Sonos is best known for its home audio speakers. But now the company is doubling down on voice control, according to a new report.
The home audio company is in talks with Roku to allow Sonos device owners to use voice commands to control their Roku set-top boxes and television, CNET is reporting, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of their discussions. If the agreement were made, you could direct voice commands at the Sonos One speaker to access apps and services. The Roku devices would then respond accordingly.
Sonos has been investing heavily in the home audio market for years. But of late, Sonos has also placed additional emphasis on the virtual personal assistant market. The company’s Sonos One, for instance, allows you to access Alexa and control smart home devices. And since it doubles as a speaker, it offers high-quality sound for listening to music and podcasts.
It’s unclear from the report when Sonos or Roku might even ink a deal and how it would be implemented. But it would clearly help both companies as they look to increase their appeal in the increasingly crowded living room dominated by Apple, Google, Amazon, and others.
Neither Sonos nor Roku has publicly commented on a possible partnership and both declined CNET’s request for comment on the matter.