Skip to main content

I’m stuck in a loop here.  I have a group of 3 rooms.  I want to adjust the volume in one of the rooms on the app, but I can’t.  That group has “3 issues” meaning, 3 speakers that “need” to be updated.  So when I click on the group it just takes me to the update screen.  I try to run the update, it fails (code 30), now I’m stuck and can’t change the volume of the speaker.

 

My only solution is to go into the room and manually adjust the speaker using buttons.  It requires a ladder to reach this speaker.  Am I to fetch the ladder each time I want to adjust the volume a few clicks?

 

Seriously, this is very stupid for the price I paid for the product.  I have 13+ products, not all in reachable places, and they are always complaining about being out of date.  People say they’re not “forced” updates, but they are in the context that 80% of their features don’t work until you update them.  The speaker is still usable if it’s hardwired to your TV and you use the buttons, but that entirely negates the point of having a smart speaker system.  These forced updates are ridiculous, I paid for the product I want to use the product.

 

In the least, give me an actual error message.  As of now, this is all the FAQ gives me about my error:

Error 30 occurs when one of your Sonos products tries to download the update file but is unsuccessful.

Okay but why was it unsuccessful?  Speaker was not contactable?  IP address conflict?  Unable to connect to Sonos’s update server?  Give me something I can work with and actually debug.  The solution of “turn it off and on again” cannot be the only fix.  That means I have to go around my house every other month diligently un-plugging and re-plugging in 13 speakers and hoping this time it works.  As I said, I can’t exactly reach all the speakers mounted near the ceiling, cables behind the walls, etc. I basically have to shut off power to my whole house to accomplish this.

 

It is so infuriating to never know when your speakers are going to work, and by work I mean work the way they did yesterday, app and all.  Even just let me un-group the speaker that is deciding not to update so I can move forward and turn on music for my guests.  Stop the forced update nonsense.  And stop treating me like a moron, tell me why I need the update.  I get that there could be a protocol issue that needs solving.  Make it make sense.  And when the update fails (which is about 50% of the time) give me real, useful, debug logs so I can fix the problem.

This article https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4905?language=en_US gives more info and advice on overcoming the issue. 
 

If you turn off automatic updates on devices and all controller apps you can select when you want to install any updates. 

Go to Settings → System → System Updates and turn OFF Automatic Updates. This will prevent the players from updating in the middle of the night, but it will not prevent an accidental update from the App Store. The biggest risk here is a child or friend doing you a ‘favor’ by updating the App.

You may be able to go to Settings → System → About My System and check the update status of each player and the App. Normally, all units and the controller will have the same ‘build’. If one unit is different, this is likely the problem unit . I recommend removing power from that unit, then attempt the update again. Another technique that can help this sort of situation is to wire one or more players to the network during the update. You may need to wire the problem player during its update.

This article https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4905?language=en_US gives more info and advice on overcoming the issue. 
 

If you turn off automatic updates on devices and all controller apps you can select when you want to install any updates. 


Yes, I am aware of this article.  It is incredibly vague and doesn’t help me diagnose the problem.  It’s the standard “turn it off and on again” answer which doesn’t solve my issue and is difficult to perform due to how my speakers are mounted.

Turning off updates doesn’t solve my issue.  The app still prevents me from grouping a speaker that is out of date.  My system is in an unusable state until I perform the updates.

 

I recommend removing power from that unit, then attempt the update again. Another technique that can help this sort of situation is to wire one or more players to the network during the update. You may need to wire the problem player during its update.

This is the standard “solve all things” answer.  I understand it, but it’s not always practical due to the number of units I have and how difficult it is to access some of them.

I would much prefer a real error message I can use.  Signal is too weak, I can boost the router.  No response from update server, let me turn off my Pi-Hole.  IP address is use, I can set static ones in my DHCP.

You’re suggesting the “quick fix” to get my speakers working, but it doesn’t necessarily stop them from erroring again.  Until I’m given useful information, I can’t make useful changes.

And dragging 100ft of ethernet through my home while my guest wait patiently isn’t a great solution by any means.

It seems that one player has an issue, but we don’t know which player. About My System may give a clue. Or, submit a diagnostic and follow-up with SONOS support.

Terms & ConditionsCookie settings