Sonos is adding new tricks to its speakers, and it’s not just a new hardware release. The company is working on improving the Sonos app experience. Sonos 27 has started rolling out, allowing for AI control via services like ChatGPT and Claude. We covered the announcement of the platform last week, but the first wave of services is already available to users. The update is free for Sonos S2 products, with unique features depending on the hardware.
Sonos has given ChatGPT the reins and its app is getting a second chance
The big news is the Sonos 27mcp, the Early Access integration based on the Model Context Protocol. Once connected and enabled, an external AI assistant can control your Sonos system from its own interface. So in practice, you can ask ChatGPT to play music in the kitchen or adjust the volume without leaving the conversation. Sonos names ChatGPT and Claude as supported examples, with the initial rollout focused on US English users.
Sonos is also developing its own music-focused AI assistant, Sonos 27voice, which can understand requests based on moods or vague descriptions of songs. It’s coming to Early Access later this fall, initially in the US and England, with customizable agents with their own personalities and voices planned for 2027.
Backyard speakers can become a movie night setting
Portable speakers are another useful hardware feature. A pair of Move 2 or Sonos Play speakers can sense their position near a compatible soundbar and automatically switch to rear surround sound. Supported soundbars are Arc Ultra, Arc, Beam Ultra and Beam Gen 2. When the movie night is over, you can pick up the speakers and take them somewhere else.
Headphone pairing is also coming, allowing the new Ace Ultra headphones to move audio between the headphones and compatible Sonos speakers via Wi-Fi. It will arrive in Early Access on September 29, along with the headset. The original Ace doesn’t get this feature, so existing headset owners can’t assume that a software update will unlock full system integration.
The app still has a lot to prove
For many Sonos owners, improvements to the app may be more important than another AI assistant. The 2024 redesign removed familiar features and caused serious reliability issues that damaged the company’s reputation among its most loyal customers. On July 27, Sonos will expand the improved navigation with Home, System, and Search tabs, better room organization, and a virtual volume control that can be controlled with a two-finger gesture.
The September update also includes Siri and Shortcuts support, an updated iPad layout, and additional queue and music service controls. Presets and new system health views are due in late fall. The update is rolling out in stages, so it may not appear on all devices immediately. Sonos has confirmed that the introduction of navigation is beyond the previous optional testing phase. After the problems caused by the last major overhaul, the real test will be whether these improvements make the system more reliable in everyday use.
\
