> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.somosincontrol.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Somos InControl Permissions: Local Network, Bluetooth & Live Activities

> What Local Network and Bluetooth permissions do in Somos InControl, why each is needed, how Live Activities are enabled, and how to re-enable anything you declined.

Somos InControl asks for two iOS permissions when you tap **Find My Speakers** on first launch: Local Network and Bluetooth. Neither is used for tracking, analytics, or anything that leaves your home network. They exist for a single practical reason — finding and talking to your Sonos® speakers. A third iOS setting, Live Activities, only matters if you turn that feature on.

## Local Network permission

### What it does

iOS requires any app that discovers or communicates with devices on your Wi-Fi to request Local Network permission. Somos InControl uses it for:

* **Bonjour (mDNS) discovery** — the app listens for Sonos® speakers advertising the `_sonos._tcp` service on your network, the same discovery method used by AirPlay and the official Sonos® app.
* **Subnet scan** — at the same time, the app sends a short request to each address on your local subnet asking "are you a Sonos® speaker?". Any Sonos® device that responds is added to your room list.

Once speakers are discovered, all control traffic — volume changes, EQ adjustments, presets, home theater commands, music playback — also travels over your local Wi-Fi under this permission.

### What it does NOT do

Local Network permission only covers devices on the Wi-Fi network your phone is currently connected to. It does not give the app access to the internet, to your router's admin interface, or to any device on a different network.

<Note>
  Local Network permission is **required**. If you decline it, the app cannot find any Sonos® speakers and will have nothing to control. Bluetooth is optional — the app works fully without it for speakers already on your Wi-Fi.
</Note>

### What happens if you decline

The app shows a screen explaining that Local Network is off, with the path to fix it and a **Try Again** button. No speakers will appear until you allow it.

### How to re-enable Local Network permission

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open iOS Settings">
    Open the **Settings** app on your iPhone or iPad. From inside the app, the menu's **App Permissions in iPhone Settings** item (under Help) takes you straight there.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find Somos InControl">
    Scroll down the Settings list until you see **Somos InControl** and tap it. (On some iOS versions the switch lives under **Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network** instead.)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Local Network">
    Tap the toggle next to **Local Network** to turn it on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Return to the app">
    Switch back to Somos InControl and tap **Try Again**, or open the menu and choose **Advanced → Rescan My Network**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Bluetooth permission

### What it does

The app uses Bluetooth for one specific purpose: detecting Sonos® speakers that are **nearby but not yet connected to your Wi-Fi network** — a brand-new speaker you're setting up, or one that has dropped off the network. They appear in a **Nearby via Bluetooth** list so you know the speaker exists even though it can't be controlled yet.

When the permission is granted, the app only reads the advertising name broadcast by nearby Bluetooth devices and filters for names that match Sonos® hardware. It does not:

* Pair with any device
* Send any data over Bluetooth
* Identify you, your device, or your location
* Track movement or proximity over time

### What happens if you decline

The app continues to work normally for every speaker that is already on your Wi-Fi. You simply won't see the nearby-speakers list.

<Note>
  Bluetooth permission is **optional**. All core features — volume, EQ, presets, home theater controls, music, Live Activity — work without it.
</Note>

### How to re-enable Bluetooth permission

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open iOS Settings">
    Open the **Settings** app, or use **App Permissions in iPhone Settings** from the app's menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find Somos InControl">
    Scroll down to **Somos InControl** and tap it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Bluetooth">
    Tap the toggle next to **Bluetooth** to turn it on.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Live Activities

[Live Activity](/features/live-activity) is off by default and is switched on from the app's menu. iOS separately controls whether an app may show Live Activities at all; if that's off, the menu shows an orange **Live Activities are turned off in iOS Settings** link that opens **Settings → Apps → Somos InControl → Live Activities**. This requires iOS 16.2 or later.

***

## Permission summary

| Permission      | Required? | Used for                                                  | Works without it?                        |
| --------------- | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Local Network   | **Yes**   | Discovering and controlling Sonos® speakers on your Wi-Fi | No — no speakers will be found           |
| Bluetooth       | No        | Listing nearby Sonos® speakers not yet on Wi-Fi           | Yes, for speakers already on the network |
| Live Activities | No        | Lock Screen / Dynamic Island controls                     | Yes — everything in the app works        |

<Info>
  Somos InControl contains zero third-party libraries and makes no analytics or telemetry requests. The only outbound internet traffic is a single image fetch from Sonos®'s public photo library (`media.sonos.com`) to display speaker photos. See [Data & Network](/legal/data-and-network) for details.
</Info>