Lyd vs Now Playing Plus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lyd
Control your Sonos system directly from your iPhone's Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Apple Watch. Enjoy instant playback control, volume adjustments, and speaker management without needing to open the main app or unlock your device.
- Home Screen widgets
- Lock Screen widgets
- Dynamic Island Live Activities
- Apple Watch remote
- Group/ungroup speakers
- Sleep timers
- Shortcuts and automation
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Control Sonos from your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Apple Watch. No app to open, no unlock required — just tap and play. Lyd gives you instant widgets and Dynamic Island controls on iPhone, plus the gold-standard Watch remote trusted since 2019. And on iPad, a fully native, big-screen app — library and Now Playing side by side — the Sonos experience iPad users deserve. Fully compatible with Sonos S2 and even backwards compatible to Sonos S1. SCENES — YOUR WHOLE SETUP IN ONE TAP Save the perfect moment once, recreate it forever. A Scene remembers which speakers play together, how loud each one is, and what music starts — then makes it all happen the instant you tap. • "Morning Kitchen", "Dinner Party", "Movie Night" — a Scene for every moment • One tap groups your speakers, sets the volume, and starts your music • Smart suggestions build Scenes from the way you already listen • Custom icons and names make every Scene your own • Works on iPhone and Apple Watch, synced across both • Launch any Scene with Siri, Shortcuts, and automations INSTANT WIDGET CONTROL • Home Screen widgets in multiple sizes • Lock Screen widgets for one-tap access • Live Activities in Dynamic Island • Control playback without unlocking your phone GOLD-STANDARD APPLE WATCH REMOTE • Full playback control on your wrist • Rotate the Digital Crown to change volume • Add complications to any watch face • Control everything without touching your iPhone POWERFUL FEATURES • Works with Sonos S2 and S1 systems • Volume adjustments with iPhone volume keys • Group and ungroup speakers • Play any playlist or radio station • Send voice messages to any speaker • Sleep timers for automatic shutoff • Shortcuts and automation support • Guest mode for parties • Multiple Sonos households ONE-TIME PURCHASE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Pay once, use forever. Includes a 14-day free trial with full access to every feature. --- All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Sonos is a trademark of Sonos Inc. This is not an official Sonos app. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Now Playing Plus
Enhance your Apple Watch face with convenient audio controls. This app adds corner and circular complications, allowing quick access to playback functions without navigating through menus.
- Corner complications
- Circular complications
- Audio controls
- Quick access
- Customizable watch face
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Now Playing Plus provides corner and circular complications for your Apple Watch face. This gives you easy access to audio controls, without needed to hunt around in the App List or Dock.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lyd at 4.4 against Now Playing Plus's 3.7. Lyd also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (86% vs 71%). Now Playing Plus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Lyd sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Now Playing Plus asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lyd holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lyd has 354 ratings behind it against 51, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Lyd's written reviews are positive against 71% of Now Playing Plus's.
Lyd ships an update every 10 days, Now Playing Plus every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lyd | Now Playing Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (354 ratings) — better | 3.7 (51 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews — better | 71.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 354 — better | 51 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 80 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | App Lane OU | The Iconfactory |
Customer experience
Lyd
Now Playing Plus
Bugs and requests
Lyd
Reported bugs
2 issues- App sometimes loses connection to Sonos
- Complication disappears after updates
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to control volume directly from the app
- Support for more Sonos features like creating playlists
- Interactive widgets for iPhone
Now Playing Plus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Lyd
- Yearly tip$2.991 Year
- One-time tip$0.99
- One-time support$1.99
- One-time Support$4.99
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- Lifetime Unlock$8.99
- One-time Support$8.99
Now Playing Plus
No in-app purchases









