Sonos brings speaker controls to iPhone Lock Screen

Anyone who wants to change the music playing in the last Sonos room on an iPhone now gets a new control panel: Sonos is providing a Live Activity on the iPhone Lock Screen. It shows the most recently used room or group and allows volume control once the Sonos app has been closed.

Live Activities are interactive iOS displays for ongoing events, such as a taxi ride or an order. Sonos is now using this element for its speakers. The feature is being rolled out gradually, but is not enabled automatically: In the Sonos app, it must be set to “always” under “Account” and the settings. iOS may also request permission for more frequent updates.

Access comes with a significant limitation. Anyone who wants to use the Live Activity for control must first unlock the iPhone using Face ID, Touch ID, or the device PIN. The regular audio playback screen, by contrast, can also be operated on a locked device. The display remains active for at least 15 minutes after the last playback session; it currently cannot display album covers.

So what does that mean in practice? Sonos users can reach the volume controls more quickly without first opening the app. This is especially useful for making quick adjustments during playback. However, anyone who enables Lock Screen controls must accept the need to unlock the device; alternatively, the speakers can be controlled directly via Bluetooth and AirPlay.

The update closes a gap in the iOS app, which had not yet regained all the features of the original version following its controversial redesign in 2024. The Live Activity may appear on Apple Watch and in CarPlay, but Sonos says control is not possible there. The development team is working on additional capabilities for iOS 27, which launches in the fall; exactly what is planned remains unclear.