Finding the Perfect Bathroom Podcast Speaker • simplyroger

My use case is fairly simple. I want something that will play podcasts, Audible, and Apple Music while I am getting ready for the day.

A 2026 HISTORICAL UPDATE

If you are reading this post-2018, please be aware that the critical podcast handoff issue described below was completely resolved with the release of Apple’s AirPlay 2. Modern Sonos speakers, including the PLAY:1 , fully support AirPlay 2. This allows for seamless, clean handoff of podcasts and all other audio directly from iOS controls, just like a HomePod, with no external app needed for sync. The Sonos remains a cost-effective, high-quality, moisture-resistant choice, and my final verdict below is a time-locked snapshot of a pre-AirPlay 2 world.

Detailed Update on Modern Sonos vs. HomePod Handoff

The issue described was a temporary lack of standard support from Sonos, requiring the use of the Sonos app. As soon as AirPlay 2 was released, it became a non-issue. You can now use standard iOS and macOS features to seamlessly move audio between devices, including to Sonos speakers, without needing to open the Sonos app. The modern conclusion is that Sonos and HomePod both meet this handoff requirement excellently.

My core requirements:

Loudness: Needs to be loud enough to hear clearly while the shower is running.
Seamless Handoff: Must handle transitions between devices easily when I start listening on the speaker but want to finish on my iPad or iPhone.
Moisture Resistance (Bonus): Since this speaker will sit on my bathroom counter, it needs to survive a humid environment.

Strike One: The iPhone

My first solution was to use my iPhone. It is not ideal; the iPhone speaker simply isn’t loud enough over the running shower to clearly hear the words from Audible or my favorite podcasts.

Enter the Sonos PLAY:1

I have an Apple HomePod in my home office and find it to be an excellent speaker. Before I ran out and added another expensive HomePod to my bathroom, I hoped to find a more budget-friendly solution.

Enter the Sonos PLAY:1 . Looking at the specs, it felt like it would meet all my bathroom speaker needs at a sub-$200 price point. It even explicitly claimed to be “designed to be moisture resistant.” So, as I do when I order most things, I went to my Amazon Prime account and clicked Buy Now.

This won’t be a full review of the Sonos PLAY:1 —there are much better reviews out there, and I am far from an audiophile. I can say that setting up the speaker was incredibly easy after downloading the Sonos app and creating an account.

The sound quality is fantastic. While I wouldn’t say it’s better than the HomePod, I can’t say it’s worse, either. It is significantly better than the Google Home and Amazon Echo smart speakers I’ve had in the past. Checkbox one: Down.

My next concern was volume while in the shower. Not a problem. Anyone else in my home might not appreciate the volume level, but I had no issue hearing the speaker over the shower noise. Checkbox two: Down.

The Dealbreaker: Handoff and Podcasts

The final concern was keeping my place in my currently playing podcast or Audible audiobook. This is where Sonos failed for me.

AirPlay 2 isn’t out yet, though this speaker claims it will support it once Apple releases it. In the meantime, you have to use the Sonos app to play podcasts or audiobooks. Audible worked fairly well since it was integrated directly into the Sonos app and didn’t need to route through the phone. However, podcasts via my iPhone and the Sonos app were a major disappointment. Checkbox three: Left blank.

Let me explain:

No video podcast support: I cannot play video podcasts. Yes, I understand that playing video through a speaker isn’t possible, but why not at least play the audio track from the video podcast? It isn’t a huge deal to work around, but it requires me to subscribe to both the audio and video streams of identical podcasts.
No sync with Apple Podcasts: The big issue for me is if I do not finish a given episode, I have to manually find where I left off in the Apple Podcasts app when switching back to my iPhone or iPad. There is absolutely no handoff between the Sonos podcast app and Apple’s baked-in Podcasts app.

Since I bought this speaker primarily to be my podcast player, this was highly disappointing. I also knew that when AirPlay 2 comes out, this should no longer be an issue.

The Verdict: Paying the Apple Tax

Jump ahead two weeks. The first-world annoyance of having to manually sync my place in a podcast between the Sonos app and the Apple Podcasts app caused me to return the speaker.

In a way, I felt bad that this single missing feature was the deciding factor, especially knowing it will most likely be solved in a few months. But starting podcasts only to lose my place when I left the room wasted too much of my time. I want something that can do the handoff cleanly, and I didn’t want to wait for the AirPlay 2 release.

I’ve ordered a second HomePod and am eating the extra cost just for this one feature.

My recommendation: If podcast handoff isn’t a big deal to you—or if you don’t mind waiting for AirPlay 2—the Sonos PLAY:1 is the better, more cost-effective choice. For me, I wanted it to work now, and I decided to give Apple my money to meet my exact requirements.