By CE Critic - Buy Better Tech
Table of Contents
- Background on Sonos Voice Control (SVC)
- Setting Up Sonos Voice Control
- Using SVC with Spotify
- Basic Playback Controls
- Advanced Controls and Commands
- Spotify Free vs. Premium
- Security & Privacy
- Availability
Background on Sonos Voice Control (SVC)
Sonos Voice Control (SVC) is a proprietary voice assistant developed by Sonos to provide hands-free control of Sonos audio systems. SVC offers these key features:
- Fast, localized processing: Commands are processed on the speaker itself, ensuring quick responses and follow-up interactions.
- Enhanced privacy: Neither your voice commands nor ambient audio are sent to cloud servers or monitored by third parties.
- Music service flexibility: SVC integrates with various music services. The recent addition of Spotify significantly expands the platform's capabilities.
Setting Up Sonos Voice Control
- Sonos App: Ensure you have the latest version of the Sonos S2 app (available for iOS and Android).
- Settings: Navigate to the "Settings" tab, then access "Services & Voice".
- Add Voice Assistant: Select "Add a Voice Assistant" and choose "Sonos Voice Control".
- Follow Prompts: The in-app instructions will guide you through the setup process.
Using SVC with Spotify
After setup, you can interact with Spotify using your Sonos system via SVC. Here's a breakdown of the available commands:
Basic Playback Controls
| Command | Action |
| "Hey Sonos, play Spotify" | Starts a random Spotify playlist |
| "Hey Sonos, play Discover Weekly on Spotify" | Plays your Discover Weekly playlist |
| "Hey Sonos, pause Spotify" | Pauses Spotify playback |
| "Hey Sonos, resume Spotify" | Resumes paused Spotify playback |
| "Hey Sonos, skip this song on Spotify" | Skips the current track |
| "Hey Sonos, volume up on Spotify" | Increases volume |
| "Hey Sonos, volume down on Spotify" | Decreases volume |
Advanced Controls and Commands
| Command | Action |
| "Hey Sonos, like this song on Spotify" | Adds the song to your Spotify "Liked Songs" |
| "Hey Sonos, unlike this song on Spotify" | Removes the song from your "Liked Songs" |
| "Hey Sonos, add this song to my Workout playlist" | Adds the song to your specified playlist |
| "Hey Sonos, play jazz on Spotify" | Starts playing a jazz selection |
Spotify Free vs. Premium
SVC functionality differs slightly for Spotify Free and Spotify Premium users:
- Free: Limited to shuffled playback of albums and playlists. Individual song selection is unavailable.
- Premium: Full control over individual tracks, albums, artists, and playlists.
Security & Privacy
Sonos emphasizes user privacy with SVC. As mentioned, voice commands and audio remain on your Sonos device for local processing. This ensures no sensitive data is transmitted to external servers.
Availability
Sonos Voice Control's Spotify integration is available immediately for both Spotify Free and Premium users. Ensure you have the latest updates for the Sonos app and your Sonos speakers.
