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Google Assistant will hit Sonos speakers (Update: Rolling out now)
Update, May 14, 2019 (09:45 AM ET): At long last, Google Assistant support is finally rolling out to Sonos speakers — two of them, anyway. The Sonos One and the Sonos Beam should receive a software update soon which will include support for Google Assistant, per Sonos’ blog.
With Google Assistant integration, these two Sonos speakers become the first smart speaker systems to offer both Google’s and Amazon’s virtual assistants in one package, allowing the consumer to choose which one to use or swap back and forth.
Currently, the Sonos One costs $199 while the Sonos Beam costs $399.
Original article, May 10, 2019 (12:48 PM ET): It was in October 2017 — roughly 19 months ago — that Sonos first teased the idea of Google Assistant coming to its high-end smart speakers. Now, finally, it looks like the feature is coming to at least some Sonos products as soon as next week.
The information on the rollout is hidden in the company’s second-quarter financial report (via Android Police). In that report, Sonos mentions that a software update is coming to U.S.-based Sonos One and Sonos Beam speakers which will bring along Google Assistant integration. Assistant support will hit other countries “over the next few months,” which — judging from the past track record — could mean anything.
Here’s the full text from the report:
This quarter we would like to highlight the much-anticipated launch of the Google Assistant on Sonos. We’ve been working on this for quite a while and are thrilled to be rolling it out next week. Through a software upgrade, Sonos One and Beam will support the Google Assistant in the U.S., with more markets to come over the next few months. This feature will truly elevate the customer experience and marks the first time that consumers will be able to buy a single smart speaker and get to choose which voice assistant they want to use. We think giving consumers choice is always the right decision, and we anticipate this philosophy will be adopted in the industry over time.
While it might sound unbelievable, it does look like Sonos is telling the truth when it says these speakers will be the first on the market that allows users to choose which assistant to use within one system. That will certainly up the appeal of the Sonos One and Beam.