Sonos App and Bitrate

[BadBadDog]

I am a Pandora subscriber since 2013 and moved to Plus in 2017. Recently purchased a Sonos Play 1 (in addition to a pair of KEF LS50 in another room) and have some questions:

1. When streaming Pandora through the Sonos app I don’t have access to all of the musics ancillary information (album/artist info, etc). Is this going to change?

2. When streaming through the Sonos app over WiFi (which in theory connects the Sonos speaker directly to Pandora), what is the streaming bitrate?

3. I can use the Pandora IOS app on my iPhone or iPad to cast to Sonos using Airplay2 over WIfI. My UNDERSTANDING is that Plus members stream to iPhone at a max 64kbps and Premium members can stream at 192kbps, am I correct?

Like many others I’ve flirted with the ALL the competitive music services but remain with Pandora because its ability to discover new music and the flexibility of its stations is Pandora’s trump card for me (more important than maximum bitrate). It is the ONLY service that allows me to have my 10 favorite jazz artists, 10 favorite classical composers, 10 favorite rockabilly performers and 10 favorite French cafe performers all part of the same station for a full days worth of varied music with little or no repetition AND also discover new music at the same time.

BUT the quality issue if frustrating (again, as others here have commented). Pandora really needs to step it up as that is a primary concern for many.........

Thanks in advance!

Moderator Edit: Changing title for clarity 

[TannerPandora]

Hi @BadBadDog! Thanks for posting to community. 

Happy to help answer your questions. 

1. When streaming Pandora through the Sonos app I don’t have access to all of the musics ancillary information (album/artist info, etc). Is this going to change?

A: The Sonos apps lacks certain features, however you can see album/artist info and control your Sonos device directly from the Pandora app. While this is currently not a feature, the best way to get feedback like this heard is by posting to our Feature Request board. There you can search and vote for current feature requests, or submit a new one. 

2. When streaming through the Sonos app over WiFi (which in theory connects the Sonos speaker directly to Pandora), what is the streaming bitrate?

A: Currently, most in-home devices receive 128k MP3 audio. 

There is a feature request for Higher Audio Quality. Feel free to visit and upvote this request if you'd like to see this for Pandora. 

3. I can use the Pandora IOS app on my iPhone or iPad to cast to Sonos using Airplay2 over WIfI. My UNDERSTANDING is that Plus members stream to iPhone at a max 64kbps and Premium members can stream at 192kbps, am I correct?

A: Mobile devices receive a variety of different rates depending on the capability of the device and the network they are on, but never more than 64k AAC+. Pandora plays 64k AAC+ for free listeners and 192k for Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers.

Hope this helped!