Apple Music blasts onto Sonos speakers tomorrow

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Apple Music is about to stream on Sonos smart speakers.
Apple Music is about to stream on Sonos smart speakers.
Photo: Sonos

Apple Music becomes an official part of the Sonos ecosystem Wednesday after months of beta testing on the wireless speakers.

“The feedback from Apple Music members on Sonos during the beta period has been great,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, in a press release. “Sonos plus Apple Music provides an amazing listening experience at home — and we’re excited to offer it to all Sonos customers starting tomorrow.”

It’s a great partnership for Apple Music, the streaming service Cupertino launched last year to mixed reviews. Since then, a steady series of improvements has helped Apple Music build its user base to 10 million.

Apple offers a free three-month trial of Apple Music, but unlike Spotify, the service lacks a free tier. Apple’s goal is to hook as many people as possible with its paid plans, which cost $10 per month for individuals or $15 per month for a family of up to six. All plans offer unlimited streaming from the vast Apple Music catalog, as well as Beats 1 and other internet radio stations.

Deals like this one, which bakes Apple Music into one of the most popular wireless speakers platforms, can only increase the service’s reach.

The move comes shortly after Spotify, Apple Music’s chief competitor, added support for Amazon Echo. (Spotify has a big lead on Apple Music and has been on Sonos for a while.)

Using Apple Music on Sonos

We’re big fans of Sonos speakers, including the new Play:5, which we called “a big, beefy speaker that sounds absolutely wonderful” in our rather enthusiastic review.

Starting tomorrow, Apple Music on Sonos means anybody who owns one of the smart speakers and also subscribes to Apple’s music service can tap features like For You, New, Radio and My Music. They will also be able to stream the entire Apple Music catalog using Sonos smart speakers, according to the press release.

To set it up, “customers simply select ‘Add Music Services’ from any Sonos controller app, scroll down to the Apple Music icon, and login,” the companies said.

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