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Sonos version 10.5 now available

  • 28 October 2019
  • 62 replies
  • 9229 views
Edward R
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

Sonos version 10.5 brings performance enhancements and improved reliability to Sonos systems.

 

You can find our most recent release notes in our article Release Notes for Sonos Software. If you have any other issues relating to updating your system, please check this article: Error message when attempting to update Sonos system. 

 

How to update your system:

Go to Settings > System > System Updates, or click the “Update Now” button, if it appears on your controller. If you have automatic updates enabled, your system will update automatically, though you may need to update your Sonos app manually depending on your App settings. You can enable automatic software updates if you haven’t done so under System > System Updates so that they update without your intervention, that way your system is up to date anytime you go to use it.

 

Changes to Sonos system requirements

With Sonos version 10.5, Sonos apps running for iOS 10, Android 5 and 6, and Fire OS 5 are now partially supported and will no longer receive software updates but can still be used to control commonly-used features. Settings and system configuration changes will need to be done using a fully compatible controller.

 

If your device is running one of these older OS versions, you can check in its system settings to find if a newer version is available to download. Not all devices can update to more modern OS versions.


Sonos 10.5 system requirements

  • Android 7.0 or later

  • iOS 11 or later

  • iPadOS 13 or later

  • macOS 10.11 or later

  • Windows 7 or later

 

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62 replies

K
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

No fix for the buried alarm setting. I really thought Sonos would listen to the many complaints.

Ryan S
Userlevel 7
Badge +26

No fix for the buried alarm setting. I really thought Sonos would listen to the many complaints.

Hey Kirk33, this is being looked at currently. It’s not in this release, but we have a few tests going on. I think you’re following the main thread for that request already, but if not, it’s here. 

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
R
Userlevel 5
Badge +10

A little rant that I know won't make any difference this time but maybe Sonos could about more in the future.

Why stop full support of android 6.0 it is only 4 years since it was released only just over three years since v7.0 and less than 5 years since the first version of 5. There will plenty of devices shipped with one of these releases that cannot be upgraded beyond 6.0.1 Sonos seem to be joining the ranks of companies that force people to upgrade their tech earlier than should be necessary. 

Is there really something clever and new in 10.5 that will not run on Android 6?

C

Hey SONOS:

 

Gone shopping for an Android tablet lately? Android 6.x is common; 7.x is rare and 8.x is bleeding edge.

I know you think and build your business model around the fact that EVERYBODY has the latest and greatest smartphone. BUT that ain ‘t so.  You can try and take the APPLE way, but only if you provide, support and control all aspects of your product and its use.  You don’t and all you’re succeeding in doing with this breakneck pace to be the latest and greatest, is leaving your BASE in the dust.

I personally haven’t seen any new and improved features that are worth the bricking of existing and functional devices and features.  And I doubt if I will in the future

melvimbe

Hey SONOS:

 

Gone shopping for an Android tablet lately? Android 6.x is common; 7.x is rare and 8.x is bleeding edge.

I know you think and build your business model around the fact that EVERYBODY has the latest and greatest smartphone. BUT that ain ‘t so.  You can try and take the APPLE way, but only if you provide, support and control all aspects of your product and its use.  You don’t and all you’re succeeding in doing with this breakneck pace to be the latest and greatest, is leaving your BASE in the dust.

I personally haven’t seen any new and improved features that are worth the bricking of existing and functional devices and features.  And I doubt if I will in the future

 

I believe Google isn’t supporting android 6 anymore, no longer providing security packages. 

Danny
Airgetlam

And if an OS isn’t supported by the company that generated it any longer, it’s incredibly difficult for any app maker to continue to support it….and in fact, legally dangerous, since there aren’t security updates offered, and you could be sued for providing software that you can’t check against the manufacturer’s db to confirm that it can avoid those security issues. There’s no app maker who wants to get sued. If they continue to develop their app, their bound to drop support, since they themselves can’t get any support from the OS maker.

Bruce
A

Looking at the latest system requirements, it looks like  you now only fully support Fire OS 6.2 and higher.

So the Fire tablet that I bought only 18 months ago is now unsupported , even though you can still buy this version brand new. I eventually bought the Fire to replace the iPod Touch that you had previously made obsolete.

You really are on another planet….

chicks

Hey SONOS:

 

Gone shopping for an Android tablet lately? Android 6.x is common; 7.x is rare and 8.x is bleeding edge.

 

 

As of May 2019.  Pie already had 10.4% usage, Oreo was hardly “bleeding edge”.

buzz

So, only about 60% of Android users can continue using their device? I’m in the 40%.

The world is closing in on my control devices.

CR100 - Gone

CR200 - Limited

iPod Touch -Gone

Desktop Controller - Limited

iPad - Full

Android - limited

bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

It may be limited functionality but for everyday use for listening to music it works perfectly.  If you buy new speakers or are making frequent changes to system settings it may be a pain but as an everyday controller it still works.

 

Welcome people to electronics in the 20th Century!  If you want to keep apps and products up to date then you also have to retire older versions.    I don’t like it any more than others but it’s an inevitability if controllers are based on phone and tablet platforms.  This is as true for Sonos as it is for Bose, Denon, Bluesound etc.

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

It may be limited functionality but for everyday use for listening to music it works perfectly.  If you buy new speakers or are making frequent changes to system settings it may be a pain but as an everyday controller it still works.

 

Welcome people to electronics in the 20th Century!  If you want to keep apps and products up to date then you also have to retire older versions.    I don’t like it any more than others but it’s an inevitability if controllers are based on phone and tablet platforms.  This is as true for Sonos as it is for Bose, Denon, Bluesound etc.

 

NOT if you have deployed theLogitech Media Server system … control on PC (Win, Linux), Apple, Android, Alexa.  Mix and match players (including squuezeboxes, chromecasts, any airplay speakers, dnla speakers (incl. sonos), software players, etc.  You can start as low as 20 euro and as high as you want with hardware.   

I’ve lost patience with Sonos controllers becoming more & more restricted to the ‘latest & greatest’ smartphone versions.

R
Userlevel 5
Badge +10

Retiring (and therefore disposing of) devices that still work after a relatively short period when there is no apparent need is what winds me up.

It seems unlikely that is for legal reasons since 5 & 6 have not been providing security updates for some time and 7.0 is unsupported according to a major encyclopaedia website. And anyway they are not stopping day to day use.

The whole issue of the life & support of modern products is not a topic for this board, I was just giving a minor rant to the fact that SONOS are yet another company going down this line.

What perhaps is more interesting topic is what have Sonos put into this release that justifies an uplift to 10.5? rather than a 10.4.n 

A

You really are on another planet….

Oh, I forgot the two android phones and two android tablets that you’d also stopped supporting…. That’s now six perfectly good pieces of kit that can no longer be used - just because the manufacturer of a music system can’t be bothered to support them. And you’ve stopped the one piece of software (i.e. the PC controller) being used to control the system fully  - the one device that is unlikely to run out of resources - how insane is that?

We have people around the world demonstrating about wasting the worlds resources and wrecking the planet, and there’s Sonos just perpetuating the situation.

Isn’t it about time that you allowed people to run the version of software that they (and their devices) are happy with? And please don’t give me the rubbish about “you don’t have to upgrade” - you have to have a bit of tech knowledge and rigid determination to do it. A single device getting the ‘upgrade’ by mistake screws up the entire system and you can never go back.

I’m not even suggesting that you commit to supporting people who choose to run older version, just that you enable them to do so if they choose.

A

Retiring (and therefore disposing of) devices that still work after a relatively short period when there is no apparent need is what winds me up.

Yes - I usually buy devices that simply work - and I’m disappointed if they stop working before I’m ready to retire them. Most modern tech is based around some sort of computer system, but Sonos is the only one that you have to actively fight simply to keep it working. Having just added another device, I’m now locked down again - and it’s just as well, as my Fire is now too old to be fully supported.

bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

Yes - I usually buy devices that simply work - and I’m disappointed if they stop working before I’m ready to retire them.

But they still work as everyday controllers.  That is how it is explained so why keep saying they will stop working when that is not the case?

 

Part of the reason I reluctantly moved away from Android was that most manufacturers refuse to keep up to date beyond even the single Android version.  That is a complete contrast to Apple, who also have their annoying foibles, who support older devices going back 5 or more years.  My Tesco Hudl table was useless for the apps i wanted to run within 18 months. 

A

Yes - I usually buy devices that simply work - and I’m disappointed if they stop working before I’m ready to retire them.

But they still work as everyday controllers.  That is how it is explained so why keep saying they will stop working when that is not the case?

So if my Fire is the only device that I have to make changes, and they’ve taken these changes out of the desktop controller, then how would I not be affected? Luckily I have a fairly recent phone, otherwise I’d have been out of luck if I’d have updated - whether by design or accident. And my other four older devices won’t work at all - one, as previously mentioned, an iPod Touch.

bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

I agree, you an others, including me, will be affected.  But at present most older Android devices will work, as “Everyday controllers” .  This won’t stop, and largely is out of Sonos or other companies hands.

 

I don’t agree with the desktop controllers being crippled, especially as that had nothing to do with Windows versions. But, as you stated, you have a device that can make changes still.  My Amazon Fire tablet went in the bin before it was no longer supported as it was probably the worst tablet I have ever owned, their decision to mess with Android OS to create their own Android Fire version is terrible for everyone and they seem even less capable than proper Android tablet suppliers of supporting recent Firmware updates.

 

In general this whole Firmware updating system from IT companies is an absolute mess.  The trouble is these are the rail tracks that Sonos, and other applications/products, are running on an rely on these mobile devices as their controller engines.  If they don’t stay on the mainline they end up in a branch line where their products don’t work at all.  The resulting discarded technologies fill up drawers in consumer homes.

 

 

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

Agreed.  But many users would like a simple option to switch off updates so it’s their choice to stick with what works for them.   The auto update off option doesn’t apply to the cr200 (or the desktop controllers?).

A

Agreed.  But many users would like a simple option to switch off updates so it’s their choice to stick with what works for them.   The auto update off option doesn’t apply to the cr200 (or the desktop controllers?).

Certainly a one place switch would be useful, so that no Sonos related software/kit gets updated at all. However, it equally annoys me that it’s a one way street - most computers can be rolled back, if required, but not Sonos.

melvimbe

Agreed.  But many users would like a simple option to switch off updates so it’s their choice to stick with what works for them.   The auto update off option doesn’t apply to the cr200 (or the desktop controllers?).

 

The issue I see with this is that I don’t think users and general will readily accept the notion that staying on a previous version means they are no longer covered with support.  If an issue happens, they’re still going to be upset and be bad PR for Sonos.  Not to mention that older version system won’t be able to purchase any new products, the sole source of income for Sonos.

 

I realize that’s not exactly helpful and I’m not offering any solutions.  

Danny
buzz

A longer lasting solution would be to release a “controller” box. This hardware could be little more than a Raspberry Pi that offers a browser based user interface, then controls the SONOS system. Keeping this box up to date would be relatively inexpensive for everyone. In the worst case it could be inexpensively replaced. 

Over the long haul the buy once, free support forever business model crashes after the market saturates. This controller box could come with a subscription fee for updates. The fee would give SONOS some incentive to continue supporting the box. New player hardware sales could still be stimulated by system expansion, offering products with compelling new features, and replacing ancient units that failed due to age.

The current system approach is that the players are co-equal and one player becomes the “coordinator” for a L/R pair. Groups also have a coordinator. This works well, but the older players are being challenged due to processor power and memory constraints. This hierarchy could be modified to have the controller box, if present, take over the coordinator functions.

R
Userlevel 3
Badge +3

And if an OS isn’t supported by the company that generated it any longer, it’s incredibly difficult for any app maker to continue to support it….and in fact, legally dangerous, since there aren’t security updates offered, and you could be sued for providing software that you can’t check against the manufacturer’s db to confirm that it can avoid those security issues. There’s no app maker who wants to get sued. If they continue to develop their app, their bound to drop support, since they themselves can’t get any support from the OS maker.

 

I'm not a lawyer so didn't know this was a thing. I just assumed that EULAs protected companies from this sort of thing.

Would tthis legal principle apply to Sonos and the SMBv1 issue?

buzz

My understanding of the SMBv1 issue is that the underlying Linux kernal of the older units must be modified and this cannot be done in the field.

melvimbe

A longer lasting solution would be to release a “controller” box. This hardware could be little more than a Raspberry Pi that offers a browser based user interface, then controls the SONOS system. Keeping this box up to date would be relatively inexpensive for everyone. In the worst case it could be inexpensively replaced. 

Over the long haul the buy once, free support forever business model crashes after the market saturates. This controller box could come with a subscription fee for updates. The fee would give SONOS some incentive to continue supporting the box. New player hardware sales could still be stimulated by system expansion, offering products with compelling new features, and replacing ancient units that failed due to age.

 

 

From what I’ve seen, most/many/some users will not accept having to pay anything additional in order to maintain the system they already bought.  There will be complaints about having to purchase a new box and certainly won’t like a subscription fee.  That fee itself will be somewhat odd, since it won’t be about new services offered, or be required for customers with more current android/iOS devices.

 

My other thought on this is that if administration/control is browser based, why not have it be cloud sourced instead of the controller device?  This would be easier to maintain for Sonos and have the benefit of control away from home.  It could be more of a security risk though perhaps and not as responsive.

 

The current system approach is that the players are co-equal and one player becomes the “coordinator” for a L/R pair. Groups also have a coordinator. This works well, but the older players are being challenged due to processor power and memory constraints. This hierarchy could be modified to have the controller box, if present, take over the coordinator functions.

 

if you went this route, you could make it more appealing to a wider audience if you added additional features.  You could add airplay and aux input.  You add HDMI-ARC so that you could use a stereo pair with a TV possibly….not sure that would work on older devices.  That would make such a device more appealing to a wider audience then just those using older speakers and older operating systems.

Danny
R
Userlevel 3
Badge +3

My understanding of the SMBv1 issue is that the underlying Linux kernal of the older units must be modified and this cannot be done in the field.

I'm wondering about the legal exposure mentioned in the post more so than the technical reason, thanks 👍

 

 

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