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Sonos restores iPhone lock screen speaker controls via Live Activities
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Sonos released an app update that reintroduces iPhone lock screen speaker controls using Apple's Live Activities system, restoring a capability that existed from 2016 until its removal in 2023.
For developers building media apps on iOS, this is a working reference implementation of Apple's Live Activities API for audio playback control. The documented limitations, no album art, unlock-required controls, and view-only on CarPlay and Apple Watch, define the current practical boundaries of that approach for audio apps.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
Volume adjustment and song switching on the lock screen require Face ID or passcode unlock first.
The Live Activity dismisses from the lock screen 15 minutes after playback stops and cannot display album art.
CarPlay and Apple Watch show what is playing but do not support controls in this release.
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