You can continue reading for the complete story or skip to Part Four for latest news. In Part Three you’ll find news from Sonos Tech Support (STS) with a suggested work-a-round with promise of a final resolution to come later.
As the title indicates you may find that the balance slider is not working on your Sonos Amp under certain configurations. Meaning that there’s no change in audio position. The slider still appears as white (active) and not greyed out (inactive).
I have two Sonos Amps used as music devices only; both setup with Sonos subs and 3rd party speakers. Had a conversation with Sonos Tech Support (STS) who helped...kinda’.
STS ran a diagnostic on both Amps and said it showed they were set as Home Theaters That was very odd as they have never been setup as such; nor was TV Autoplay engaged. In fact a HDMI cable had never come within two inches (or less) of the HDMI port on the Amps.
Moving on...STS had me factory reset both Amps. Voila’ the balance slider works. Issue resolved so we disconnected the support call. I tried the balance sliders again and they were still working; or so I thought.
My next step was to re-add the subs to both Amps. Upon re-adding the Subs the balance slider ceased to work. Imagine that .
My suspicion is that upon re-adding the subs something interferes with the balance slider causing it to not work. I didn’t have time to call STS again and apprise them of the situation/glitch.
Thankfully the balance slider not working doesn’t interfere with my music. So as it stands it’s not a top priority for me. I’ll set sometime aside at a later date to re-contact STS to get the issues resolved. I hope
Final thoughts...I can’t say if the issue existed before the App update as I don’t use the balance slider. So the issue may or may not be related to the new App.
EDIT….I have two (2) sets of Sonos speakers set as stereo pairs with subs and the balance slider works perfectly. Therefore it has to be something going on between the Amp/Sonos Sub combination with 3rd party speakers. I can’t attest as to how the balance slider may be affected when used in a home theater setup with Sonos Architectural or 3rd party speakers with Sonos sub.
Part Two_Occuring in Real Time
On phone with STS again. Instructed to remove sub. Verified that removing the Sonos Sub allows the balance slider to work properly. On hold again while they confer.
STS having me show them the back of my Amps to verify there is no HDMI cable connected. Very untrusting. A little bit insulting. Oh well
They are now rebooting my Amps remotely and gathering more diagnostics
Added the sub back. Balance control not working again
Had me connect Amp via Ethernet. No change. Balance Slider not working.
STS Gathering more diagnostics for further consultation
Still on hold while STS tries to figure out the issue. My guess is that it won’t happen today.
Removed the sub and factory reset the Amp
Balance Slider working
Captured another diagnostic
Added The sub back
Balance slider not working
Captured another diagnostic
Testing on MacBook Sonos Controller running MacOS Sonoma 14.5
Balance controller works!
Captured diagnostics from MacBook Sonos controller
At this point it appears that there is an issue with iOS 17.5.1 and the App with Amp/Sub combination
STS is going to contact me later to set a date/time to discuss a final resolution
It may be something that Sonos has to fix in the app for iOS 17.5.1 or it may hinge upon the next iOS update or both
At least for now I have a better understanding of what is occurring
I hope this helps you as well if experiencing the same issue
I’ll report back upon final resolution
Part Three
Good News! Received an email from STS stating that Sonos Engineers have successfully reproduced the issue with the Balance Slider when a sub is connected to an Amp.
STS will work on a resolution but no ETA to completion as of now.
The work-a-round is to use the desktop controller for MacOS and Windows until such time a fix is in place.
Therefore, I suggest keeping an eye up for an update.
Thankfully the balance is fixed to the center rather than left or right.
Part Four
No change with latest update to version 16.3 installed on 7/16/24
Page 1 / 2
Normally I'd suggest it's another bug related to the new update but I'm informed that there are none and that such issues can ‘ALL be traced back to network issues.’
Normally I'd suggest it's another bug related to the new update but I'm informed that there are none and that such issues can ‘ALL be traced back to network issues.’
Whatever! However, it might well be an incompatibility with iOS 17.5.1 as the MacOS has no issues. Also as I stated it could have been glitching prior to May as I very rarely use the balance control. Furthermore it’s very isolated as it only affects the Amp when a sub is added and no other Sonos products in tangent with a Sub.
I have exactly the same issue. With the sub (mini) paired the balance control no longer works. Re-set/install the amp and leave the sub out of it and it all works fine with the balance control working as it should. As soon as i add the sub, the balance control no longer affects the sound-scape.
Hello,
exact même problème sur mon système (2 amp, 1 sub, 1 port). No network issue.
hope Sonos will correct the bug.
thank you!
I have exactly the same problem. My placement of the speakers requires a balance adjustment so that the left is higher, otherwise the sound will not be good. It was working without any problem before the update in May. Immediately noticed something was wrong with the sound and found that the balance control was reset and nothing happened when adjusting it. Don't understand how Sonos can release an update where basic functions don't work. It must be included in the internal tests that should be done before a release. Still no release date when this is fixed?
Note, only used as amp with two speakers and sub, never with HDMI or cinema setup.
I have exactly the same problem. Thanks for doing the heavy lifting with STS and I look forward to a solution!
Hi @AjTrek1 et al
With the latest software updates, we now consider this issue to have been resolved.
If you still see this behaviour, please first ensure your Sonos system and app are fully up-to-date, and call in if you see no improvement.
I hope this helps.
@Corry P this issue is still occurring for me. Latest app version and system version.
I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and post the fact here, so @Corry P can look at the data, and pass it on.
Just as a guess, the issue you may be experiencing might be different than the one they ‘fixed’, although that likely isn’t terribly helpful to you.
Hi @voll96
@Corry P this issue is still occurring for me. Latest app version and system version.
I’m sorry to hear that - I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and what it reports.
I hope this helps.
@Corry P
Thanks for your involvement and my apologies for the late response. Unfortunately, I must report that the issue as described in my initial post has not been resolved. All factors regarding the mobile app and those on my MacBook remain the same.
As stated the Sonos app on my MacBook works perfectly for balance which is the suggested work-around. While I’m not overly concerned as the Balance Control remains in center...it would be nice if Sonos could correct the issue for the mobile app.
I’m not sure what Sonos Tech Support thinks they fixed; but it most certainly is not what is described in my post.
Here are the current specifications for all devices:
iPhone 15 Pro Mac: iOS 18.0.1
MacBook Pro M4_14 inch: MacOS Sequoia 15.0.1
Sonos App (iPhone): S2_80.09.09_Version 16.4.2
Sons App (MacBook): S2_Version 16.4.2
As per Sonos privacy/security to avoid PII being captured in a post I will send you the Diagnostic ID in a PM.
Cheers!
Hi @AjTrek1
Thanks for the diagnostics! Weirdly, there is no information in them about your controller - as the latest app update is on a rolling release, can you please confirm the software version of your Sonos app? To have the fix, you’ll need to be on version 80.10.06, which will only become available to 100% of users later today.
Apologies - I should have waited for 100% before announcing a fix.
Hi @AjTrek1
Thanks for the diagnostics! Weirdly, there is no information in them about your controller - as the latest app update is on a rolling release, can you please confirm the software version of your Sonos app? To have the fix, you’ll need to be on version 80.10.06, which will only become available to 100% of users later today.
Apologies - I should have waited for 100% before announcing a fix.
So are you saying the fix is only for Android as 80.10.06 is the Android release and iOS is 80.09.09??
Hi @Ian_S
We understood this issue to only be happening on Android controllers, so that is correct, yes.
I hope this helps.
Is the fix for iOS controller a matter of waiting for the 80.10.06 release?
Hi @BMZ
Hi @Ian_S
We understood this issue to only be happening on Android controllers, so that is correct, yes.
I hope this helps.
Is the fix for iOS controller a matter of waiting for the 80.10.06 release?
If the issue only occurred on Android, why would we release a fix for iOS?
Because it’s also an issue on iOS.
Hi @BMZ
Apologies - re-reading @AjTrek1’s opening post above, I can see that iOS was indeed mentioned.
It is not clear to me why the ticket only described Android as being affected, but that may have only been in the ticket title - iOS may have been added to the details of the ticket at a later date.
Given that the issue is stated to be fixed with a version of the app that is not yet out for iOS, there’s a chance that the next app update for iOS will contain a fix for this, but I will see what I can find out in the meantime - we may have to increase the scope of the ticket and reopen it.
This will be much easier to do if I can supply a diagnostic from a iOS device affected by this issue - could you please recreate the issue and immediately submit a support diagnostic, letting me know here when you have done so? Please include a screenshot of the EQ page too. Thanks.
Hi @BMZ
Apologies - re-reading @AjTrek1’s opening post above, I can see that iOS was indeed mentioned.
It is not clear to me why the ticket only described Android as being affected, but that may have only been in the ticket title - iOS may have been added to the details of the ticket at a later date.
Given that the issue is stated to be fixed with a version of the app that is not yet out for iOS, there’s a chance that the next app update for iOS will contain a fix for this, but I will see what I can find out in the meantime - we may have to increase the scope of the ticket and reopen it.
This will be much easier to do if I can supply a diagnostic from a iOS device affected by this issue - could you please recreate the issue and immediately submit a support diagnostic, letting me know here when you have done so? Please include a screenshot of the EQ page too. Thanks.
Hi @Corry P
Thanks for the follow-up. The following is in no way directed toward you.
What’s strange is this….
When I called Sonos Tech Support no one knew of the issue. Meaning I was evidently the first t report it. As you can see from my original post the Tech and I went through a lot of testing and running diagnostics. iPhone and MacBook. Not once is Android mentioned.
It’s snafu’s like this that cause customers to lose faith in Sonos Tech Support. How the issue that was reproduced by Sonos Tech which should have been using iOS can wind up under Android is beyond my understanding. That is totally unacceptable.
OK...now that I have vented I’ll submit another diagnostic later. BTW...the Sonos app reports my system as up-to-date. I’ve ‘also deleted and reinstated the Sonos app and checked for iOS update.
The results remain as:
iOS 18.0.1
S2
80.09.09
Version: 16.4.2
Hi @AjTrek1
All fair points!
Front-line agents do not have access to the system we use to track issues and can therefore sometimes be unable to find any details on a newly discovered issue - someone needs to write it up and make it part of the documentation and that can take some time.
So, it’s possible that the bug tracker for this issue was already created before you called in, too late for iOS to be included in the original title of the report and too early for agents to have any knowledge of it, but as mentioned, that does not mean that iOS was not included in the description eventually (if it was).
A perfect storm, if you will, but things do tend to go a bit smoother than this in “normal times”.
Your post was from last night - are you still not able to download the newest Android app?
Hi @Corry P
I’m an iOS user. Is that what you meant to ask as to downloading the app? Just tried again deleted the app and reinstalled. Still 80.09.09.
Hi @AjTrek1
OK it seems like it is still a bit too early for me! Ignore me!
I was thinking of the Android rolling update and completely missed your mention of iOS (again).
Hi @AjTrek1
Thanks for the diagnostic - I’ve forwarded it on.
Could you please also post a screenshot of the EQ page for the Amp in iOS? Thanks.
@Corry P
Thanks for the response. As I have two Amps connected to 3rd party speakers here are the screen shots for each room:
Room Name: Speakers
Room Name: Turntable *
* The -1 Bass Silde for Turntable was done purposely so I could identify the room
@Corry P
FYI….I do have an Android tablet for testing. However, at the time I reported the issue I had not yet purchased the Android device. I was ALL IN with iOS.
Long story short the balance slider does work when using my Android tablet (OS 80.10.06). Therefore, all issues point to a conflict with iOS 18.0.1 (although the iOS version was different at the time) and Sonos 80.09.09 by my guesstimation.