Google Assistant finally controls Sonos speakers

It took well over a year, but Sonos is finally ready to offer native voice control on its speakers beyond Alexa. Sonos is rolling out a promised software update that enables Google Assistant control, whether it's directly through supporting speakers (like the One or Beam) or through connected Google Home devices. Notably, this makes Sonos the first company to offer a choice of voice assistants on a single speaker -- you can choose whichever AI helper makes sense to play songs or check the weather. This also lets you use different assistants in different rooms, even if you're controlling the same task.

Americans will be the first to get support, while listeners in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK should receive support in July. More countries will follow, Sonos said. Whenever it shows up in your part of the world, it's a big deal if you find Sonos' sound appealing but don't want to be picky about your choice of smart home ecosystem. You'll also like this if you're a YouTube Music or Google Play Music fan -- you can't use Alexa to control Google's services, so this makes Sonos an option if you subscribe and insist on hands-free playback.