Sonos Buys Snips for $37M to Build Private, Local Voice Controls
Sonos acquires privacy-focused voice startup Snips to develop on-device music controls that avoid cloud data processing. The move offers an alternative to Amazon and Google assistants while maintaining existing partnerships.
Sonos acquires voice assistant startup Snips in a $37 million cash deal to develop privacy-focused, on-device voice controls for its speakers. Unlike existing options from Amazon and Google that require constant cloud connectivity, Snips technology processes voice commands locally to keep user data strictly on the hardware.
This acquisition allows Sonos to build a specialized music assistant that handles basic tasks like pausing, skipping tracks, and adjusting volume without sending audio to remote servers. CEO Patrick Spence emphasizes that this local approach prioritizes user privacy, addressing recent consumer scrutiny regarding how major tech companies handle voice data.
Sonos clarifies that it does not intend to compete directly with Amazon or Google, as its planned voice features focus solely on music rather than serving as a general-purpose smart assistant. Customers who prefer full-featured smart assistants can still enable them, while those who want maximum privacy can use the new local controls or opt for microphone-less hardware like the recently released Sonos One SL.