Lewis CaliburnSonos has begun rolling out Sonos 27, the next generation of its audio operating system. The update gives listeners AI control through outside assistants and agents, portable speakers that automatically become home theatre surrounds and a more intuitive app. It also introduces headphone linking, an Early Access feature that lets headphones connect directly into the Sonos system for the first time, starting with Sonos Ace Ultra.
“Most of the tech industry ships new capability by shipping new hardware, but we built Sonos differently,” says Tom Conrad, CEO of Sonos. “Our system grows more capable and smarter over time, so whichever Sonos product you already have at home can do more today than it did last year. That’s exactly what’s rolling out with Sonos 27.”
Sonos is expanding its open platform to give listeners the choice to control their system with whichever AI they already use. Available starting today in Early Access, Sonos 27mcp lets users connect Sonos to any outside AI, including ChatGPT and Claude. Users can also adjust music while using their platforms instead of interrupting it. Sonos 27mcp is built on the Model Context Protocol, the open standard for connecting AI to outside applications – hosted at mcp.ws.sonos.com/mcp.
“We’re excited to see Sonos join the MCP ecosystem and build an integration for Claude,” adds Den Delimarsky, Lead Maintainer of MCP and Member of Technical Staff at Anthropic. “This integration will enable Sonos customers to do more with their devices directly from Claude, such as controlling sound without breaking their flow.”
Coming later this autumn, Sonos 27voice is the system’s new AI-powered assistant, made to understand music, mood and control. Built and fine-tuned in-house, Sonos 27voice is said to be trained for the way people actually ask for music. Sonos says users can “talk to it like a friend who knows what song you mean, even when you can’t remember the title or artist”. Users can also use it to curate a morning routine, dinner party, or winding down before bed by describing the mood they want.
Sonos also previewed where its open platform goes next in 2027 with Sonos Custom Agents, which will let people create their own agents through the system, each with its own model, persona and voice.
“We don’t believe one assistant should own the home. One assistant can’t be great at everything,” says Nick Millington, Chief Innovation Officer. “Sonos 27voice is great at music and control and our open platform lets you bring in whatever’s great at the rest.”
Sonos 27 brings two new features to Sonos Fabric, the existing system intelligence that lets Sonos products sense and adapt to each other.
Portable surrounds mean a user’s Move 2s or Sonos Plays never have to choose between being a back garden speaker or part of a home theatre. Sonos Positioning Technology lets them sense their distance from each other and a nearby soundbar using brief high-frequency audio signals, then switch roles automatically. Set two of the same portable speakers near a compatible soundbar (Arc Ultra, Arc, Beam Ultra, or Beam Gen 2) and they’ll do the rest.
Headphone linking connects a Sonos Ace Ultra directly into a Sonos system, so users don’t need to keep your phone nearby to listen. Headphone linking runs on Sonos Headphone Engine 2, the platform built into Sonos Ace Ultra with redesigned WiFi antennas and secure credential storage, letting the headphones move through the home instead of relying solely on Bluetooth.
Sonos 27app brings a new way of navigating, organised into Home, System and Search across the bottom, with native swipe gestures and the ability to pin favourite rooms to the top.
iPhone owners can already control playback from the lock screen and Dynamic Island, with today’s update adding Siri and Shortcuts support, as well as a refreshed iPad layout. Sonos 27app also debuts a new virtual volume knob, which lets users twist two fingers on the screen to adjust volume like turning a dial. Presets, which let users save a set of speakers, content, and volume and return to it with one tap, arrives later this autumn alongside new system health views.
Sonos 27 is available today as a free software update to all Sonos S2 products, though feature availability varies by product.
The update includes new Sonos 27app navigation and portable surrounds, both available today, along with Sonos 27mcp in Early Access.
Headphone linking arrives alongside Sonos Ace Ultra on September 29 as an Early Access feature, Sonos 27voice arrives as an Early Access feature later this autumn, and Sonos Custom Agents is targeted for 2027.
Sonos also recently announced two flagship products, Sonos Beam Ultra and Sonos Ace Ultra, available now for pre-order at sonos.com and select retail partners, with general availability starting September 29, 2026.
