Smart Speakers Archives

Sonos back peddles on ‘legacy’ product updates

27/01/2020

Sonos back peddles on ‘legacy’ product updates having received countless complaints from its customer base on plans to stop updating its older products from May this year. In a blog posting, the CEO of Sonos, Patrick Spence, apologised to customers and offered what amounts to a split upgrading process where legacy kit will continue to receive updates to allow them to coexist and function with other products but will not receive newer features. No details […]

The Smart Audio Report Winter 2019 report

Quarter of US adults own a smart speaker

26/01/2020

Quarter of US adults own a smart speaker according to a report from NPR and Edison Research which found that 60 million US adults (24% of the 18+ population) own at least one smart speaker device. The Winter 2019 Smart Audio Report confirmed continued growth in the smart speaker market with the average smart speaker household now having 2.6 devices, up from 2.3 devices per household at the same time last year. The research also […]

Sonos to stop updates on ‘legacy’ products

23/01/2020

Sonos is to stop updates on ‘legacy’ products starting in May 2020 with some of its oldest products no longer receiving software updates or new features. Legacy products include their original Zone Players, Connect, and Connect:Amp (launched in 2006; includes versions sold until 2015), first-generation Play:5 (launched 2009), CR200 (launched 2009), and Bridge (launched 2007). Although a common occurrence for computers and smartphones, the withdrawal of support for audio equipment is a first and reflects […]

Smart speakers and 4K TVs on the rise in UK

02/12/2019

Smart speakers and ultra-high definition TVs are booming in popularity in the UK gears according to recently published Ofcom research. Ofcom’s latest Tech Tracker data shows that ownership of smart speakers has grown significantly over the past year. In 2018, 13% of households owned a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Alexa or Google Home but this year, that figure has grown to 20%. Meanwhile, ownership of ultra-high definition (‘4K’) televisions has more than doubled […]

Spotify Free extended to Alexa devices

25/11/2019

Spotify Free extended to Alexa devices as well as Sonos and Bose speakers using Spotify Connect according to a recent blog post by the streamer. Free users in Australia, New Zealand, and the US will, for the first time, be able to ask Alexa to play Today’s Top Hits, their Discover Weekly, or a custom-made playlist on their Amazon Echo or Fire TV. To find out how to link your Spotify account to your new […]

Spotify Free now available on Sonos

18/11/2019

Spotify Free now available on Sonos and requires the Sonos app to be sync’d to your Spotify Free account. To enable Spotify account on your Sonos device, open the Sonos app, go to Settings > Services and tap Spotify to link your account, as shown here in the animation below. Further information on how to link a Spotify Free account to a Sonos device can be found here. The differences between Spotify Premium and Spotify […]

Pandora launches Spanish support for smart speakers

21/10/2019

Pandora launches Spanish support for smart speakers for users in the US on Google Home & Nest and Amazon Alexa smart devices. Pandora recently launched El Detour in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, a new station that highlights the genre-pushing Latin American artists who are redefining Latin music today. Spanish-speaking users who enjoy Pandora on Google Home and Nest devices can now experience the new station (or any of their favourite Pandora music) by saying “Hey Google, […]