Sonos has been getting a lot of love lately, with some tech websites labeling the Sonos Roam as the best portable speaker on the planet. Whether or not it’s the best speaker on the planet or just within our solar system, how exactly do you turn it on and off?

Luckily for users, the process is pretty straightforward; read on to learn more about how to turn the device on and off and whether there are alternative ways to control the device.

How Do You Turn the Sonos Roam On or Off?

To turn a Sonos Roam off, there’s a long, narrow button on the back of the device, just above the charging port. Press and hold that button for five seconds to turn off your Sonos Roam.

If you would prefer, you can simply press and release it to place the Sonos Roam into sleep mode. Of course, it will automatically put itself in sleep mode if it hasn’t been used in a certain amount of time, but it is an option over turning it off.

If you want to turn it back on or deactivate sleep mode, just press and release the same button. You don’t have to hold it to turn it on like you do to turn it off.

Is Sonos Roam Always On?

It’s understandable that there are those who are concerned that their smart speakers are “always listening.” Some very creepy instances of just such a thing have occurred in the past with Echo devices, so why not Sonos?

A lot has changed since the aforementioned “instances,” and now Sonos Roam, like many other smart speakers, has a mic mute option that you can turn off whenever you want. Press and release the microphone on the top of the Sonos Roam to turn off the mic.

Unfortunately, you cannot turn the Sonos Roam off via the app. It’s a feature that’s in high demand. However, the team that created the Sonos Roam has not included it in recent updates as of yet.

The Roam will automatically place itself in sleep mode after thirty minutes of inactivity, but it’s not quite the same as being able to turn it off remotely.

Can You Turn Off Sonos Roam with Third-Party Apps?

Currently, the only way to turn off Sonos Roam is to physically turn it off from the button in the back. However, the Wink app does give you some control over the Roam, its functionality, and its features.

The Wink app is available for both Android and iOS devices and works with Sonos Roam, similar to Alexa with Routines. To use Wink, download it on your smartphone or tablet device. Make sure you have a Sonos login account before you link the two. Also, make sure your Wink Hub is powered on.

  • Open the Wink app.Select Add to Wink.Select Sonos Roam.Enter your Sonos login password.Select Finish to link the two.

With the Wink App, you’ll have certain levels of control over your Sonos Roam, even though you can’t turn it off from the app as of yet:

  • Set automationsControl your Sonos Roam away from homeControl the standard features such as Play, Skip, Volume Up or Down, and PausePlay Sonos favoritesSync with lights—such as Lutron Caseta

It’s not the functionality you’re looking for, but it’s better than no control at all. Sonos Roam is compatible with many third-party devices, either to sync with or devices that will let you control your Sonos Roam.

How to Reset the Sonos Roam

Just turning the Roam off won’t get rid of any technical issues that it’s having. If your Sonos Roam has problems, you may want to reset it rather than turning it off and back on. To do this, you’ll want to make sure that it is currently powered on. Then:

  • Disconnect it from a power outlet if it’s plugged in.Press and hold the power button to turn it back off.Press and hold the Play/Pause button on top.While holding the Play/Pause button, press and release the power button quickly.Continue holding the Play/Pause button.When the light begins flashing white and yellow, release the button.The speaker light will flash green when it’s officially reset.

Doing a reset will often solve any problems that a device has, not just the Sonos Roam. If you’re having issues with it, such as connectivity, resetting the Sonos Roam is more effective than just turning it off and back on.

Final Thoughts

The Sonos Roam is a pretty solid portable smart speaker. However, one of its negative features is the fact that you can only turn it off by accessing the physical button. Given the level of feedback on this issue, it’s hopeful that a firmware upgrade will change that.

Until and if that happens, turning it off the old school way is what you have. Outside of that, the Sonos Roam is a high-quality smart speaker, so get on the horn with a Sonos representative in one of the many forums and let them know to add wireless on/off power features.