Sonos: Google Assistant finally arrives on smart speakers after long wait

Company's One and Beam are now the only speakers that include both of the giant virtual assistants

Cutting-edge speaker or piece of furniture?

The Google Assistant has finally come to Sonos smart speakers, a year and a half after it was first announced.

Users can now switch between Amazon Alexa – which has always been part of the Sonos speakers that have microphones – and Google's voice assistant.

It is the first time that a smart speaker has been able to use multiple voice assistants in one system. Sonos said it had been able to do so because of the open approach it has taken – it has not developed its own way of speaking to its speakers, and instead allowed various companies to join its platform.

The Google Assistant is available on the small Sonos One speaker and the Sonos Beam soundbar that sits under the TV. At the moment they are the only products in Sonos's line-up that have the microphones required to allow them to listen to their owner.

But Sonos also said that the speakers will be able to connect up to Google Home products too, so that they can be controlled from afar.

The Google Assistant inside Sonos's speakers will have the same features as are available in Google's own smart speakers. They include the ability to start music, but also to control smart home devices and get information on traffic delays and the calendar.

The feature is now available in the US, and will be rolled out through various app stores now. It can be enabled using the Sonos app, where it should show up as a voice assistant in the settings, alongside Alexa.

It will arrive in the UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, France, and The Netherlands in July. Further countries will follow, Sonos said.

The Google Assistant appears to have had a difficult time making it onto the Sonos speakers. It had initially said it would be available in 2018 – but announced towards the end of that year that it was running out of time, and that it would take an extra year to ensure it worked as expected.

Sonos' announcement came as it revealed its Brilliant Sound Survey, which looked at the ways that listening to music can improve people's lives in a variety of different ways.