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Gadgets

Sonos Finally Brings Live Activities to iPhone Lockscreens

A long-requested update lets Sonos users control playback without unlocking their phone.

Sonos has updated its iOS app to support Live Activities, Apple's framework for showing real-time info directly on the iPhone lockscreen. Users can now see basic playback details and access controls for music or podcasts playing through their Sonos system without fully unlocking the device or opening the app.

The feature isn't complete yet — album art isn't currently supported, a notable omission given how central visuals are to most other lockscreen media widgets. Still, Sonos called it one of the most requested features from its community, announcing the rollout in a Reddit post first spotted by 9to5Mac.

Sonos has faced ongoing scrutiny over its app quality following a rocky redesign last year, so incremental fixes like this are being watched closely by longtime users judging whether the company has stabilized its software experience.

Why it matters: Live Activities support is table stakes for smart speaker apps in 2024, and Sonos lagging behind competitors here reflects broader software missteps that damaged user trust. Small, polished updates like this matter more than usual for Sonos right now as it tries to rebuild confidence after its app redesign backlash.

Sources: The Verge