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Sonos plans to add Apple Music in December, proceed with multiroom domination

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Sonos is delivering on its promise to support Apple Music before the end of the year. The multiroom audio pioneer announced today that Apple Music will be available in public beta on Sonos speakers beginning December 15. The official launch will come in early 2016.

The multiroom wireless speaker system has grown to be a favorite of music listeners, thanks to its simplicity and ability to play from a wide variety of sources, including stored music from smartphones and  computers, as well as a variety of streaming services like Spotify, Google Play Music, Jay-Z’s hi-fi streaming service Tidal, and more.

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Until now, however — much to the dismay of many Sonos owners — the company’s speakers have not been compatible with Apple Music, which launched in June. Along with announcing the beta, Sonos is inviting users to sign up to participate. In doing so, they’ll be able to provide feedback as Apple Music on Sonos is fine tuned.

“The introduction of Apple Music marks an inflection point for streaming and its mass adoption,” said Sonos co-founder and CEO John MacFarlane in a press release. “Now that we have access to virtually all the music on Earth, how music lovers listen to it is even more important.”

The collaboration is set to allow Apple Music features to be controlled via the Sonos app on various devices, including iOS and Android devices, as well as Macs and PCs. Music will be able to be played through Sonos’ smart speakers with up to six family accounts.

The news is welcome to Sonos and Apple Music lovers, who have been clamoring for such a development since before the streaming service even launched.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
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