Question

Devs, please make your S2 app compatible with Android 6.0.1...PLEASE?

  • 10 June 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 510 views

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I’m sure some Sonos superfans are going to come by this thread and tell me to buy a new tablet, but my Nexus 7 (2013) running Android 6.0.1 is the best tablet I’ve ever owned and still works with all streaming services, from Netflix and Sling to little old RugbyPass and WatchNRL.

Hell, even Comcast’s Stream app works on Android 6. That’s COMCAST, the company so hated by their customers their name became an insult to other companies (e.g., “you’re literally Comcast!”) and had to rebrand as Xfinity.

So I’m really hoping you beautiful developers can see the light and one day (soon?) allow me to use my beloved Nexus 7 as a Sonos controller again. I have five Sonos Ones, an Amp, a Beam, and a Move. The Move, by the way, is among my favorite possessions, right up there with the Nexus 7. May they all live a long and useful life!


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3 replies

I think Sonos concern with supporting the Sonos app on android 6.0 is that Google no longer provides security updates for the OS.  The nature of how Sonos has access inside your network is different than how streaming apps operate, which don’t even need to be connected to your home network to operate.  

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That’s a fair point, Danny, and I do appreciate your taking the time to point that out!

But at the same time, Android 6.0.1 was supported by Sonos until very recently, and yet Google released 6.0.1 way back in October of 2017. If Sonos (and its users) were willing to take that risk for so long, why not now?

Now I know it takes resources to support multiple OSs, but clearly, Android 6.0.1 isn’t going to change and require a lot of upkeep, and if I were a (smart) malevolent hacker, I probably wouldn’t waste my time trying to find and exploit vulnerabilities in an unsupported OS that’s naturally losing users when I could be finding and exploiting them in newer OSs that are growing users.

Not trying to be argumentative, just logical (or so I think!)...and of course pleading for what I want! :D

LONG LIVE THE MARSHMALLOW!

That’s a fair point, Danny, and I do appreciate your taking the time to point that out!

But at the same time, Android 6.0.1 was supported by Sonos until very recently, and yet Google released 6.0.1 way back in October of 2017. If Sonos (and its users) were willing to take that risk for so long, why not now?

 

 

From a quick google search, it looks like Google dropped security updates for 6 earlier this year, not that long ago.

 

Now I know it takes resources to support multiple OSs, but clearly, Android 6.0.1 isn’t going to change and require a lot of upkeep, and if I were a (smart) malevolent hacker, I probably wouldn’t waste my time trying to find and exploit vulnerabilities in an unsupported OS that’s naturally losing users when I could be finding and exploiting them in newer OSs that are growing users.

Not trying to be argumentative, just logical (or so I think!)...and of course pleading for what I want! :D

LONG LIVE THE MARSHMALLOW!

 

I’m not a security expert, but I don’t think it necessarily works that way for hackers.  They may find a way to exploit current systems, a security patches fixes it, but the exploit still may exists on older unsupported versions that are not paatched.

 

And I have no doubt that Sonos decision is not just about security, but a reasonable point to drop support.  The app itself gets updated, requiring development and testing on supported OSs.  As you said it takes resources.