Browse music and choose where it plays

Find music in Media

Open Media. The search field is always at the top on web, iOS, and Android. It is labeled Search for music and shows Songs, albums, artists, playlists as its hint. On web, the service list can collapse or expand, and each service heading can collapse or expand its list. That behavior is for web only; the phone keeps the browsing list open as you move through it.

1. Select Search for music and type what you want to hear.
2. If you want to clear a query and start over, use the visible clear control in the search field.
3. If more than one source is available, choose All or a single service pill before you browse.
4. If you want only one kind of result, choose All or a specific type filter while searching.
5. Open a song, album, artist, or playlist to browse deeper.

Search results are grouped by what they are, so songs, albums, artists, and playlists stay separate. Recent searches can appear before the current results when you have used search on this device before.

Choose what to play

Browse from Media when you want to find music. Do not start from Music if your goal is to look through a library. Music starts with no room selected, so the destination is always chosen explicitly.

1. Open the item you want to browse.
2. If it is a container such as an album or playlist, open it first.
3. If you want to start a container from the beginning, use Play on that screen.Play
4. If you tap a track, it goes straight to Music and is ready to play in a room you choose.
5. Choose the room or speaker when the app asks where it should play.

Every room can be removed from the room picker while Music is open. If no rooms remain, the app clears the selection and waits for you to choose a room again.

What to expect for playlists and providers

Opening this playlist… means the app is reading the playlist contents before playback starts. On the phone, that browse step must complete before the music can start, and pressing Play is not a workaround.

Spotify playback needs a Sonos speaker with the appropriate Spotify account. Some Spotify playlists can still start from the beginning even when their contents do not fully open in the library. Plex is treated as a local music library and still needs a compatible local Sonos connection.

If something goes wrong

• Could not reach the music library means the library read failed. It does not mean the library is empty.
• That did not go through means a playback command was not accepted.
• If a provider refuses to show part of a playlist, try again from the same home rather than choosing an unrelated speaker.
• Artwork and item counts do not prove that playback will succeed.

If you need the exact browsing choices in one place, remember these visible labels: All, Browse from Media, Music starts with no room selected, Every room can be removed, Opening this playlist…, and pressing Play is not a workaround.