Sonos Not Playing On All Speakers? (Let’s Fix It Fast)

If Sonos not playing on all speakers, there are a lot of possibilities that may be responsible!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a complete inspection and troubleshooting of your Sonos system, allowing you to identify why one or more speakers are not playing.

So, with that being said, let’s take a quick overview of what we’ll be doing in this guide…

If your Sonos system is not playing on all speakers, the problematic unit could be muted, out of Wi-Fi signal, or there is a bug with the questionable group.

Also, the fault could be coming from the Sonos app or the speaker itself.

Let’s proceed with an in-depth walkthrough of all solutions!

Sonos Not Playing On All Speakers – Here’s How to Fix!

Tip: Follow the steps consecutively!

1. Ungroup and Group Your Speakers

If one or more of your Sonos speakers is not playing sound when grouped, know that this might be a simple bug with the Sonos application.

Hence, one of the quickest and most effective ways to resume the playout of a muted speaker is to remove it from the group and then add it again.

That’s easy, regardless of whether you use the Sonos or Sonos controller app!

1.1 Group/Ungroup via Sonos App:

• Mobile: Select “Grouping” next to the “Now Playing” bar and check/uncheck rooms to remove them from the group.

• Web: Select “Grouping” next to a listed group to check/uncheck rooms from the current group and re-add your speaker.

Important: Don’t forget to save your changes by selecting “Apply” after you remove a speaker and after re-adding it back.

1.2 Group/Ungroup via Sonos S1 Controller App:

• Mobile: Go to the “Rooms” tab, press the “Group” button, and check/uncheck rooms to remove and re-add them.

• PC app: From the “Rooms”, select “Group” and then check or uncheck individual rooms to remove them or add them back.

1.3 Group/Ungroup Using the Touch Controls!

• If you didn’t know you can easily sync speakers to play simultaneously by pressing and holding the Play/Pause button.

First, the speaker you’re holding the button must not be in the group, so to add it effectively, your other Sonos speakers must already be grouped and currently playing.

So, if needed, remove the problematic Sonos speaker from the group through the Sonos app, and then hold the Play/Pause music while the others are playing.

If this didn’t work for you, continue reading…

2. Unmute & Boost Speaker’s Volume

If one Sonos speaker not working, chances are that this unit is muted or the volume is too low.

So, if you haven’t tried already, go into the Sonos app, enter the room where the problematic speaker is located, and verify the volume is at 75%. 

Alternatively, you can increase the volume of your Sonos speaker by using the touch controls on the top of the device.

The volume button’s icon is four dots, hence in a horizontal orientation tap the button on the right multiple times to increase the volume.

Important: Unmute Your Speaker!

If the volume is above 75% and the Sonos app confirms it, you also need to ensure that the unit is not muted.

We’re not speaking of the microphone switch on the back, instead muting a Sonos speaker happens from the Play/Pause button on the device itself or from the Sonos application.

Note: If your speaker is in “Pause” mode, pressing the “Play/Pause” button once will unmute it.

3. Test the Speaker Outside the Group

If you’re still facing issues with one of your Sonos speakers, we would recommend testing if the device can play back music on its own.

To test this, you would need to remove the speaker from the current group and play something through the Sonos app, specifically on this Sonos device.

So, if you cannot get the speaker working, even when not in the group, chances are that there is something wrong with the speaker itself or your Wi-Fi.

Since we cannot identify hardware problems, continue with the next step…

4. Verify the Wi-Fi Signal Reachability

Note: Skip this step if your speaker works when in standalone mode, but not when in a group!

So, if you can’t get your Sonos speaker to work, even when not in a group, chances are that the device has a hard time picking up the Wi-Fi.

This is mainly related to the distance between the Sonos speaker and the Wi-Fi router, so you may want to reconsider the positioning in the setup. 

Thus, to test whether this is the actual case and culprit, you can either relocate the Wi-Fi router or Sonos speaker to shorten the proximity between both devices.

If your Sonos speaker starts working when closer to the router, then the Wi-Fi signal is weak at the previous spot of the unit.

Note: You can optimize the reachability of your Wi-Fi by positioning the router on a higher level!

5. Factory Reset Your Muted Speakers

If one or more of your grouped Sonos speakers is not working, it’s not excluded that the issue is coming due to a software bug.

Such bugs and glitches can originate due to previous Bluetooth pairing or a connection to a wireless device that is still remembered and linked to the speaker.

Hence, factory resetting your Sonos speaker will disconnect the unit from all Bluetooth devices and Wi-Fi allowing you to freshly set it up and add to your group.

Here’s how to factory reset a Sonos speaker in easy steps:

1. First, unplug the power cord of the Sonos speaker.
2. Then hold the Bluetooth button without releasing it.
3. While holding, reconnect the power cord of the unit.
4. Release the button when you see orange and white.

That’s it. Your Sonos speaker is now factory reset, so you can pair it back with the Sonos app, and add it to your group to check whether it’s working.

Tip: We recommend holding the Play/Pause button while the other speakers in the group are playing to manually add it and check if it works.

6. Uninstall and Install the Sonos App

Have you tried reinstalling the Sonos app? Yes, even if it sounds odd, the problem with one or more of your Sonos speakers could be a result of an in-app setting conflict.

Such logic-related problems appear when you’ve incorrectly added the speaker, hence reinstallation should help.

To reinstall the app, open the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS), find the app, and press the “Uninstall” button.

After a few moments, download the app back on your device, sign into your Sonos account and you’re ready to test your speaker.

If it’s not working, we’ve got one last trick in the sleeve!

7. Create a Group With Different Play 1

Well, the first speaker in the Sonos group, typically coordinates and plays audio a bit louder than the other involved Sonos speakers.

Hence, one way to fix the problem would be to re-create the group, by selecting another speaker as primary. 

So, open the Sonos app, go to “Rooms” and tap the “Group” button. Then, one by one remove all the speakers from the group.

When ready, add another speaker as Play 1, and then add the other speakers below it, which can solve in-app software conflicts or other Sonos group issues.

Quick Tip: If needed, erase the entire group and create another by adding the Sonos speakers one by one, by selecting a different primary unit.

Wrapping Up

Hence, when Sonos not playing on all speakers, start by recreating the group, increasing the volume for the problematic speaker, or testing it in standalone mode.

Additionally, you need to optimize the reachability of your Wi-Fi network and reset the speaker.

We hope this guide was helpful, so follow us for more Sonos troubleshooting!