8.2 Is Completely Frustratingly Awful

  • 17 November 2017
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67 replies

To use this app with little practical difficulty, you need to remember the following:

1. I use the tab bar to navigate. If I am on the Now Playing screen I need to swipe it down to see the tab bar.
2. To select a room, I tap the Rooms button and then the room. The Rooms screen also allows me to group rooms
3. To select music for that room, I tap Browse, Search or My Sonos, depending on how and where I want to choose my music.

That's it really. I hope that helps.
Userlevel 6
Badge +7
Phew that was bloody difficult. :D:D

What you are not getting is that most people don't think like a programmer. Let alone they are actually keen on doing so for something as simple as turning on the radio.


Stop. That hardly requires the mind of a programmer. As I keep saying I am not saying that the new app is better than the old app. What I am rejecting is the notion that it is now unusable. That is hyperbole. The way some people are behaving you would swear with the old app all you had to do was think about something you wanted to hear and it would start playing. It required steps as well to get something done. It is partly about muscle memory. A simple effort to retrain your brain and you will find yourself skipping around the app as I am now.

That does not mean you have to agree with the changes. Like I still do not agree with some of the queue management changes made earlier.

But oh “I rate the app minus 3”, “I can’t figure out how to do anything”. “I am going to sell all my units”. “I can no longer recommend this product”. People are free to opinions but come on. It hasn’t made a fine system all of a sudden awful. I still hold that the changes here are more form than substance. Some of these things can be fixed.

Let’s wait to see what Sonos does with some of the useful feedback and not puerile comments.
Sonos - please fix app as this is most un-intuitive user interface .. What have you done .. Hope you are working on a fix .. Pandora use to display a great UI on IPAD .. Now un-usable ..
Userlevel 6
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Phew that was bloody difficult. :D:D

What you are not getting is that most people don't think like a programmer. Let alone they are actually keen on doing so for something as simple as turning on the radio.
Userlevel 6
Badge +7
At dinner the other day I asked my wife to select and play a radio station in the Family Room zone. Gave up after five minutes. :(:(

All jokes aside. You would need to first go to “Rooms” tap on Family Room. Now that we have navigated that most complex task we would need to go to “Browse” and select the source for your Radio station - be it iHeart Radio, Tunein or whatever and you find your station as common sense would dictate. If you had it as a favorite you would also be able to access it through My Sonos. So “Browse” for looking for desired source or “My Sonos” for quick favourites.

Phew that was bloody difficult. :D:D
Userlevel 6
Badge +7
At dinner the other day I asked my wife to select and play a radio station in the Family Room zone. Gave up after five minutes. :(:(

These remarks continue to amuse me. How deep into the dinner party was this? Would everyone been able to pass the stand on one foot test??? 😃
Userlevel 4
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Oh, yes! A series of taps on the search button walks you progressively back through your previous search 'journey'. Difficult to find but good when you know how!
Actually, sometimes it does pull up the keyboard. But quite often not. Not sure when or why there's a difference.In fact I think it is really two taps. First to highlight, second to get back to Now Playing And a single tap if the room is already the highlighted one. You may just have to refine your tapping technique!
Edit. Sorry didn't read thread carefully enough. My comment relates to room screen

I have found that tapping Browse or Search generally takes me into my last Browse or Search. A second tap takes me back to the 'root' Browse or Search
Userlevel 4
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Actually, sometimes it does pull up the keyboard. But quite often not. Not sure when or why there's a difference.
Userlevel 4
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Thanks for the feedback, we're making sure to share with the team.

Just a note on search. If you press the search tab button at the bottom twice, it'll pull up the keyboard and you can start searching right there.

@Y2kExp, if you're having trouble, we'd love to help. I'd suggest giving us a call on our support line.


I've tried the double tap thing... Doesn't seem to do anything.
Userlevel 3
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At dinner the other day I asked my wife to select and play a radio station in the Family Room zone. Gave up after five minutes. :(:(
Userlevel 7
Badge +16
I honestly couldn't recomend the system to my friends in good faith, the hardware is excellent but completely ruined by the mess that v8xx was and has become.

Every week you cling onto this app despite all the complaints from loyal and paying customers the brand is being devalued.

Dread to think what comes out of the software "development" office next..
Userlevel 1
I agree about latest App UI. I can't even remember what v7 looked like, but I don't ever remember struggling to know how to navigate, like I do regulary with v8. Feels like one of those cases where UX designers are trying too hard to simplify and took away some o the basic intuitive navigation. It's also really hard to see which speakers are playing different sources, and I don't like that when multiple speakers are in a group, sometimes I can't see the name of a grouped speaker at all. I have to first search the whole list, then realizing it is not there, start searching the groups to see which one it is embedded in.
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
We usually are quiet on what exactly is being worked on in many regards. When it comes to software there's a lot that can impact plans and timelines, so we try not to overshare.

The team has heard your criticism from the community and other places around the color changes. The contrast and colors are being looked into, but since I'm not certain what the final plan is, we can't speak to what will happen. It does have a lot of attention, however, and there are several options being reviewed and tested. That process takes time, and incorporating all feedback is important at every stage of development. With all app changes, we get lots of both positive and negative feedback. The team takes the time to review it all and design based on that.
Thanks for the feedback, we're making sure to share with the team..

Such "sharing" is all well and good, Ryan but what are you actually planning to change?

You are losing your loyal customers' goodwill with the mess that's been made with v8 and I'm already investigating alternative solutions for my new house due to this update...

What Sonos need to do is be more open about what you're planning to change, you're usual approach of not providing details just isn't enough now with the mess you've made (IMO and that's all I care about as a customer).

e.g. Are you going to remove (or provide an option to avoid) the white-on-white interface?
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Thanks for the feedback, we're making sure to share with the team.

Just a note on search. If you press the search tab button at the bottom twice, it'll pull up the keyboard and you can start searching right there.

@Y2kExp, if you're having trouble, we'd love to help. I'd suggest giving us a call on our support line.
Userlevel 1
I agree, everything worked "ok" but now nothing works, another great update for Sonos. #wantmy$back