this is the Google Assistant alternative from Sonos
Sonos will equip all its smart speakers with their own smart voice assistant. The phrase “Hey Sonos” draws the attention of the Sonos Voice Control system. He doesn’t speak Dutch yet, but you can already use it in English.
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What is Sonos Voice Control?
Sonos wants to offer the users of its smart speakers an alternative to the existing digital services. You’ll soon be able to exchange Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant on your Sonos device for Sonos Voice Control. Sonos primarily promotes the system as a privacy-friendly alternative to the services because Voice Control does not process audio commands in the cloud, which the other voice assistants do. Sonos says that all data on the Sonos device is processed.
Sonos Voice Control is rolling out as an update to all Sonos smart speakers, i.e. the speakers that have a microphone and already support smart assistants today. Voice Control also works faster compared to Alexa and the Google Assistant, according to internal tests from the manufacturer. The smart assistant is easy to activate via the settings in the Sonos app.
How does Sonos Voice Control work?
You can use Sonos voice controls to play music, group speakers, move music around your house, save and like your favorite songs in your personal music library, and more.
“Hey Sonos” it is hot word with which you wake up the smart helper. It’s even possible to quickly pass one request after another without having to say “Hey Sonos” every time. Below are some examples of commands you can give Sonos Voice Control:
- Hey Sonos, group the living room and dining room
- Hey Sonos, play here instead
- Hey Sonos, what’s my battery level
- Hey Sonos, turn the TV on
- Hey Sonos, play Rammstein very quietly
- Hey Sonos, volume up in the bedroom only
- Hey Sonos, play something I like
What services does Sonos Voice Control work with?
Sonos Voice Control works with Sonos Radio, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Pandora. More services will follow.
Who owns the voice of Sonos Voice Control?
Giancarlo Esposito! You probably know this actor from his roles in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian.
Availability in Dutch
Sonos Voice Control will be available June 1 in the United States and later this year in France. Additional markets will follow, but which ones and when, the manufacturer does not announce.
A big disadvantage for Dutch and Belgian users. The system only works in English and nothing is known about support for Dutch yet. And that functionality is not expected to be available until tomorrow either. It is quite a job to optimize speech services for new languages and for companies Dutch is not at the top of the checklist either. Services such as Alexa, Bixby and Spotify’s assistant do not yet work in our language.
Sonos also recently launched the new Ray, a compact soundbar that does not support smart assistants. What do you think of Sonos Voice Control? Would you like to exchange the Assistant, or do you find it easier to use the well-known speech assistants or to talk to your speaker in Dutch? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.
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