Tip: This is how you update and use a Sonos speaker with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit

Sonos now supports AirPlay 2 and Siri, so the speakers can also play a role in your smart home with HomeKit. This is how you set up Sonos HomeKit and AirPlay 2 support.

This is how you install the Sonos AirPlay 2 update

Yesterday, Sonos released a major update that adds AirPlay 2 and Siri support to the latest Sonos speakers. Before we look at how this works, it is first smart to check whether your speaker also supports this update:

• Sonos Beam
• Sonos Playbase
• Sonos One
• Sonos Play: 5 (second generation)

If you have one (or more) older models at home in addition to the above speakers, you can also install the update on the other models via the latest speaker. You install the update as follows:

1. Open the Sonos app on your iPhone;
2. Tap on ‘More’ in the right survey and choose ‘Update’;
3. Update the app to run on version 9.0;
4. Reopen the Sonos app and agree to check for new updates;
5. The app has now found the AirPlay 2 update. Tap Update to install the new software on your speakers.

After installing the update, a new introductory screen will appear in the app confirming that AirPlay 2 is available. From now on, if you’re playing music, you can simply tap the AirPlay icon in Apple Music or Spotify to open a window and stream the music to one or more speakers. These options are also available from the iOS Control Center and the Lock Screen. As a result, you hardly need the Sonos app when it comes to playing music.

Using with Sonos HomeKit

Now that the Sonos speakers support AirPlay 2, you can also use voice assistant Siri to play music, if you have a subscription to Apple Music. This means you no longer need an iPhone or other device to choose music, you simply ask Siri from now on. This works as follows:

1. Open the Home app on your iPhone;
2. Tap the plus sign in the top right corner;
3. Choose ‘Add accessory’;
4. Tap ‘No code or no scan’;
5. Choose the Sonos speaker that appears on your screen.

Now you can give the speaker a name and give it a place in your house by linking it to a room. With this you can, for example, ask if Siri is playing music in the kitchen or in the living room, depending on how you have arranged your rooms in the Home app.

Also read: AirPlay 2: 5 improvements in a row and everything about supporting speakers