Connecting your Sonos Roam to Bluetooth is a great way to play audio from your Bluetooth-enabled device. Whether you want to listen to music from your phone, tablet, or laptop, pairing your Sonos Roam with Bluetooth is usually pretty easy, although some users struggle with the Roam's tendency to prefer recent WiFi connections over recent BlueTooth connections, leading to frustration.
The Sonos Roam connects to WiFi by default, so, when you power it up you then have to push it into Bluetooth mode to connect. To connect your Sonos Roam to Bluetooth, turn it on and then hold the power button for 2 seconds. Watch for the white LED light to turn blue.
If you're not sure how to pair your Sonos Roam with Bluetooth, don't worry. We'll walk you through the process step by step, so you can start enjoying your audio on your Sonos Roam. Whether you're new to Sonos or a seasoned user, connecting your Sonos Roam to Bluetooth is a great way to get the most out of your speaker. So let's get started and connect your Sonos Roam to Bluetooth today!
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How the Sonos Roam Handles Bluetooth & Wi-Fi
The Sonos Roam (on Amazon) is a portable speaker that offers both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity…and therein lies the problem. Unlike its predecessor, the Sonos Move, the Roam does not have a physical Wi-Fi to Bluetooth toggle switch. Instead, there is one button next to the USB Type-C power port that controls both the power to the speaker and pairing. This means it's not as simple to get the Sonos Roam into Bluetooth discovery mode and pair your phone as it is with the Move.
The speaker automatically transfers between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as you move in and out of your home. However, this can complicate things if you just want to use a Bluetooth device in your home, right now, but can't figure out why the device isn't pairing or showing up as a pairing option in your Bluetooth device's connection menu.
This is a great point to bring your attention to some related articles you may want to skim, on which Sonos speakers require WiFi and why, and if your Sonos speakers will work when the WiFi is down.
First: How To Put the Sonos Roam in Bluetooth Pairing Mode
So, how do you force the Roam into Bluetooth pairing mode, and how can you tell if it's working? Here are the steps:
- Press the power button on the Sonos Roam
- A white LED light will start to flash above the Sonos logo on the Roam
- When you have a solid white light, press and hold the power button again
- Listen for the chime and release the power button
- The LED light will flash blue, indicating it is in Bluetooth pairing mode
At this point, you can pair with external devices normally, and we'll briefly review how to do that in the next section. Just remember: if your Roam won't pair, that solid white light means it's connected to WiFi right now, and it's going to stay that way until you do something!
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Next: Pairing Your Bluetooth Device
To pair your Bluetooth device with your Sonos Roam, follow these simple steps:
- Press and hold the power button on the back of the Roam for two seconds, then release. You will hear the pairing tone and the status LED on the front will start flashing blue. If your LED is already flashing blue from the last section, congratulations: you're already done with this step!
- Go to your device’s Bluetooth settings and select the Sonos Roam from the device list.
- When successfully paired, you’ll hear another tone and the status LED will change to solid blue. Next, play some music to make sure everything's working as expected.
It's important to note that Roam needs to be set up with the Sonos app on Wi-Fi before it can connect to your device via Bluetooth. Make sure Roam is powered on and awake before following the steps above. Also, keep in mind that two Roams in a stereo pair can play Bluetooth audio when they’re connected to Wi-Fi. When away from a Wi-Fi network, stereo pairing is unavailable.
Troubleshooting Your Sonos Roam Bluetooth Connection
If you're having trouble connecting your Sonos Roam to your device via Bluetooth, there are a few things you can try to troubleshoot the issue. Here are some steps you can take:
- Forget the Roam speaker on your device and re-pair it from scratch. This can help reset the connection and resolve any issues that may be preventing the devices from connecting properly.
- Make sure the Roam is in Bluetooth pairing mode. Sometimes the Roam may default to a local Wi-Fi connection, so it's important to double-check that it's in the correct mode for Bluetooth pairing–just check out the first section in this article for a quick review.
- Check that the Roam is within range of your device. Bluetooth connections have a limited range, so if the Roam is too far away from your device, it may not be able to connect. If you have both devices right in front of you, obviously you can skip this check!
- Turn off any other devices that may be interfering with the Bluetooth connection. Other devices that use Bluetooth, such as headphones or other speakers, can sometimes interfere with the connection and prevent the Roam from connecting properly.
- Sometimes simply restarting the devices can help resolve any issues that may be preventing the connection from working.
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Below, we'll talk about one more setting you should be aware of during troubleshooting – skim down to the section about auto-Bluetooth connections, which can behave in a way that makes you think the Bluetooth is just not functional if things line up just right.
Pro Tips For Managing Your Sonos Roam
What a neat device. But only one button! How are you meant to know how to do things with it and how to use it–with the Sonos app of course. Download it for iOS and/or Android if you don't already have it, and then skim through these other expert tips we have on managing your device.
Changing the Bluetooth Idle Settings
When using the Sonos Roam with Bluetooth, the device will automatically disconnect from Bluetooth connections after 30 minutes of inactivity. This may be a helpful feature in conserving battery life, but it can also be frustrating if you're actively using the device and it suddenly disconnects.
Luckily, you can adjust the Bluetooth Idle Auto-Disconnect setting in the Roam's settings to better suit your needs. To access this setting, go to the Settings tab, then select System > Roam > Bluetooth > Idle Auto-Disconnect. From there, you can toggle the setting on or off, or adjust the time interval before the Roam disconnects.
And remember: we're talking about the speaker settings in the Sonos app!
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Changing the Bluetooth Auto-Connection Rules
By default, Roam will automatically connect to the last Bluetooth device it was paired with. However, you can change this default behavior by adjusting the Auto-Connection settings in the Sonos app.
To change the Bluetooth Auto-Connection settings, follow these steps:
- Open the Sonos app on your mobile device.
- Tap the Settings tab.
- Tap System.
- Tap Roam.
- Tap Bluetooth.
- Tap Auto-Connection.
- Toggle the switch to turn on or off Always Auto-Connect.
When Always Auto-Connect is turned on, Roam will automatically connect to its most recent Bluetooth device as soon as it is powered on. When Always Auto-Connect is turned off, Roam will not automatically connect to any Bluetooth device until you manually connect it through your device's Bluetooth settings. If this is off, this may be why you're having trouble connecting at all.
Roaming The Night Away
So, as you can see, connecting your Sonos Roam to Bluetooth is a great way to enjoy audio from your Bluetooth-enabled device. However, due to the Roam's tendency to prefer recent WiFi connections over recent Bluetooth connections, some users may experience difficulties in pairing their device.
But by simply forcing the device into Bluetooth mode, you can make sure you always have the control you need over your Sonos Roam, no matter where you take it!
