Decipher the Lights on a Sonos Speaker

What Do the Lights on a Sonos Speaker Mean?

Understanding the lights on your Sonos speaker can help diagnose issues and understand its status. Here’s what the different lights mean:

1. Solid White Light:
   • The speaker is powered on and functioning normally.
2. Flashing White Light:
   • The speaker is booting up or restarting.
3. Solid Green Light:
   • The speaker is muted. Press the volume button to unmute.
4. Flashing Green Light:
   • The speaker is ready to be set up. Open the Sonos app to complete the setup process.
5. Solid Orange Light:
   • The speaker is experiencing a fault condition, such as overheating. Move the speaker to a cooler area and ensure it has proper ventilation.
6. Flashing Orange Light:
   • The speaker failed to set up correctly. Restart the setup process in the Sonos app.
7. Solid Red Light:
   • There is a network error. Check your internet connection and ensure the speaker is connected to the Wi-Fi network.
8. Flashing Red Light:
   • The speaker is experiencing a critical error. Restart the speaker and contact Sonos support if the issue persists.
9. Blue Light:
   • The speaker is in Bluetooth pairing mode. Pair it with your device via Bluetooth.
10. No Light:
    • The speaker is not powered on or is in low power mode. Ensure it is connected to a power source and try turning it on.

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If you are still having trouble, refer to the Step-By-Step Guide below, or Contact Support.Com for Personalized Assistance.

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

All Sonos speakers and soundbars have a little LED light on the top of them to show you what's going on with your system. Matching the colors and flashing of your LED light to what they mean, will tell you if there is anything wrong with your speaker.

For example, if the speaker is on and functioning it will simply glow white.

This guide will help you understand what the different lights of the status indicator on your Sonos speaker means, to help you get a better handle on what your speaker is trying to tell you as it's being used. This can help you determine if things are working as intended, or if there is a problem you'll need to remedy to get things working properly again. We'll also show you how to disable the light if you want to.

2. Where is the Status Indicator Light

Each Sonos speaker has an LED, usually on the top. The newer models have an LED that looks more flush with the top while the older models such as the Play:1 look somewhat like a button.

Sonos Play:1

The LED for the Play:1 speaker is on the very top of the speaker between the buttons.

Sonos One

The Sonos One LED is located above the play and pause button.

Sonos Move

The Sonos Move's LED is above the play and pause button as well.

Sonos Play:5

The LED on the Play:5 speaker is on the top above the logo.

Sonos Beam

The Beam's LED is on the top below the microphone indicator.

Sonos Playbar

The Sonos Playbar's LED is on the side along with the controls.

Sonos Playbase

Like the Play:5, the Sonos Playbase's LED is on the top above the logo.

Sonos Sub

The Sonos Subwoofer has a small plug on its side. Above the plug is a small circular light that acts as the LED.

Sonos Port

The Port has its LED on the front and top.

Sonos Amp

The Amp's LED is on the front corner.

Sonos Boost

The Boost has an LED on the front.

3. What the Status Indicator Lights Mean

Each color on the LED represents a different status:

Solid White Light

Sonos is powered up and functioning properly. If a particular speaker is not showing in the Sonos App, try adding it back again.

No Light

Sonos is not powered on or the light has been disabled. Make sure Sonos is plugged in and receiving power. 

Flashing White Light

Sonos is booting up after being plugged into power. 

Solid Green Light

Sonos is muted or at zero volume. Use either the app or the buttons on the speaker to change this.

Flashing Green Light

Sonos is powered up and is ready to be set up, or added to an existing Sonos system.

Solid Orange Light

Sonos is in a warning mode and may be in danger of overheating. Unplug your Sonos device and let it rest, consider moving it elsewhere to avoid overheating.

Flashing Orange Light

Indicates that playback on Sonos has failed. Open the app and check the playback list.

Alternating Orange and White Light

Sonos is experiencing a fault condition. It may be updating or resetting to factory settings. If the lights do not change contact Sonos Customer Support. 

Flashing Red Light

Sonos has been powered up initually but not connected using the Sonos Controller App within the first 30 minutes. Reboot the speaker and try setting up again.

Alternating Green and White Light

Sonos has not yet been registered to your Sonos account.

Alternating Red and White Light

Sonos has failed partitioning during the update process. Restart and try again.

Solid Blue Light

Sonos Move is connected in Bluetooth mode.

4. Disable the Light

If you're listening to your music in the dark or just don't want that bright white LED light glowing at you while you try to sleep you can either put a post it note or a piece of tape on it or you can turn it off using the Sonos Controller App.

1. Open the Sonos Controller app on your mobile device.
   

1. Open the Menu from the top left corner.
   

1. Then go into Settings.
   

1. Tap Room Settings.
   

1. Toggle the White Indicator Setting to off.