Harmony experience with Sonos

It's compatible with all Harmony products*
* IR remotes are only able to control Sonos ARC, Beam, PLAYBAR, and PLAYBASE

Setup

Add Sonos to your Harmony setup

  1. Launch the Harmony app and connect to your Harmony Hub.
  2. Select MENU, then Harmony Setup > Add/Edit Devices & Activities > Devices.


  3. Harmony app

  4. Select SCAN FOR WI‑FI DEVICES and Harmony will search for any connected Sonos devices on your home Wi‑Fi network.

    Harmony app

    • Harmony will automatically add all Sonos speakers that are on your Wi-Fi network.
    • You may add as many speakers as you like. It will only count as one device against your device limit.
  5. Once added, Harmony will prompt you to create an Activity. Select Yes and follow the prompts.
    • Harmony will automatically group your speakers when the Activity starts.
Notice

Harmony IR remotes are only able to control Sonos Beam, PLAYBAR, and PLAYBASE.

  1. Launch the MyHarmony desktop software and sign into your account.
  2. Select your Harmony product from the Remote Gallery screen.
  3. Select the Devices tab on the left side of the screen, then the Scan for devices button near the center of the page.
Harmony Desktop Software - Auto Scan Sonos
  1. You will be prompted to connect your Harmony to your computer with the provided USB cable.
  2. Harmony will scan your home Wi‑Fi network for Sonos speakers.
    • Harmony will automatically add all Sonos speakers that are on your Wi-Fi network.
    • Add as many speakers as you like, it will only count as one device against your device limit.

Creating a Listen to Sonos Activity:

  1. Select the Activities tab on the left side of the screen.
  2. Select the Add Activity button.
  3. Select the Listen to Sonos Activity type and select Next and follow the prompts.
    • Harmony will automatically group your speakers when the Activity starts.
  4. Once done, remember to sync your remote after making any changes.
  1. Launch the Harmony app and sign into your account.
  2. Select your Harmony remote, followed by DEVICES > ADD DEVICE.
  3. Enter manufacturer Sonos and model number for the device you're adding.
  4. Finally, select the sync icon in the upper right corner of the settings menu, followed by SYNC NOW.

Control

Launch your Listen to Sonos Activity and select the Favorites icon to view all your saved Sonos stations. It's that simple.

Grouping and ungrouping Sonos speakers

Group or Ungroup Sonos products easily. Start any Listen to Sonos type activity, while in the Activity, swipe left until you land on the SPEAKERS page and tap the rooms you want to add or remove from the group.




Customize


Adjust the physical buttons on your remote

Harmony has already optimized the buttons on your remote; however you can further customize these buttons depending on your preference.

Add, remove or rename commands on your remotes screen

Harmony automatically imports your Sonos favorites and displays them under the favorites section on your Harmony remote. Commands specific to your Listen to Sonos Activity are also displayed for which you can add, remove or rename them.

Customize Harmony app buttons

You can view common Sonos commands on the Harmony app screen. You can add, remove or rearrange these commands.

Set your own swipe gestures

By default, swiping up or down on the gestures screen will change volume. There are 22 gestures in total, view and customize them from the app.

Create unique Sonos Activities

Harmony allows you to import your Sonos favorite stations and start playing them automatically when you start your Listen to Sonos music Activity. You can create unique Activities such as a "Good Morning" that turns on your lights, opens your blinds, starts the coffee maker and begins playing a specific Sonos station such as the news channel. You can also create a more generic Listen to Sonos Activity that simply lists your favorite stations allowing you to pick one based on your mood.

Show me
  1. Select MENU, then Harmony Setup > Add/Edit Devices & Activities > ACTIVITIES.
  2. A list of your current Activities will be listed, select ADD ACTIVITY.
  3. Select the Listen to Music Activity type and select Next.
    • To create a new Sonos Activity, select ADD ACTIVITY. You may have multiple Activities that launch different stations.
    • To edit the starting station for an existing Sonos Activity, first select that Activity, then click STARTING CHANNEL.
  4. Harmony will ask you if you'd like to select a Sonos station to play when this Activity first launches.
    • Skipping this step will begin playing the last radio station, just as the Sonos app does.
    • Selection a specific station will always start that playlist. You can choose a news stream for a Good Morning Activity, or a dance mix for your TGIF Activity. Create as many as you'd like.
  5. Once done, remember to sync your remote after making any changes.

Setup

Adding Sonos to your Harmony setup

  1. Launch the Harmony Express app and tap Edit Setup.
  2. Next, tap + to perform a Wi‑Fi scan, and select your device.
    • If your device isn't found, ensure it's on the same Wi-Fi network as Harmony Express.
    • If you still have issues, reboot your device and router then try again.
  3. Tap Continue and follow the on-screen prompts.
Add Device to Harmony Express

Control

Voice

You can use your voice to send commands such as turn on, turn off, and more. Tap What to say in the Harmony Express app to see sample commands for your device. Launching apps using your voice is not supported for this device.

For more information on how to use your voice with Harmony Express, see: Voice commands on Harmony Express

Remote

Although Harmony has already mapped default commands to your remote buttons, you have the ability to assign custom commands to them. For more information, see: Customizing physical buttons on your remote

Supported apps

Amazon

Direction Pad Navigation will navigate the Amazon app.

Media Keys such as Play, Pause, Stop, FastForward and Rewind commands work.

Netflix

Direction Pad Navigation will navigate the Netflix app.

Media Keys such as Play, Pause, Stop, FastForward and Rewind commands work. Netflix allows you to move a frame forward or backward using the direction left and right arrows.

Hulu

Direction Pad Navigation will navigate the Hulu app.

Media Keys such as Play, Pause, Stop, FastForward and Rewind commands work. Hulu allows you to skip 10 seconds forward or back using the direction left and right arrows.

YouTube

Direction Pad Navigation will navigate the YouTube app.

Media Keys such as Play, Pause, Stop, FastForward and Rewind commands work. YouTube allows you to navigate between videos using the Direction Right and Left commands.

Browser

Direction Pad Navigation will navigate the Browser app.

Media Keys are not used within the Browser app.

Other apps

The behavior of other apps may vary depending on the app's design.

Supported model numbers

The Harmony Team has validated this experience on the following Sonos players:

  • Sonos Amp
  • Sonos ARC
  • Sonos Beam
  • Sonos CONNECT
  • Sonos CONNECT:AMP
  • Sonos MOVE
  • Sonos PLAY:1
  • Sonos PLAY:3
  • Sonos PLAY:5
  • Sonos PLAYBAR
  • Sonos PLAYBASE
  • Sonos Port
  • Sonos ZP90
  • Sonos ZP120
  • Sonos SUB may be included as part of a system and will work with the speaker it has been joined with; however Harmony cannot control it directly.
  • Sonos BOOST or BRIDGE (BR100) may be used to connect your wireless speaker system; however there are no functions for Harmony to control.

  • *If you own any of the below models and want to control your Sonos system with your Harmony remote you will need to run all the speakers on the Sonos S1 system.

    • Zone Players
    • CR200
    • Connect (Gen 1)
    • Connect:Amp (Gen 1)
    • Play:5 (Gen 1)




Limitations with separate S1 and S2 Sonos systems
  • Harmony is compatible with SONOS running the S2 system, Sonos systems that remain on the S1 software will continue to work with Harmony Remotes.
  • Harmony is not compatible with SONOS configurations that operate on both the S1 and S2 systems.

FAQs

How do I add new Sonos speakers to my Harmony remote

  1. Select MENU, then Harmony Setup > Add/Edit Devices & Activities > Devices > Sonos.
  2. On the SPEAKERS list page tap the refresh button.
  3. Harmony will perform a scan on your network and remove any Sonos Speakers that have been removed from the Sonos app.

How do I remove Sonos speakers to my Harmony remote

  1. Select MENU, then Harmony Setup > Add/Edit Devices & Activities > Devices > Sonos.
  2. On the SPEAKERS list page tap the refresh button.
  3. Harmony will perform a scan on your network and remove any Sonos Speakers that have been removed from the Sonos app.

How do I update Sonos speakers that have been paired or unpaired

  1. Select MENU, then Harmony Setup > Add/Edit Devices & Activities > Devices > Sonos.
  2. On the SPEAKERS list page tap the refresh button.
  3. Harmony will perform a scan on your network and remove any Sonos Speakers that have paired or unpaired from the Sonos app.

What if I have more than one Sonos player?

Harmony will scan your home network and allow you to add all of your Sonos players or PLAYBARs. Sonos supports up to 32 components. You may create different Activities to control each one individually, or group them from the Sonos app and control them together using Harmony.

How do I sync my Sonos favorites with Harmony?

Harmony will automatically sync your Sonos favorites the first time the Favorites screen is viewed from within the Harmony app or Harmony Ultimate remote. If changes are made within the Sonos app, select the "Refresh Favorites" button in Harmony App to sync those changes. If using the Harmony Ultimate remote, select Menu from within the Favorites screen, select Edit, press the (+) symbol, select Rescan and then Cancel to exit out of the menu. It is not possible to create or edit Sonos favorites from within Harmony.

I can't control Sonos Beam with Harmony

Sonos Beam connects to your TV’s HDMI-ARC port. Most TVs have two to four HDMI ports, one of which is labelled ARC, which stands for Audio Return Channel. The HDMI-ARC port syncs audio and picture. If you’re unsure if your TV has an HDMI-ARC port, consult your TV specs with the manufacturer. If your TV is older than 5 years, or otherwise doesn't have an HDMI ARC port, you can use the included optical audio adapter to connect Sonos Beam to the optical port on your TV.

Please note that Amazon Alexa TV voice commands will not work when connected via optical adapter.

I'm having trouble using Sonos Beam with Alexa and Harmony

For compatible TVs, Sonos Beam introduces commands such as “Turn on the TV” and “Turn off the TV”. When Sonos Beam is connected to your TV’s HDMI-ARC input and your TV's CEC features are turned on, Alexa may prioritize Sonos voice commands over Harmony, which will prevent your Activities from launching.

To resolve this, you may edit the device name of your TV within the Alexa app to anything but TV or its current default name. To do so, launch the Alexa app and navigate to Menu > Smart Home > Devices, from there you will be able to edit your TV's name.

Harmony is unable to find my Sonos players

  • Ensure your Sonos are powered on and connected to your home network.
  • Harmony Hub must be connected to the same Wi‑Fi network as your Sonos players.
  • From Harmony setup, add a player such as manufacturer: Sonos and model number: PLAY:1 to begin discovery of your connected devices.

Integration details

Harmony Express remotes Hub‑based remotes

Harmony Infrared remotes

All commands, including play, pause and interacting with Sonos favorites are controlled using a network connection from the Harmony Hub to Sonos. Please ensure Sonos is connected to the same home network as your Harmony hub.

With the exception of Sonos Beam, PLAYBAR, and PLAYBASE, Sonos devices do not accept infrared (IR) commands, and only Harmony hub‑based products are able to control them.

With the exception of Sonos Beam, PLAYBAR, and PLAYBASE, Sonos devices do not accept infrared (IR) commands, and only Harmony hub‑based products are able to control them.

Select your remote

We need to know which type of remote you have in order to provide you the correct instructions. Please select from one of the options below in order to get started.


 
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Harmony IR Remote  (no hub) My remote doesn't use a hub

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