Guest access to a media playback system

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via an audio playback system, a request to register a first personal device as a guest control device of the audio playback system, wherein the audio playback system comprises one or more playback devices that are configured to play back audio content from a queue;

registering, via the audio playback system, the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system, wherein a second personal device is registered as a local control device of the audio playback system, and wherein each of the first personal device and the second personal device are either (a) a smartphone or (b) a tablet computer;

obtaining, via the audio playback system, guest access to a first account of a particular streaming audio service that is registered with the guest control device;

receiving, via the audio playback system from the guest control device, one or more messages instructing the audio playback system to queue a first audio track in the queue;

receiving, via the audio playback system from the local control device, one or more messages instructing the playback device to queue a second audio track in the queue, wherein the audio playback system is registered with the particular streaming audio service via a second account of the particular streaming audio service;

placing, via the audio playback system into the queue, information identifying the first audio track and information identifying the second audio track, the information identifying the first audio track comprising a uniform resource identifier representing a particular source of the first audio track at the particular streaming audio service and the information identifying the second audio track comprising a uniform resource identifier representing a particular source of the second audio track at the particular streaming audio service;

initiating, via the audio playback system, playback of the queue by the one or more playback devices, wherein initiating playback of the queue comprises a given playback device retrieving the first audio track from the particular source of the first audio track using a service credential of the first account and retrieving the second audio track from the particular source of the second audio track using a service credential of the second account;

detecting, via the audio playback system, that the guest control device is de-registered from the audio playback system; and

based on detecting that the guest control device is de-registered from the audio playback system, disabling, via the audio playback system, retrieval of media items by the one or more playback devices from the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein disabling the retrieval of media items by the one or more playback devices from the particular streaming media service using the media service credential of the first account prevents the one or more playback devices from retrieving the first audio track from the particular source of the first audio track at the particular streaming audio service using the service credential of the first account.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the guest access to the first account of the particular streaming audio service comprises:

receiving, via the audio playback system from the guest control device, one or more messages indicating the service credential of the first account of the particular streaming media service; and

causing, via the audio playback system, the audio playback system to temporarily register with the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account, wherein temporary registration of the audio playback system with the particular streaming media service enables the audio playback system to access audio tracks of the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account while the first personal device is registered as the guest control device of the audio playback system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system comprises:

determining that the audio playback system is operating in a guest pass mode that enables the audio playback system to temporarily register personal devices as guest control devices; and

based on determining that the audio playback system is operating in the guest pass mode, registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system comprises:

detecting, via a given playback device of the one or more playback devices, a button press on the given playback device that causes the given playback device to listen for requests to join to the audio playback system; and

detecting, via a network interface of the given playback device, the request from the first personal device to register with the audio playback system as the guest control device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more playback devices comprise two or more particular playback devices are configured to play back the queue in synchrony.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the two or more particular playback devices comprise a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein the first playback device sends a data stream comprising first audio track, the second audio track, and synchronous playback timing information.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing, into the queue, information identifying the first audio track comprises:

determining whether the guest control device is associated with one of a first access or a second access, wherein

(i) the first access provides functions of the audio playback system, the functions including reconfiguration of a specific configuration of the one or more playback devices as a one or more particular zones of the audio playback system;

(ii) the second access provides a subset of the functions, the subset (a) including at least addition of content to the queue and (b) excluding reconfiguration of the specific configuration of the one or more playback devices; and

based on determining that the guest control device is associated with the second access, placing, into the queue, information identifying the first audio track.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein disabling retrieval of media items by the one or more playback devices from the particular streaming media service using the media service credential of the first account comprises terminating, for the audio playback system, access to personal playlists associated with the first account of the particular streaming media service.

10. A playback device of an audio playback system comprising:

a network interface,

one or more processors, and

data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via the network interface, a request to register a first personal device as a guest control device of the audio playback system, wherein the playback device of the audio playback system is configured to play back audio content from a queue;

registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system, wherein a second personal device is registered as a local control device of the audio playback system, and wherein each of the first personal device and the second personal device are either (a) a smartphone or (b) a tablet computer;

obtaining guest access to a first account of a particular streaming audio service that is registered with the guest control device;

receiving, via the network interface from the guest control device, one or more messages instructing the playback device to queue a first audio track in the queue;

receiving, via the audio playback system from the local control device, one or more messages instructing the playback device to queue a second audio track in the queue, wherein the audio playback system is registered with the particular streaming audio service via a second account of the particular streaming audio service;

placing, into the queue, information identifying the first audio track and information identifying the second audio track, the information identifying the first audio track comprising a uniform resource identifier representing a particular source of the first audio track at the particular streaming audio service and the information identifying the second audio track comprising a uniform resource identifier representing a particular source of the second audio track at the particular streaming audio service;

initiating playback of the queue by the playback device, wherein initiating playback of the queue comprises the playback device retrieving the first audio track from the particular source of the first audio track using a service credential of the first account and retrieving the second audio track from the particular source of the second audio track using a service credential of the second account;

detecting that the guest control device is de-registered from the audio playback system; and

based on detecting that the guest control device is de-registered from the audio playback system, disabling retrieval of media items by the playback device from the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account.

11. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein disabling the retrieval of media items by the playback device from the particular streaming media service using the media service credential of the first account prevents the playback device from retrieving the first audio track from the particular source of the first audio track at the particular streaming audio service using the service credential of the first account.

12. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein obtaining the guest access to the first account of the particular streaming audio service comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the guest control device, one or more messages indicating the service credential of the first account of the particular streaming media service; and

causing the audio playback system to temporarily register with the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account, wherein temporary registration of the audio playback system with the particular streaming media service enables the audio playback system to access audio tracks of the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account while the first personal device is registered as the guest control device of the audio playback system.

13. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system comprises:

determining that the audio playback system is operating in a guest pass mode that enables the audio playback system to temporarily register personal devices as guest control devices; and

based on determining that the audio playback system is operating in the guest pass mode, registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system.

14. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system comprises:

detecting a button press on the playback device that causes the playback device to listen for requests to join to the audio playback system; and

detecting, via the network interface, the request from the first personal device to register with the audio playback system as the guest control device.

15. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein the audio playback system comprises one or more additional playback devices that are configured to play back the queue in synchrony with the playback device.

16. The playback device of claim 15 , wherein operations further comprise:

sending, via the network interface to the one or more additional playback devices, a data stream comprising first audio track, the second audio track, and synchronous playback timing information.

17. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein placing, into the queue, information identifying the first audio track comprises:

determining whether the guest control device is associated with one of a first access or a second access, wherein

(i) the first access provides functions of the audio playback system, the functions including reconfiguration of a specific configuration of the playback device as a particular zone of the audio playback system;

(ii) the second access provides a subset of the functions, the subset (a) including at least addition of content to the queue and (b) excluding reconfiguration of the specific configuration of the playback device; and

based on determining that the guest control device is associated with the second access, placing, into the queue, information identifying the first audio track.

18. The playback device of claim 10 , wherein disabling retrieval of media items by the playback device from the particular streaming media service using the media service credential of the first account comprises terminating, for the audio playback system, access to personal playlists associated with the first account of the particular streaming media service.

19. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a playback device of an audio playback system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a network interface, a request to register a first personal device as a guest control device of the audio playback system, wherein the playback device of the audio playback system is configured to play back audio content from a queue;

registering the first personal device as the guest control device of the audio playback system, wherein a second personal device is registered as a local control device of the audio playback system, and wherein each of the first personal device and the second personal device are either (a) a smartphone or (b) a tablet computer;

obtaining guest access to a first account of a particular streaming audio service that is registered with the guest control device;

receiving, via the network interface from the guest control device, one or more messages instructing the playback device to queue a first audio track in the queue;

receiving, via the audio playback system from the local control device, one or more messages instructing the playback device to queue a second audio track in the queue, wherein the audio playback system is registered with the particular streaming audio service via a second account of the particular streaming audio service;

placing, into the queue, information identifying the first audio track and information identifying the second audio track, the information identifying the first audio track comprising a uniform resource identifier representing a particular source of the first audio track at the particular streaming audio service and the information identifying the second audio track comprising a uniform resource identifier representing a particular source of the second audio track at the particular streaming audio service;

initiating playback of the queue by the playback device, wherein initiating playback of the queue comprises the playback device retrieving the first audio track from the particular source of the first audio track using a service credential of the first account and retrieving the second audio track from the particular source of the second audio track using a service credential of the second account;

detecting that the guest control device is de-registered from the audio playback system; and

based on detecting that the guest control device is de-registered from the audio playback system, disabling retrieval of media items by the playback device from the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein obtaining the guest access to the first account of the particular streaming audio service comprises:

receiving, via the audio playback system from the guest control device, one or more messages indicating the service credential of the first account of the particular streaming media service; and

causing, via the audio playback system, the audio playback system to temporarily register with the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account, wherein temporary registration of the audio playback system with the particular streaming media service enables the audio playback system to access audio tracks of the particular streaming media service using the service credential of the first account while the first personal device is registered as the guest control device of the audio playback system.