Seeing a red light on your speaker or any other piece of electronics is almost never a good sign. SONOS Roam is not an exception.
When you see the red light on your SONOS Roam, either steady or flashing, it could mean a few different things, depending on which light (status LED or battery LED) and the exact behavior of the LED.
In this article, I will explain what SONOS Roam red light indicates and list all the fixes that might help you get rid of it.
Key Takeaways
- There are two LEDs on the SONOS Roam speaker – the status LED and the battery LED. There’s a third mic status LED, but this one can either be white or off. The other two can be red.
- Do not mistake the red LED with the orange or amber LED. These two lights mean very different things.
- Status LED flashing red indicates that your Roam has been on for more than 30 minutes without being configured. In this case, you just need to reboot it (turn it off, then on) and configure it. The red LED should go away the moment you turn it on.
- Status LED flashing white and red indicates that your Roam failed to update. The solution is to reboot the speaker and try updating it again. If that doesn’t help, reset it, configure it, and try updating again. If the issue is persistent, contact SONOS support.
- When your Roam’s battery LED is flashing red, according to SONOS, the speaker is facing a faulty condition. This usually means that there’s some problem with your speaker’s software or hardware. You could try restarting or resetting the speaker but, in most cases, this will not help.
- Other solutions, besides rebooting and resetting your SONOS Roam, include leaving the speaker charging for a few hours, using the charging cable instead of a wireless charger, and replacing the battery or other damaged parts.
- If your speaker is still under warranty, it’s probably smarter to contact SONOS than to take it apart on your own and try to identify the damaged piece of hardware.
- There’s a bonus tip I found on the SONOS Community forum that might help you fix the SONOS Roam blinking red light. Read the detailed instructions in this article.
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What Does the Red Light on Your SONOS Roam Mean?
As explained, two LEDs could be flashing red. One is located at the top of the front panel, and the other is at the bottom. The one at the top is the status LED, and the other is the battery LED.
So let’s see what SONOS Roam red light could mean.
Status LED Light Flashing Red
If the status LED light is flashing red, your SONOS Roam has been on for 30 minutes without configuring. The speaker is programmed to flash red if you don’t set it up within the 30-minute setup window.
Status LED Light Flashing Red and White
If the status LED light is flashing red and white, it means that your speaker failed to update. You have to reboot it and try updating it again.
SONOS Speakers – Red Status Lights (source – SONOS)
Battery LED Light Flashing Red
Battery LED flashing red is usually an indication of a serious problem. SONOS suggests that you contact SONOS support if you see this light. However, there are a few things you could try to fix this issue.
SONOS Speakers – Red Battery Light and Its Meaning (Source – SONOS)
Ways to Make the Red Light on Your SONOS Roam Go Away
If the status LED is blinking red or red and white, making it go away should not be a difficult task. Battery LED is a different thing, but it’s still possible to get rid of the red light.
I’ll start with some basic troubleshooting steps and then move on to the more advanced fixes.
Reboot SONOS Roam
Whether you see the status LED flashing red or red and white, try restarting/rebooting the speaker. That’s the oldest trick in the book when it comes to electronics. When something doesn’t work, restart it and see what happens.
To restart SONOS Roam, press and hold the power button (located on the back) for a few seconds. You will hear a notification chime when the speaker turns off. If you press the button shortly, the speaker will go to sleep/standby mode.
Press the power button for a few seconds to turn it off.
After turning it off, give it a few seconds and turn it back on.
Once the speaker turns on, the red light should go. If the speaker was not configured before, the LED should start blinking green, indicating the speaker is ready to be configured. If the speaker was fully configured earlier, the light should turn solid white, indicating the speaker is connected to Wi-Fi.
If the status LED was blinking red and now is flashing green, configure the speaker, and the problem should go away. If the LED was blinking red and white and now is solid white, try updating the speaker again.
If rebooting doesn’t help and you still see the red light on your SONOS Roam, it’s time to try some other fixes.
Leave the Speaker Charging
This may not be the smartest solution, but it might help. Just leave it charging for a few hours and see what happens.
Some firmware bug or charging port malfunction could cause your speaker not to charge, and as a consequence, you may see a flashing red light.
Leaving it on a charger for a prolonged period could trigger the speaker to start charging and the red light might magically disappear.
Try Using a USB Charger Instead of a Wireless Charger
A malfunctioning wireless charger or a wireless charger that doesn’t supply enough power could trigger the red LED light on your SONOS Roam. Also, if the coil on the bottom of your speaker gets damaged or stops working, the speaker won’t charge wirelessly.
If there’s a problem with the charging coil used for wireless charging, your speaker may refuse to charge. In fact, this may cause the battery LED on your SONOS Roam to flash red, indicating there’s a problem with the speaker.
So, if you’re using a wireless charger, switch to a more traditional option – use a USB-C cable and see if this helps.
Even if the speaker is fully charged, the battery LED may keep flashing red if the coil for wireless charging (or some other coli-related part) is damaged.
Some users have reported on Reddit that the speaker’s battery LED flashes red when the battery reaches 100% if the speaker stays on the wireless charger. When you remove it from the charger, the red light goes away. This doesn’t happen when using a USB-C charging cable.
Reset Your SONOS Roam to Factory Default Settings
A universal fix for all kinds of speaker issues is resetting. It will eliminate firmware bugs and glitches and might make the red light go away.
To reset your Roam, you need to turn it off first. Then, while the Roam is turned off, press and hold the play/pause button and turn on the speaker by pressing the power button. Keep holding the play/pause button until the status LED turns orange. You can release the play/pause button after that. Give your speaker some time to finish the reset process. When the LED starts flashing green, your speaker is reset and you just have to go through the initial configuration and start using it again.
How to Reset SONOS Roam to Factory Default Settings
Fix from SONOS Community Forum
I found the following fix on the SONOS Community forum and decided to include it in this guide. It sounds crazy, but it might help.
If the battery LED on your SONOS Roam flashes red when the battery is full, you can check the battery status in your browser by typing in the following address:
If you don’t know your SONOS Roam’s IP address, you can find it by going to your router’s settings and opening the Connected Devices tab (or Client List, DHCP Clients, or something similar.). To enter your router’s settings, you will also have to find your router’s IP address (aka Default Gateway).
Find your speaker’s IP address through the router’s user interface
Another way of finding your SONOS Roam’s IP address is through the SONOS app. Tap on the Settings Icon, go to System, and tap About My System. All the information about the IP addresses of your SONOS speakers should be stored there.
This address will allow you to check the battery and see if there’s something wrong with it. If there is something wrong with the battery, you may have to replace it (read the next chapter for detailed instructions).
Once you check the battery status, if there are no issues or notifications, do the following:
Remove your SONOS Roam from the wireless charger and unplug it from the USB-C charger. Now, while the speaker is on, press and hold the power button. Don’t release the button after the speaker turns off. Keep holding it for about 15 seconds or more until the status LED (the upper LED, above the SONOS logo) turns white. You can release the button after that and connect the charger. Leave the speaker charging until it reaches 100%.
Try using your speaker after that and see if the red light is still there.
If you’re still experiencing the same issue, the chances are there’s something wrong with the hardware. It could be a dead or damaged battery, a damaged PCB/motherboard, or something else.
At this point, you can either try fixing the problem on your own or contact SONOS Support.
You May Have a Damaged Battery – Try Replacing It with a New One
If that battery status page I talked about in the previous chapter displays some kind of warning message, or if you’re certain that the red light was caused by the malfunctioning battery, you could try replacing the battery on your own. It’s a tricky business, but it’s not impossible.
You will need a quality prying tool, a screwdriver, and a replacement battery. You can find the replacement battery on eBay. Just make sure that the Part Number on the original battery and the replacement battery match. Also, make sure that other parameters, like the battery capacity and charging voltages, are the same.
Original and replacement batteries for SONOS Roam
Start opening the speaker by removing the top and bottom covers using a prying tool. Then unscrew 4 screws (two on the top and two on the bottom). After that, start removing the grille.
Once you remove the grille, you will see the drivers. Remove all the screws holding the drivers in place, and then remove the drivers. You will also have to detach the cable connecting the drivers to the motherboard.
After removing the drivers, you will have to remove the PCB/motherboard. The battery is hidden under the motherboard.
For detailed instructions on how to get to the battery and assemble the speaker after replacing the battery, watch the video below.
SONOS Roam Teardown and Assembly
It may stay water-resistant to some extent, depending on the quality of your work, but I would assume the speaker is not waterproof anymore and treat it like any other non-waterproof (IPX0) speaker.
Conclusion
Seeing a red light on your SONOS Roam is never a good thing. The red light could indicate a few different issues, depending on which LED indicator is flashing. Some issues can be fixed easily by recharging, rebooting, or resetting the speaker, while other issues require more advanced solutions.
Hopefully, this troubleshooting guide helped you identify your problem and make the red light on your SONOS Roam go away.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: What do the lights on a SONOS Roam mean?
- Answer: SONOS Roam has three LED lights – status LED (front panel, near the top), battery LED (front panel, near the bottom), and mic LED (top panel).
- The status LED could be white, green, orange, red, blue, or a combination of these colors. The light can either flash or be steady.
- The battery LED could be white, orange, red, or off.
- The mic LED could be white or off.
- To find out what each LED light means, check out the image below or visit the SONOS support page.
SONOS Speaker – LED lights
- Question: How do I know that SONOS Roam is charging?
- Answer: When you connect your SONOS Roam to the charger, the battery LED will turn solid orange for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the light should turn off. After that, you can check the charging and battery status through the SONOS app.
How to Charge SONOS Roam
- Question: Why does SONOS Move flash red?
- Answer: Flashing red light on your SONOS Move could mean a few different things, depending on which LED is flashing (battery or status LED).
- If the status LED light is flashing red, it could mean that your speaker is brand new and you didn’t configure it within the 30-minute window after turning it on. The speaker is programmed to flash red if not set up after 30 minutes.
- Flashing red status LED could also indicate a minor bug or glitch that can be fixed by rebooting or resetting your SONOS Move.
- Battery LED flashing red is an indication of a more serious problem. Some internal parts might have been damaged. SONOS suggests that you contact them immediately when you see this light.
- Question: Is SONOS Roam light always on?
- Answer: The status LED on your SONOS Roam is always on and will change colors depending on the speaker status. When the speaker is on and connected to Wi-Fi, it will be solid white. When it’s on and connected to Bluetooth, it will be solid blue.
- If you want, you can disable the status LED using the SONOS app.
- Question: SONOS Roam won’t charge. What is the problem?
- Answer: Your SONOS Roam may refuse to charge for various reasons. It could be a minor glitch that can be fixed by rebooting or resetting the speaker. It could also be a malfunctioning charger or USB-C cable. More serious culprits include a damaged USB-C port, a damaged/dead battery, or even a damaged motherboard.
- Question: Can I use SONOS Roam while charging?
- Answer: Yes, you can. There are no limitations when it comes to using your SONOS Roam while charging.
