Sonos has released a new update for its S2 app, version 15.2, which brings support for Dolby Atmos playback through Apple Music on compatible Sonos devices. The update also introduces improved room grouping functionality and a new WiFi signal strength feature, along with bug fixes and performance enhancements.
The company announced earlier this month it would be supporting spatial audio for Apple Music on March 28.
Dolby Atmos brings a three-dimensional sound experience and is now available through Apple Music. This support allows listeners to enjoy a richer, more immersive audio experience on their Sonos devices that are compatible with spatial audio (Arc, Arc SL, Beam (Gen 2), Era 300).
In addition to Dolby Atmos support, the update includes changes to the room grouping process. Users can now adjust the volume of selected rooms before grouping them together. If a room is muted, it can be easily unmuted by tapping the volume bar. Selected rooms will now group together at the top of the rooms list, making it easier to manage multi-room audio setups.
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As you can see from our screenshot below, the Apple Music section now has a category, ‘Now in Spatial Audio’ once you scroll down a bit. In order to play Dolby Atmos tracks, you need to update your Sonos S2 app, then perform a system update for your Sonos speakers (Sonos S2 app: Settings > System Update).
After you’ve completed the speaker system update through the Sonos S2 app, you’ll see an option for ‘Spatial Music’ for compatible devices such as the excellent Arc soundbar. “Immersive, 3D music when available” reads the description.
Once enabled, when playing tracks that support Dolby Atmos, you’ll see an icon next to the track in the Sonos S2 app, to let you know:
Previously, in order to play Dolby Atmos on a Sonos speaker, an Apple TV was required to access supported content on streaming services such as Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and more.
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Sonos is also rolling out a new WiFi signal strength feature over the coming weeks. When connected to a WiFi network, Sonos products will now display their WiFi signal strength in the Settings tab of the app. Users can also access detailed networking information for a Sonos device connected to their WiFi network.
However, the update comes with a system requirement change for macOS users. The Sonos app for macOS will no longer receive software updates on macOS 10.11, although it can still be used to control commonly-used features.
The Sonos S2 app update is available now, finally bringing spatial audio support for Apple Music on supported devices.
