

 

[Shanghaichica]

That’s good.

 

[sdsalsersmith]

I can never get Alexa, Siri or Google whatever, to do what I want them to do. It's easier to just use the app with my fingers. How lazy are we, anyway??? Also, the whole Sonos ecosystem is MUCH better than anything else out there. I can play all the music services thru Sonos and control it all with my iPhone.

 

[robjulo]

What are you taking about? You are opining about a product you don’t use.

If you think the Apple Music functionality with Alexia is anywhere close to being a great experience, you must not own one of them to compare. If someone, like me, used all the available streaming services and found Apple Music on HomePod to be the best experience, why would I care about other services that I wouldn't use?

 

[JimmyJimmyYam]

I waited a long time for Apple Music on Alexa in the UK, using Amazon Music Unlimited as a stop gap. When it arrived & I immediately switched, I was surprised at how bare-bones the Apple Music iOS app is these days - really limited control features and too much stuff buried in 3D Touch.

The Apple Music library is slightly better, Watch integration is a nice bonus, and Alexa integration works well, but until they enrich the app i’m sticking with Amazon Music.

 

[Loucifer]

"Alexa while you snoop on my private conversations, make them available to thousands across the world, and allow them to have humorous message boards about how ridiculous I sound, and while you build profiles on me based on my purchases and my Amazon searches, share them with Google via Analytics, and Facebook, because I am sooo friendly I use my Facebook account to sign in to my Amazon account, so both Google and Facebook now know my shopping habits, political views and other preferences, why don't I also tell you what music I listen to? Also I thought I would actually pay money for the surveillance device you have installed in my home, while continuing to buy your products, and enriching Google and Facebook, who now also know what time I get in every day, because you control my light switches, don't you? And you have absolutely no scruples in sharing this information, and I don't mind because I'm so lazy, I'll give you anything rather than actually reading the T&C's.

 

[fabulous-femme]

I wish they would just give us Apple Music on Alexa in Australia ... on Sonos on top would be perfect. Ah well ... waiting until arrives here down under. :-(

 

[iamnathan22]

No I meant how does that make sense for Apple?

They have Siri on HomePod that’s how you get Siri and Apple Music together. Sonos has said they built support for multiple voice assistants not just Alexa. But devoting the resources and desire to port Siri would require Apple to likely handover more IP then they would want, require prioritizing services over hardware sales (a growing trend at Apple but revenue wise not even close between the services and hardware). An Apple Music subscriber is likely worth more to Apple then a HomePod. But a HomePod+Apple Music buyer is more valuable. But hey there’s way more Sonos speakers and Alexa devices out there then there will ever be Homepods. But apples never been about market share in most markets