Audio Notifications

Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a playback device to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising:

• receiving audio content;
• playing back the audio content via an audio stage and one or more speaker drivers of the playback device synchronously with one or more additional playback devices connected to the playback device via a local area network;
• while playing back the audio content, receiving, via a network interface of the playback device, an alert communication from a network-enabled device connected to the playback device via the local area network, the alert communication comprising (i) an audio notification identifier that identifies an audio notification and (ii) a priority identifier that identifies a priority level of the audio notification;
• responsive to receiving the alert communication, adding the audio notification to a notification queue at a particular queue position, wherein the particular queue position of the audio notification in the notification queue is based on the priority level of the audio notification relative to other audio content in the notification queue;
• adjusting playback of the audio content for playing back the audio notification;
• and
• playing back the audio notification via the audio stage and the one or more speaker drivers synchronously with the one or more additional playback devices.

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a playback device, audio content;
• playing back the audio content via an audio stage and one or more speaker drivers of the playback device synchronously with one or more additional playback devices connected to the playback device via a local area network;
• while playing back the audio content, receiving, via a network interface of the playback device, an alert communication from a network-enabled device connected to the playback device via the local area network, the alert communication comprising (i) an audio notification identifier that identifies an audio notification and (ii) a priority identifier that identifies a priority level of the audio notification;
• responsive to receiving the alert communication, adding the audio notification to a notification queue at a particular queue position, wherein the particular queue position of the audio notification in the notification queue is based on the priority level of the audio notification relative to other audio content in the notification queue;
• adjusting playback of the audio content for playing back the audio notification;
• and
• playing back the audio notification via the audio stage and the one or more speaker drivers synchronously with the one or more additional playback devices.