Sonos has announced that early access for its new voice assistant, Sonos 27voice, will begin on November 6. The company is rolling out the feature as part of an update to its underlying Sonos 27 software this week. This launch follows the initial introduction of the Sonos 27 platform in September, which highlighted support for third-party AI assistants like ChatGPT and custom agents.
How Sonos 27voice Works
Like the previous Voice Control feature, Sonos 27voice allows users to control playback on their Sonos devices. It also handles basic assistant tasks such as setting timers, interacting with smart home accessories, and providing weather updates. The key difference lies in its ability to understand natural language requests and answer questions about a broader range of general knowledge topics.
According to the company’s support page, the assistant can interpret complex queries. For example, a user could ask it to “play that Bowie album about an adventure in space” and receive the correct result. It can also answer current events questions, such as “who won the Super Bowl this year.” Additionally, the assistant can play music based on mood or genre to specific speakers or rooms within a home.
If the assistant performs as described, it brings Sonos closer to the functionality of modern AI assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa. The company is testing this feature with a smaller group of users to collect feedback before a full release in 2027. This cautious approach aims to avoid the negative reaction associated with the company’s 2024 app redesign.
New Features in Sonos 27 Software
For users who are not interested in voice assistants, the Sonos 27 update introduces two other features: Presets and System Health. Presets allow users to save groupings of music and playback settings. A user can save a specific listening configuration, such as a particular album at full volume in the garage, and play it instantly with a single tap.
System Health is available on the iOS version of the Sonos app. It provides a quick overview of the system’s status, including the connection status of individual speakers and the Wi-Fi network they are using. If the assistant detects an issue with the speaker setup, it flags the problem in System Health to help users resolve it.
Early access to Sonos 27voice is currently limited to the United States and is only available in English. Users must request access inside the Sonos app and receive approval to participate in the testing phase. Access to the Sonos 27 platform itself is also restricted to hardware that runs on the S2 platform.
Source: Engadget
