Sonos will begin offering early access to its new voice assistant, Sonos 27voice, on November 6. Users will need to request access through the Sonos app and be approved to take part in the test, which is limited to the US and supports English only.
The assistant is part of an update rolling out this week. It can control playback on Sonos devices and handle basic tasks such as setting timers, interacting with supported smart home accessories and checking the weather. Sonos says it can also understand natural-language requests, answer a wider range of general-knowledge questions and play music according to a requested mood or genre on a specific speaker or in part of the home.
Sonos plans to test the feature with a smaller group before a full release in 2027, using their feedback to inform its development. Sonos 27 was introduced in September, with the company highlighting music and mood curation as well as support for third-party AI assistants.
The update also adds Presets, which let users save combinations of music and playback settings for one-tap listening, and System Health. Available on the iOS app, System Health gives an overview of speaker connections and Wi-Fi details and can flag potential issues. Sonos 27 is limited to hardware that runs on the company’s S2 platform.
Sources: Engadget.