AirPlay 2 update finally reaches Sonos devices

AirPlay 2, which was announced at WWDC 2017 in June and is Apple's move into multi-room on iOS devices, is now available on some Sonos products.

Audio from any iOS device can now be sent to multiple Sonos devices. A free software update is being beamed out today, accessible through the Sonos application.

As well as multi-room audio, customers will be able to use Siri to request music on Sonos via Apple Music. However, this will be via your iPhone or iPad - none of the devices are getting Siri natively in the same way the HomePod does.

Sonos products included in the update are the Beam, One, Playbase and second-gen Play:5.

The company has also said Google Assistant is coming to the platform as well (which will probably mean Chromecast compatibility), at some point in 2018. It's likely that this will put Sonos ahead when it comes to smart-assistant compatability - but we'll have to wait until it happens before we can judge.

Unfortunately, while Sonos is happy to build its multi-room services, it's unlikely to update them to support three-dimensional audio processing like Dolby Atmos or DTS Virtual:X.

These formats, although found in some standalone products like the Sony HT-ST5000 or the Yamaha YSP-5600, are much better delivered using a range of speakers that are built on a strong ecosystem.

MORE:

Sonos Beam vs Playbar vs Playbase: which is best?

Which Sonos speaker is best for you?

Sonos: everything you need to know

Grandmaster Flash: the man who gave us the turntable as an instrument

Adam was a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?, reviewing consumer gadgets for online and print publication, as well as researching and producing features and advice pieces on new technology in the hi-fi industry. He has since worked for PC Mag as a contributing editor and is now a science and technology reporter for The Independent.

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