Sonos Speaker Not Showing in AirPlay or Unable to Connect

Easy 10-20 minutes

If your Sonos speaker won't connect via AirPlay, keeps dropping from the AirPlay list, or shows "Unable to connect," this guide covers the most common causes and fixes from the community.

This Is a Known Issue

AirPlay connectivity problems with Sonos are widely reported in the community:

  • "Sonos speakers constantly drop off AirPlay lists but stay connected to the Sonos app."
  • "When unplugged and turned back on, they reconnect to AirPlay for a couple of hours, then drop off again."
  • "There's no reason the Sonos should stop responding to mDNS Bonjour multicast after operating normally."

Quick Fixes to Try First

  1. Power cycle the speaker – Unplug for 30 seconds, plug back in
  2. Restart your router – Many AirPlay issues are network-related
  3. Restart your iPhone/iPad/Mac – Refresh the AirPlay discovery
  4. Check the Sonos app first – If the speaker works in the Sonos app, the speaker itself is fine

Force mDNS Announce (Technical Fix)

AirPlay uses mDNS (Bonjour) to discover devices. Sometimes Sonos stops broadcasting its presence.

To force an mDNS announcement:

  1. Find your speaker's IP address in the Sonos app (Settings → System → About My System)
  2. In a web browser, go to: http://[speaker-ip]:1400/tools.htm
  3. Click the "mDNS Announce" button
  4. The speaker should immediately appear in your AirPlay list

This is a temporary fix—if the problem recurs, there's likely an underlying network issue.

Toggle WiFi on the Speaker

Sonos support has suggested toggling the WiFi setting can clear whatever condition prevents AirPlay from working.

  1. In the Sonos app, go to Settings → System → [Speaker Name] → Wireless Setup
  2. If on WiFi, switch to wired (or vice versa)
  3. Wait for the speaker to reconnect
  4. Switch back if needed

One user reported: "Sonos support suggested enabling WiFi on the problematic speaker, which solved the problem. After disabling WiFi again to continue using Ethernet, AirPlay continued working."

Network and Router Issues

mDNS/Bonjour must be enabled:

  • AirPlay requires mDNS to discover devices
  • Some routers block or filter mDNS traffic
  • Check router settings for "Bonjour" or "mDNS" options
  • Disable "AP isolation" or "Client isolation" if enabled

If devices are on different subnets/VLANs:

  • AirPlay won't work across subnets without an mDNS repeater
  • Keep your iPhone/iPad and Sonos on the same network
  • Avoid separating IoT devices onto a different VLAN unless you configure mDNS bridging

Router firmware updates:

Some users report AirPlay issues started after router firmware updates. Check for newer router firmware that might fix the issue.

WiFi 6 Router Compatibility

Some community members suspect compatibility issues between AirPlay 2 and newer WiFi 6 routers.

  • Try disabling WiFi 6 (802.11ax) features temporarily
  • Check for router firmware updates
  • Consider if problems started after getting a new router

Assign Static IP Addresses

IP address changes can cause AirPlay to lose track of devices.

  1. Find your Sonos speaker's MAC address (Sonos app → Settings → System → About My System)
  2. In your router settings, create a DHCP reservation for each speaker
  3. Assign a static IP that won't change
  4. Restart the speaker to apply

Reset Network Settings on iOS

If AirPlay works from some devices but not your iPhone/iPad:

  1. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone
  2. Tap "Reset" → "Reset Network Settings"
  3. You'll need to reconnect to WiFi networks and re-pair Bluetooth devices
  4. Try AirPlay again after reconnecting to WiFi

Factory Reset the Speaker

If problems persist with a specific speaker:

Sonos One, Five, Era 100/300:

  1. Unplug the speaker
  2. Press and hold the Connect button (or Play/Pause on some models)
  3. While holding, plug the speaker back in
  4. Continue holding until the light flashes orange and white
  5. Set up the speaker again in the Sonos app

One user reported: "Doing a factory reset on a One SL got it working like a charm with AirPlay."

Wired vs Wireless Connection

If you have the option, try connecting your Sonos speaker via Ethernet:

  • Wired connections are more stable than WiFi
  • If one speaker is wired, others can connect to it wirelessly (SonosNet)
  • This creates a dedicated Sonos network, reducing interference issues

Software Version Bugs

Some AirPlay issues appear or disappear with Sonos software updates.

  • Check for Sonos app and speaker updates
  • Check Sonos community forums to see if others report issues with the current version
  • Unfortunately, you can't easily roll back Sonos firmware

Community members believe: "It's a buggy Bonjour mDNS software issue on the Sonos that's the problem."

Submit Diagnostics to Sonos

If you contact Sonos support, they can analyze diagnostics from your system:

  1. When the problem is occurring, open the Sonos app
  2. Go to Settings → System → Support → Submit Diagnostic
  3. Note the confirmation number
  4. Contact Sonos support within 10 minutes and provide the number

Community Discussions