Known limitations with separate S1 and S2 Sonos systems
Some older Sonos products are only compatible with the S1 Controller app. It’s possible to use these products alongside your other Sonos products in a split system, where some products are running the older S1 version of Sonos OS and some products are running S2. This article covers some known limitations to consider when using split Sonos S1 and S2 systems.
System control
To use split S1 and S2 systems, you’ll need both Sonos apps installed. The two apps don’t need to be installed on the same device, but they can be. To learn more about the differences between the two apps, visit our Sonos app overview page.
Grouping rooms
Because the two systems are separate, the Sonos products that appear in the Sonos app can’t be grouped together with Sonos products that appear in the S1 Controller app.
Music services
Stream limitations
For music services with single stream limitations, like Spotify, playback can only be initiated on one system at a time using the same music service. For example, if you begin playing Spotify on your S2 system, playing from the same Spotify account on your S1 system will stop playback on your S2 system.
Music from the same service can be played to both Sonos systems if you add separate accounts to each one. For some services, this includes different users under one account, like a family plan.
Direct control
Services that support direct control will show all S1 and S2 system rooms in their respective apps. For services with single stream limitations, playback can only be initiated to one system or room at a time.
Voice services
Using the same voice service on both an S1 system and an S2 system requires two separate voice service accounts, one for the S1 system and another for the S2 system. However, this is not recommended as you will experience issues with both systems responding to commands simultaneously.
It is possible to use a different voice assistant on each system. For example, you can use Google Assistant on one system, and Amazon Alexa on another without the need for additional voice service accounts.