Sonos Introduces Live Activities Controls for iPhone Lock Screen

Sonos has rolled out an update for its mobile app that brings support for iOS’ Live Activities, allowing iPhone users to access playback controls directly from their lock screen. This feature has been highly requested and is seen as a significant enhancement, as noted in a recent post from Sonos on Reddit.

While the update doesn’t include features like album art display, the Sonos Live Activity offers essential details and controls for music or podcast playback through a Sonos system without needing to unlock your iPhone or open the app fully.

The company’s CEO, Tom Conrad, hinted at this functionality during a Bloomberg interview last February, mentioning that it would mirror the lock screen controls already available in the Android version of the Sonos app. Following some criticism of a major app update in 2024, Live Activities are turned off by default but can be activated in both the Sonos app preferences and the iOS settings.

Once enabled, the Live Activity will show up after you start playback and then close the app, displaying the name of the group or room where audio is playing and the title of the content. If playback stops, the Live Activity will automatically vanish from your lock screen after 15 minutes.

The update also includes support for Apple Watch and CarPlay, but while the Live Activity can be viewed on these devices, playback controls are not yet functional there. It remains unclear if or when those controls will be added, but Sonos has indicated that its team is actively working on improving this new feature, and they are looking into alternative methods to enhance the lock screen experience, particularly regarding album art.