Sonos is rolling out an app update that adds Presets, letting users save music playback for a particular room and volume. Saved Presets appear on the home screen for quick access.
In the US, users can sign up for a waitlist for the Sonos 27voice assistant starting November 6. Early access is scheduled to begin November 12. Sonos says the assistant will handle requests such as starting music, moving playback between rooms, grouping or ungrouping speakers, and setting timers. It will also support more involved natural-language requests, including identifying an album from its cover description and playing an artist’s latest album in a specified room.
The update also adds swipe controls on the Now Playing screen or mini player to skip tracks, alongside an option to rearrange favorites. Sonos says its app can also work with the iOS-only System Health feature, which helps users identify problems with their setup.
The changes follow the launch of a revamped Sonos app operating system update in September, which added the ability to connect AI agents to the app. Sonos also plans to let users create up to 10 custom agents. The company has described these efforts as part of its response to the 2024 app redesign, which CEO Tom Conrad has promised to reverse.
Sources: The Verge.