Select Sonos speakers gain AirPlay 2 support

It took longer than expected, but an AirPlay 2-focused firmware update for select Sonos speakers at long last began rolling out today via their iPhone and iPad app.

AirPlay 2 will work with the newest Sonos devices such as the Beam, Sonos One, Playbase and the second-generation Play:5 speakers. Sonos customers can make AirPlay 2 work with older speaker models by way of grouping them with one of the compatible speakers. With the update, Sonos speakers appear right in the Home app on your iOS device.

TUTORIAL: Siri voice commands for multi-room audio with AirPlay 2

AirPlay 2 supports multi-room audio which lets Apple customers select the speakers they want to play music through right from the Control Center overlay on their iPhone or iPad, as well as thorough their HomePod, Apple TV (press and hold the Play/Pause button on the Home screen) and desktop iTunes (use the volume slider).

And because the newest Sonos speakers feature built-in Alexa support, you’ll also be able to do things like initiate the playback of AirPlay 2 music on your speaker, then use Alexa to pause, go to the next track or ask what’s currently playing.

“We expect that in the near to intermediate term, this backward compatibility will no longer be practical or cost-effective, and we may decrease or discontinue service for our older products,” the company cautioned in a recent SEC filing.

Siri lets you do things like ask for a song from Apple Music or your favorite podcast.

To update your Sonos speaker, launch the associated iOS app.