Get ready to fire up your Sonos speakers, because the company behind them has just announced a new partnership that adds yet another way for you to stream tunes, custom radio stations, and playlists.
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced the Xbox Music brand was no more. But the service is still alive and well. The company simply rebranded the service to Groove, because "Groove" seemed to describe what people "feel and do with music". Apart from the name change, not much else is different.
Groove officially launched alongside Windows 10 today, and Microsoft said it plans to update the service regularly going foward. The Groove app is available in both the light and dark themes, and you'll be able to access it across your devices due to OneDrive integration. Also, starting today, you'll be able to use it woth Sonos speakers.
Sonos never supported Xbox Music, but it has decided to officially support Microsoft Groove. It's available in beta from the Sonos controller, and with this new functionality, you'll be able to stream music from the streaming service to compatible speakers from Sonos. Support for Sonos is rolling out in beta in the following countries:
- Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and the US
Keep in mind there is no free version of Groove. It costs $9.99 a month or $99 a year. If you already have an Xbox Music Pass, it'll still work. It'll just become Groove Music Pass and doesn't require you to do anything. Simples.