How to Connect to a Sonos Speaker System

To connect to Sonos, join your home Wi-Fi on your phone, open the Sonos app, and follow the setup prompts for a new speaker or select Connect for an existing system. First-time setup requires a supported mobile device. Bluetooth and AirPlay give you additional ways to play audio on compatible models.

Set up your first Sonos speaker

Download the mobile app from the official Sonos downloads page. The current app requires iOS or iPadOS 18 or later, Android 10 or later, or Fire OS 7 or later. Choose Sonos S1 Controller only for an S1 system; the setup steps below use the current Sonos app.

Connect your phone to the home Wi-Fi you want Sonos to use, then power on the speaker. Open Sonos and, under Get started with setup, select Speaker or component. Create a Sonos account or sign in, select Add when your product appears, and complete the guided network setup.

Use your main home network rather than an isolated guest network or one that requires a browser sign-in. Your controller and speakers need to be on the same subnet, and any active VPN must permit access to local resources. Use the mobile app to create a system, add products, change Wi-Fi settings or create stereo pairs, since the current desktop controllers cannot perform those tasks.

Join an existing system or add another speaker

To connect another iOS or Android device, join the same Wi-Fi as the Sonos system and open Sonos. If No products found appears, select Go to System Settings. Select Connect when the nearby system is offered, then finish the prompts.

A previously joined system reconnects automatically when you return to its Wi-Fi. You can use this connection flow at home, in another household or at a vacation property without setting up the speakers again.

To add a new speaker or component, connect it to power and wait for its light to flash green. Open Settings and select Add Speaker or Component in the system section, then complete the product-specific prompts. If an already configured speaker has disappeared, use the reconnection steps below instead of new-product setup.

Choose music and a room

To add a streaming service inside Sonos, open Account > Content Services. Under Connected Services, select Add Content Service, choose your provider, then select Add to Sonos. Complete the provider’s authorization before choosing content and a destination room. Supported services and account plans vary by country.

You can also start playback directly from supported music apps, including Spotify, TIDAL, Pandora and IDAGIO. Start your content, open the app’s device or output picker, and select the Sonos room. The picker’s name depends on the service.

Amazon Music, Audible and iHeartRadio also support direct control, with specific conditions. For Amazon Music playback to voice-enabled Sonos products, enable the Sonos skill in Alexa first. Audible and iHeartRadio direct control exclude iOS.

Pair your speaker through Bluetooth

Era 100, Era 100 SL, Era 100 Pro, Era 300 and Move 2 require Sonos setup before Bluetooth pairing, while Sonos Play supports Bluetooth out of the box. On these models, hold the Bluetooth button until you hear the pairing chime and the light flashes blue. Select the speaker in your source device’s Bluetooth settings. A confirmation chime and blue status light indicate that it has connected.

Roam 2 supports Bluetooth without an existing Wi-Fi system. Power it on and hold its rear Bluetooth button for one second. After the chime and flashing blue light, select the speaker in your device’s Bluetooth settings.

The original Roam needs Wi-Fi setup first and uses its rear Power button for pairing. Wake it, hold Power for two seconds, then release and select Roam in your device’s Bluetooth settings when the light flashes blue. If it reconnects to an old device instead, repeat the two-second hold to enter discovery mode.

For the original Move, complete Wi-Fi setup, press its rear Bluetooth button once to enter Bluetooth mode, then hold it until the light flashes blue. Enable Bluetooth on your source device and select Move. In Bluetooth mode, the original Move disappears from the Sonos app and cannot group, stereo-pair or use voice assistants. Press its Bluetooth button again to return to Wi-Fi.

Arc Ultra and Beam Ultra support Bluetooth after Wi-Fi setup. Hold the Bluetooth button on Arc Ultra’s back or Beam Ultra’s top, or open Settings, select the soundbar, then choose Bluetooth > Pair New Device. When the light flashes blue, select the soundbar in your source device’s Bluetooth settings. These soundbar instructions apply to the Ultra models.

If your Bluetooth-capable speakers are assigned as surrounds, Bluetooth is disabled in that configuration. Use the home theater room for playback, or pair a separate compatible speaker.

Use AirPlay or connect your computer

On an iPhone or iPad, open Control Center, open the audio card’s AirPlay picker, and select your Sonos destination or destinations. Alternatively, select the AirPlay icon inside a compatible audio app and choose Sonos. Compatible receivers include One, One SL, Five, Era speakers, Move and Roam families, and Arc and Beam families.

On a Mac, open System Settings > Sound and choose the Sonos product under Output. To include older speakers without AirPlay, group them with the AirPlay-compatible receiver in Sonos. Speakers assigned as surrounds cannot independently receive AirPlay, and Mac system audio can have delays or interruptions. If a work or school device blocks AirPlay through a management policy, ask your administrator to permit it.

For app-based control on Windows or Mac, install the desktop controller from the Sonos downloads page. Connect the computer to the Sonos network, open the controller, and complete its system-discovery prompts. You can then select a room and music source, control playback and group rooms on the existing system.

Play across rooms or create a stereo pair

To play the same audio in several rooms, select the Grouping icon in the mobile app’s Now Playing bar. Select the rooms you want, then select Apply. All selected products must already belong to the same Sonos system.

You can also group supported speakers using a hardware control. While another room is playing, hold Play / Pause on the speaker you want to add. Hold Play / Pause again to leave the group; this groups playback after network setup.

For a stereo pair, first add both supported speakers to the system. Open Settings and, under My System, select one speaker, then select Set Up Stereo Pair. Complete the prompts using a supported model combination. Similar-looking speakers and different generations are not necessarily compatible.

Connect a television or an analog source

For a compatible HDMI-equipped Sonos home theater product, add it through the mobile app and connect its HDMI cable to your TV’s HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC port when prompted. Complete the TV setup flow, then enable the TV’s HDMI-CEC setting for supported power and volume control. The setting’s name varies by TV manufacturer.

For Ray, Playbar or Playbase, connect the TV’s optical audio output to the Sonos product’s optical input. Supported Arc, Arc SL, Arc Ultra, Beam and Amp configurations can use a Sonos Optical Audio Adapter instead. Complete mobile-app setup before playback. Optical connections do not provide HDMI-CEC TV control.

For an optical setup, configure a supported remote by opening Settings, selecting the home theater room, then choosing Home Theater > Remote Control Setup. Follow the button-learning prompts. HDMI ARC connections normally accept TV-remote volume commands automatically.

To connect an analog source to Era 100, Era 100 SL, Era 300 or Move 2, first set up the speaker in Sonos. Connect a Sonos Line-In Adapter to its USB-C port, then connect the source’s analog output to the adapter’s 3.5 mm input. Use a phono preamp if your turntable requires one.

For Five, connect the source or phono preamp output to the speaker’s rear 3.5 mm input. For Amp or Port, connect the source or preamp output to the RCA sockets labeled IN. Start the source and choose the receiving room or group in System, then open Home > Your Sources > Line-In and select the source device.

Line-in is disabled on supported speakers assigned as surrounds. For an analog source, use a compatible product with an enabled line-in connection.

Reconnect when Sonos cannot find your speakers

First confirm that your phone and speakers use the same main home network. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and enable Sonos. If discovery still fails, review the app’s Bluetooth, Microphone and Location Services permissions, which Sonos uses during setup.

After changing your router, Wi-Fi name or password, open Sonos and let it search. When No products found appears, open Settings > Visit Help Center > Update Network, then follow the instructions for each product. For a router replacement, Sonos says to leave Ethernet disconnected during this wireless-update procedure and reconnect it afterward.

If the Mac desktop controller cannot discover speakers, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network on a Mac that has these controls. Enable access for the Sonos controller.

For Bluetooth pairing failures, check whether Sonos touch controls have been disabled if the speaker’s Bluetooth button does nothing. If the source device remembers the speaker but cannot pair, remove the stale pairing and connect again.

Removing a saved Bluetooth pairing deletes that device’s remembered connection to the speaker. Open the source device’s Bluetooth or Connected Device settings, select the Sonos entry, then select Forget or Remove. Put the speaker back into its model-specific discovery mode and pair it again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you control Sonos from a browser while away from home?

Yes, the Sonos web app lets you control playback and grouping on an existing current Sonos system, including while away from home. On Sonos’s downloads page, select Open the Sonos Web app and sign in to the account associated with your system. Use Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge.

How many products can you add to a Sonos system?

You can add up to 32 products to one Sonos system. S1 and current-app systems cannot be grouped together, so those separate systems cannot form one playback group.

Can Roam 2 reconnect to Bluetooth automatically?

Yes, Roam 2 enables automatic Bluetooth reconnection by default. You can manage it through Always Auto-Connect in the speaker’s Bluetooth settings. Review Idle Auto-Disconnect if idle sessions keep disconnecting.

Does wiring one speaker connect every Sonos model through SonosNet?

No, SonosNet support depends on your products. Arc Ultra, Era models, Move models, Roam models, Sonos Play and Sub 4 do not support SonosNet. Surrounds and Subs also cannot be the first wired product in a SonosNet setup.

Should you factory reset Sonos when it will not connect?

Sonos discourages factory resets as routine troubleshooting because they delete registration and saved settings. A reset may be appropriate for a pre-owned speaker joining a different system or when the app directs you to reset it. Follow the reset procedure for your exact model, since portable and stationary products have different sequences.