How does Sonos Beam work with AirPlay 2?

Yes, the Sonos Beam and other speakers come with Amazon Alexa built-in. However, not everyone is a fan of Alexa, due to security concerns or perhaps they just prefer Siri and are more invested in the Apple ecosystem.

Honestly, you don't need to pick one over the other. Both Alexa and Siri can work together on your Beam interchangeably, so you can start off with Alexa, and then use Siri later to do something else.

Even though Beam is meant to be used with your TV as a soundbar, AirPlay 2 allows you to use it as a standalone speaker. With AirPlay 2, you can send sound from any of your AirPlay 2 devices directly onto the Beam itself, even if the TV is off.

This means you can stream music from Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and a ton of other services. You can go for podcasts, audiobooks, and whatever other audio you want to listen to from your AirPlay 2 device, right on your Beam.

With AirPlay 2, you get access to Siri-controlled Apple Music. Just say a command, such as "Hey Siri, play Beats 1 Radio in the bedroom" or "Hey Siri, turn it up in the living room."

When you want to watch a movie or TV show on your small screen, the audio can be sent directly through your Beam, or if you want to show a video to your friend, send the audio to the Beam so that they can hear everything without missing a beat.

Unfortunately, Siri integration is fairly limited and only includes playback and audio controls. If you're looking to do things like set timers, control your HomeKit devices, send messages, or make calls, then you'll need to look into Apple's HomePod. You could also just use Alexa.

AirPlay 2 is currently only supported on Sonos Beam, One, Playbase, and Play:5. However, if you have older speakers that are grouped together with an AirPlay 2 compatible speaker, then they will reap the benefits of AirPlay 2 integration. But you must make sure that they're grouped with the newer speakers.