Sonos devices will probably get their own voice assistant

Audio manufacturer Sonos will probably add its own speech assistant to products. The company has acquired Snips, a company that specializes in limited voice assistants that run locally on devices.

With the acquisition, Sonos aims to “provide an even more distinctive experience for customers, at home and beyond,” said the Sonos president. This indicates that Sonos wants to use the Snips technology in its own products, with a voice assistant being the most obvious. Snips makes custom voice assistants for a variety of applications, including home appliances. Snips focuses on privacy and, according to the company, no data goes from voice commands to servers.

Sonos is paying $37.5 million for the company, which has been in existence since 2013. Snips is a French company with offices in New York and Paris. Two years ago, around forty people worked there, but it is not known how many there are now. Snips counts BNP Paribas and NXP among its clients. The takeover has already been completed.