Newsletter 
Owners of Sonos sound systems will tell you that their quality makes them worth owning, but they can be a pain to operate at times. Unlike the average Bluetooth speaker, setting up and using a Sonos system wirelessly takes a bit of extra setup work on both ends. One of the most common ways to control such a system from your Android phone is through Sonos’ own dedicated app. This is a suboptimal solution for those who favor a certain app, or who use a streaming service that isn’t supported by the app or the sound system. For those who can access their entire collection through the Sonos app, they may be missing some features that they’re accustomed to in their app of choice. According to an announcement put out on Tuesday, this will no longer be a problem for Spotify users who subscribe to Spotify Premium.
Using a new service called Spotify Connect within the Spotify app, users will have full access to the app and all of its features while beaming the sound to a sound system, and the list of compatible ones now includes Sonos devices. Spotify Connect even brings a few new features to the party that are aimed squarely at using the app with a home sound system like Sonos. For example, you can group and ungroup nodes in the sound system, having each one playing a different song if you so wish. Cross-device control is also on board, allowing you to put your phone on the charger and control the music while you chill on the couch with your tablet, or allowing those who work from home to control their sound system and all the power of Spotify while getting their grind on, without having to change devices.
The new facet of the Spotify app has an ace up its sleeve for parties; more than one device can link up to the sound system, and help with controlling what’s playing. If a friend who’s over doesn’t have quite the same tastes as you, this means that they can skip the offending track or add one of their own. Likewise, a circle of friends could experience each other’s music tastes by building a collaborative playlist during a house party. The curation, discovery, and sharing features of the normal Spotify app are, of course, all available through Spotify Connect.
