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Just trying this new app on both android tablet and iPad. Still boring but now more difficult to use. Not intuitive or user friendly.

I didn't like the app before now I hate it more. SONOS you need to get better app designers. This app is the only thing that would put me off recommending sonos to all friends and family. HORRIBLE,HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. BORING colours, BORING design, BORING LAYOUT.
The white look is hideous.
FWIW, I think the new iOS apps are good once one spends a few moments adjusting to the model. The tabs at the bottom allow the functionality to be more logically organised, accessed faster, and make the app more expandable for future functions. Rooms are now a first-class UI element. Its major crime seems to be that it's 'different'. There are one or two minor UX tweaks I'd make, but the basic direction seems good.



The choice of light/dark is a matter of taste. Light appears to be more common in modern mobile apps.



There was a similar furore when Strava changed its iOS app from dark to light. Lots of angry jumping up and down before everyone just got used to it. I guess Sonos could probably implement a night (dark) mode without too much effort if there really is a persistent widespread objection, but I'd leave it a few weeks to see if folks get used to it.
Exactly! This new one is a major step backwards! A typical thing, when software "geniuses" try to design a controller. Only these idiots understand the logic, not for normal people. Bad.
Yeah, I wish I hadn't updated. The look is ugly and it doesn't use space well at all. Now instead of seeing all of my radio stations in a compact list I can see only two at a time. Come on, can't you do better than this?
The usual complaints when a new version is rolled out. It is different ergo it is hideous and wrong. I do so wonder how some people ever cope with the new BT tv remotes.
I rarely get bothered by changes to software, but this ver8 is, on first look, a really retrograde step.White background a matter of taste (and it will use batteries quicker... it's really BRIGHT!) but Why oh Why do we have to have such big icons in the My Sonos page? Have to scroll down and across to even get to see lists.. ridiculous "design"! Have lists please so we can see what's what on one page without having to search the page first.

I note that the Ver8 for MacOS (Sierra) looks like the old controller Ver 7 and before... much better>..DON"T CHANGE IT!!!!!!!
It´s the same story like Apple iTunes. From the best Musicmanagement to an unattractive nightmare. sonos has now done exactly the same. I´m to old for the 8.0 App !:(:@
Is there anyone who has the 7.4 iphone app software? this app is so bad, i started to research how to Crack/hijack my iphone just to load the previous versions. i done have an itune ack-up so the easy way is not available to me
Cross posted from another topic thread - I made the mistske of telling Google Store to update the Sonos app. Once the app updated it self and all my speakers were upgraded, I found the new UI to be terrible and not have dark backgrounds, among many other issues. I uninstalled the 8.0 app and found an apk mirror for Sonos 7.4, I reverted back to 7.4 for android to get the original, useful UI back that also has the wonderful dark backgrounds and a host of other things. No issues so far... 🙂
What apk mirror did you use Achristocat?



EDIT: Never mind, found it : )
This is SO awful. Horrible workflow. Just garbage. Totally disappointed.
It needs to be simply, compact, intuitive and fast. The new app is none if these.
Fully agree. I have been using Sonos for over 10 years. I have 6 rooms and have been through all the different controllers and device apps but this is by far the worst user experience. The layout is appalling, the workflow is so bad I get cross everytime I use it. It's the most unfriendly app I have ever used. Why can you not follow the same design as most app developers where simple things like back equals back. So often I hit back only to return to my phone's home screen. If I wanted to go home I would have pressed home. Please please please listen to your customers and invest in a decent app UX team.
Wow so much hate. I actually like it. It’s much faster for me than the old app. Better layout. Yes a dark theme would be nice though. But I don’t get all this hate.
Been a lot said on this topic... is there a place where I can preview the screens before upgrading? The 28 second video doesn't convey much but there must be a place where I can see a photo of each new screen and menu?
Been a lot said on this topic... is there a place where I can preview the screens before upgrading? The 28 second video doesn't convey much but there must be a place where I can see a photo of each new screen and menu?



Why bother? Have you ever liked one thing about a UI upgrade since 4.x (or was it before that? 3.x?)



Serious question.



And no, there is not a comprehensive place where you can view every new screen and menu. If you can't get the gist of the new UI from the various videos, I don't know what to say. Though I do think you put way too much sturm and drang into a mere UI change.




Why bother? Have you ever liked one thing about a UI upgrade since 4.x (or was it before that? 3.x?)



Serious question.



And no, there is not a comprehensive place where you can view every new screen and menu. If you can't get the gist of the new UI from the various videos, I don't know what to say. Though I do think you put way too much sturm and drang into a mere UI change.



I'm not among those who have been posting stressfully for the past week about the new UI. I was just curious if there was a good way to preview it to see what all the fuss is about. As long as the PC app is the same it won't affect me and I'm not going to give Sonos grief over UI changes on devices that I don't even use for Sonos control anyway.
I rarely get bothered by changes to software, but this ver8 is, on first look, a really retrograde step.White background a matter of taste (and it will use batteries quicker... it's really BRIGHT!) but Why oh Why do we have to have such big icons in the My Sonos page? Have to scroll down and across to even get to see lists.. ridiculous "design"! Have lists please so we can see what's what on one page without having to search the page first.

I note that the Ver8 for MacOS (Sierra) looks like the old controller Ver 7 and before... much better>..DON"T CHANGE IT!!!!!!!



Look at the screen!!!!



See all

Edit
There are some good screenshots and descriptions on the product guide page here.



Also, I think the blog post has a lot of great material for that too.
Thanks, I'll have a look at those.
Why is it every time you guys change the app it becomes more cumbersome and less user-friendly. This 8.0 app is NOT better. Please give us the choice before you go changing the apps that we use all the time.
Personally this latest update feels like a real step backwards in user friendliness.



The 'MY SONOS' tab... Use far too much space displaying content, I always have to press 'show all' button to see what I need to, so why bother with the new BIG look?!

The 'ROOMS' tab. Again, the new layout uses to much space and makes it much more difficult to see what's playing in each room at a glance (which is surely the point?) Now only shows 3 rooms on screen, a completely unnecessary waste of space when the old layout showed much more. I would like to be able to see many more rooms/speakers.

'SEARCH' & 'BROWSE' tabs - why are there two tabs for an almost identical function?!



Another slight annoyance is when on the expanded playing screen... The new tabs across the bottom VANISH (on my phone) so there's barely any point having them if they're supposed to be short cuts... I still have to hit the tiny arrow in the top left corner to get anywhere!

On a plus, the quick grouping of rooms does seems slicker/better, but overall I'm pretty unimpressed!
Your comments about the size of things are valid. Browse and Search are not remotely similar, but browse is mis-named and should be called Sources. The fact that the bar is not visible on the now playing screen is certainly a flaw, which I hope will be corrected. I find it easier to swipe down the screen than press the down arrow.
I also hate the white look, even the notification area turns white, looks like a school project app. I don't see any increase in speed, album covers from my library are updated more slowly then 7.4. I agree with comments about tabs and why are playlists found under MySonos and Music Library under Browse?? Browse should display all sources that's what browse means right? On the MySonos tab as previously mentioned playlists are now big ugly icons which you have to scroll down to find , and most are just the generic icon anyway. A nice alphabetical list like 7.4 is all that's needed. App is getting more like Apple every day more form less function.
I too would prefer to see Sonos Playlists under Browse, which should be called Sources. But if you want the logical difference it is that everything in a playlist is actually chosen from one of the 'true' sources
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