Let us take you back to a darker time - circa 2013 - when Sonos users were imprisoned in one of the worst ecosystems: an app so bad it was borderline unusable; a requirement to run every speaker through a bridge.
How far weâve come. No more bridge. The vastly improved Sonos S2 app. And AirPlay 2.
Appleâs latest wireless protocol is live on Sonos speakers, letting you stream music straight from an iOS device to your speakers.
Read this: The best AirPlay speakers
In fact, using AirPlay 2 you can circumvent the Sonos app entirely and still group your speakers together. You can also group your Sonos speakers with Apple's HomePod.
Which Sonos speakers are compatible with AirPlay 2?
Short answer, all the new ones: The One (both generations), Beam, Amp, Move, Port, Arc, Five and the Play:5 (2nd-gen).
Anything else wonât be able to play with AirPlay 2 directly, however thatâs not the end of the story. You can also get older Sonos speakers working with AirPlay 2.
How to set up AirPlay 2 on Sonos
If you haven't done so already, you're going to need to update your Sonos speakers. But wait! Before you do that, make sure the app itself is up to date, otherwise you may not be able to update the speakers. Once you've done that...
1. Open the Sonos app. You should see a prompt to update, but if not, tap on More. If you still don't see a prompt, tap on Settings > Online Updates. The app will manually scan for any updates available.
2. Open up AirPlay 2 on your iOS device by bringing up the Control Panel and then Force Touching the music widget (or just tap the top right corner of the box). Then tap the AirPlay icon. You should see your updates Sonos speakers appear in the list.
3. Select the speakers you want to play from. Remember, AirPlay 2 lets you select multiple speakers at once.
How to get Siri working with Sonos
Right now, only Alexa or the Google Assistant is available natively on Sonos speakers so where does that leave Siri?
Donât expect it to live natively on Sonos speakers any time soon (Appleâs not the type of company to completely bequeath its assistant to others). However, you can get Siri working with Sonos, via AirPlay 2, if you register it in the Apple Home app. Once youâve done so, youâll be able to ask Siri to play music on specific Sonos speakers, so long as youâre using Apple Music or playing music from your local Music library (itâs just one of those annoying limitations right now, sadly).
To set this up, head into the Home app on your iPhone or iPad and hit the + icon at the top right. Select âAdd accessoryâ and on the next screen tap âDonât have a Code or Canât Scan?â
If your Sonos speaker is switched on and nearby, it should appear here. Tap on it to assign it to a room and give it a name. Once thatâs done, youâll be able to say things like, "Hey Siri, play Animal Collective on Sonos One".