Why Guest Access Matters
For Guests
You want to play your Spotify playlist without asking your host for their Sonos password, downloading another app, or dealing with AirPlay limitations.
For Hosts
You want friends to control music at your party without sharing account credentials, explaining your entire Sonos setup, or worrying they'll accidentally change settings.
The official Sonos app makes both scenarios unnecessarily complicated.
The Problem: Sonos Makes Guest Access Hard
With the official Sonos app, hosts have three bad options:
Option 1: Share Your Sonos Account Credentials
Your guest downloads the Sonos app, you give them your username and password, they log in and see your entire system – every room, every playlist, every setting. They can accidentally reconfigure speakers, mess with other rooms, or change system settings. After they leave, they technically still have access to your account unless you change your password.
Option 2: Use AirPlay 2
Only works if you have AirPlay-compatible Sonos speakers. Guests can only play to one speaker at a time. No grouping. No proper Sonos controls. And it drains their phone battery faster than native control.
Option 3: Set Up a Dedicated Guest Tablet
Buy a cheap tablet, keep it on your network, hand it to guests when they arrive. Now you're managing extra hardware just so friends can play music.
Sonos does have a "Guest Access" setting buried in Privacy & Security settings that allows devices on the same WiFi to control playback without authentication – but most users don't know it exists, and guests still need to download the full Sonos app and figure out your room layout.
👉 You need an app that makes guest access simple for both the guest and the host.
How Lyd Makes This Possible
Lyd's Guest Mode lets you control any Sonos system on the same WiFi network without logging in, sharing credentials, or downloading anything extra.
For Guests
Join the WiFi, open Lyd, toggle Guest Mode, control the Sonos system. No password exchange. No account setup. No confusion.
For Hosts
Tell your guests to open Lyd and enable Guest Mode. That's it. They get full playback control – play, pause, skip, volume, grouping – without accessing your account settings or seeing your credentials.
Guest Mode is temporary. Switch back to your own household and guest access disappears instantly.
Switch to Guest Mode with a single tap – no credentials required, just join the WiFi
Key Features
No Credential Sharing
Guests never see or need your Sonos account information. They're not logging into your account. They're connecting directly to the Sonos speakers on the local network – the same way the official Sonos app's Guest Access works, but simpler.
Full Playback Control
Guest Mode has no cumbersome limitations. Guests can control playback, adjust volume, skip tracks, group and ungroup speakers, browse music, and start playlists – everything except administrative settings like adding new speakers or changing system configuration.
Works on Apple Watch
Guest Mode works on Apple Watch too. Guests can control the Sonos system from their wrist without their iPhone. Perfect for parties when everyone's moving around and phones are in pockets.
One-Tap Switch Back
When you're done being a guest, switch back to your own household with one tap. Guest access is removed instantly. No logging out. No remembering to disconnect. Just toggle back.
Guest Mode gives full Sonos control without accessing the owner's account or settings
Common Use Cases
Vacation Rentals
You're staying at an Airbnb with Sonos speakers. The host leaves a note: "WiFi password is on the fridge. If you have Lyd, just enable Guest Mode." You're controlling premium speakers within seconds – no credential exchange with strangers, no complicated setup instructions.
Visiting Friends
You're at a friend's house for the weekend. Instead of constantly asking them to change the music or borrowing their phone, you enable Guest Mode once and control playback naturally throughout your visit.
Dinner Parties
Everyone brings their favorite playlist. With Guest Mode, friends take turns controlling music from their own phones without the host managing a queue or fielding requests all night.
Why Lyd for Guest Access?
Lyd built its reputation as the best-in-class Apple Watch app for Sonos – trusted since 2019 for speed and simplicity. Guest Mode brings that same instant, effortless control to temporary access scenarios. And unlike AirPlay workarounds, Lyd's Guest Mode gives full Sonos functionality with proper grouping, volume control, and playlist access.
Not Convinced Yet?
Browse more of Lyd's features:
