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.
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Wife has just got over the price of my Playbar, 2 Play 1's and Sub. She likes the 7.4 so might be shooting myself in the foot going to 8.0..
Do not update-I repeat-DO NOT upgrade.unless, that is, you want software that is more complicated then the previous. It is horrible. You will have marriage trouble if you have a misses with 8.0
I also have 19 Sonos and regret updating. I do wish I was in the position you are in-still being in the old software 😞
Userlevel 1
I do understand very well. I've spent 2500 euro's on something I do not like to use anymore.
After so many days, I still couldn't manage the rooms without struggling, more clicks for basic operations, less readable (can't use it without my reading glasses), ... Sad, very sad.
Well not surprised by these reactions. Change usually brings strong reactions on this forum. I will say though I do not necessarily find it unintuitive. I will usually only deem an app unintuitive if if feels completely unnatural in the way it is meant to work and it feels that way for say more than a few days. This was a change but I got used to it quickly. Do I prefer it to the previous version. The answer is no. But it does not bother me too much or certainly not to the point where I threaten to not recommend etc. Some things better like room grouping. Over time I just find it felt a touch compartmentalized and choppy. Again not a deal breaker for me.
I think this is all in line with a trend to make the Sonos app more akin to that of the typical streaming service. Much like the changes made to queue management, which incensed me greatly, I feel these changes are geared more to future users than current ones.
In any event besides resistance to change there is good feedback coming out here. The size of icons in the my Sonos section,the use of too much space in the rooms tab or the disappearance of the shortcut tabs at the bottom in full “Now playing” mode are actually good observations.
I think this is all in line with a trend to make the Sonos app more akin to that of the typical streaming service. Much like the changes made to queue management, which incensed me greatly, I feel these changes are geared more to future users than current ones.
In any event besides resistance to change there is good feedback coming out here. The size of icons in the my Sonos section,the use of too much space in the rooms tab or the disappearance of the shortcut tabs at the bottom in full “Now playing” mode are actually good observations.
To mimic other comments, I tend to agree, I've been a user for 12 years now and this is not a good version of the app at all.
The UI is too bright, my favourites are now all over the place, it's now a chore to use it how I once did, when all favourites grouped in a convienient clear menu. Now it requires extra clicks and scrolling just to get to the same outcome.
Much like simply changing rooms, which now requires extra clicks, yet when you are viewing what a zone is "now playing", the zone grouping function is always there with no additional option to change what is currently playing or change which zone you want to control?! There should be a method of selecting which room you want to use, to then select what you want to play, whilst within a "now playing" view of the zone and do away with / add to the purely grouping only menu.
To be honest, this app just seems to take away from the enjoyment of the system for me, I'm sure that if we have to, people will get used to it, but it seems the app is being dumned down with pretty pictures and icons, whilst ironically being fairly unintuitive to use and also blinding bright for night time use. Also having 9 Sonos zones, the zone menu looks so cluttered and scrolling is a must to find the zone you require.
I'm not against change at all when it's for the best, I've liked all previous updates from Sonos to be honest, but this one I really do not like at all, hence the reason I've written this negative feedback about the app for the first time ever. Hopefully someone will take some note and make some alterations.
Regards, Ed.
The UI is too bright, my favourites are now all over the place, it's now a chore to use it how I once did, when all favourites grouped in a convienient clear menu. Now it requires extra clicks and scrolling just to get to the same outcome.
Much like simply changing rooms, which now requires extra clicks, yet when you are viewing what a zone is "now playing", the zone grouping function is always there with no additional option to change what is currently playing or change which zone you want to control?! There should be a method of selecting which room you want to use, to then select what you want to play, whilst within a "now playing" view of the zone and do away with / add to the purely grouping only menu.
To be honest, this app just seems to take away from the enjoyment of the system for me, I'm sure that if we have to, people will get used to it, but it seems the app is being dumned down with pretty pictures and icons, whilst ironically being fairly unintuitive to use and also blinding bright for night time use. Also having 9 Sonos zones, the zone menu looks so cluttered and scrolling is a must to find the zone you require.
I'm not against change at all when it's for the best, I've liked all previous updates from Sonos to be honest, but this one I really do not like at all, hence the reason I've written this negative feedback about the app for the first time ever. Hopefully someone will take some note and make some alterations.
Regards, Ed.
All the hate comes from 3 minutes to turn on the radio, which used to be 2 clicks favorites, station.
Ultimately this is in keeping with Sonos moving to make its app resemble and, to an extent, behave like the popular streaming services out there. It started with the queue management changes.
If you are a user of Apple Music you would definitely see a great similarity in how the App is now laid out and even the look with all the white. I personally saw no real need for that change but at the same time because I have been using Apple Music and Deezer I am fairly comfortable with that set up. But I understand that persons preferred an approach that was not so compartmentalized and with more things seemingly reachable from one screen.
But sorry, queue management changes were plenty more violating to me and I got used to that. Still look back at it with some annoyance but I was able to move on. I also do not really believe that the new app is unintuitive. I figured virtually everything within a few minutes and it is logically laid out. Over time I concluded that I really didn't mind the way it was. But it is far from a deal breaker....very far from.
Bt the way PS Sonos I still cannot believe that you guys have not fixed that ridiculous situation where a listener has finished listening to the queue and resumes later via the"Play Now" option and it adds the track after the first track instead of at the end....now that is unintuitive and illogical. But Sonos insists on not fixing. That is quite poor.
If you are a user of Apple Music you would definitely see a great similarity in how the App is now laid out and even the look with all the white. I personally saw no real need for that change but at the same time because I have been using Apple Music and Deezer I am fairly comfortable with that set up. But I understand that persons preferred an approach that was not so compartmentalized and with more things seemingly reachable from one screen.
But sorry, queue management changes were plenty more violating to me and I got used to that. Still look back at it with some annoyance but I was able to move on. I also do not really believe that the new app is unintuitive. I figured virtually everything within a few minutes and it is logically laid out. Over time I concluded that I really didn't mind the way it was. But it is far from a deal breaker....very far from.
Bt the way PS Sonos I still cannot believe that you guys have not fixed that ridiculous situation where a listener has finished listening to the queue and resumes later via the"Play Now" option and it adds the track after the first track instead of at the end....now that is unintuitive and illogical. But Sonos insists on not fixing. That is quite poor.
Userlevel 7
+17
With that older "PC" interface I used to be able to just hand my IPAD over to guests and let them find and control the music without any instruction from me - they were impressed as to just how easy it was to use.
Now I have to spend ages having to explain its operation to them and most just give up and hand it back. Several have gone on to say they "wouldn't buy one as it was too complicated / confusing!" That should start send nervous twitches down your product development management and marketing / sales teams shouldn't it ?
indeed those were the good old days where instruction was not needed and even the least tech savvy people could get their head around it. Now, as well as the dogs dinner of an interface, you have the continuing worry of someone adding content to the queue and destroying everyone else's' efforts ("I dont understand this - do I cut the green wire or the red wire? Ive had too much wine"....BOOM)
What idiots do Sonos employ to write their software?....what a completely dysfunctional and unintuitive interface - it makes Spotify look almost acceptable!! Come on sonos....employ some decent software engineers who are older than 11 and who live and operate in the real world and get this hideously obstructive interface sorted. Your going to lose custom.
I absolutely cannot stand the new app. It's so awful and unintuitive. Bring back the old interface!
Did anyone actually user test it?? It really doesn't feel like it was tested by actual users with decent sized systems.
Did anyone actually user test it?? It really doesn't feel like it was tested by actual users with decent sized systems.
I've given this new app a real chance, and still find it unintuitive and cumbersome to use. It was far, far better before. Please revert.
I have been using Sonos for over 10 years and have appreciated the upgrades. I also understand the need to innovate and change, but this is NOT a user friendly. Not sure what drove this change but Sales and Marketing totally missed it on this one. Please roll these changes back and give us a screen we can use!!! :@:@:@
Michajj1,
6 Sonos units in the house and not happy....
Michajj1,
6 Sonos units in the house and not happy....
I use multiple controllers. The terrible UI to which I refer is the Android phone + tablet and iOS tablet interfaces. The OS X app has not changed, and remains intuitive and good.
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
Wife has just got over the price of my Playbar, 2 Play 1's and Sub. She likes the 7.4 so might be shooting myself in the foot going to 8.0..
Do not update-I repeat-DO NOT upgrade.unless, that is, you want software that is more complicated then the previous. It is horrible. You will have marriage trouble if you have a misses with 8.0
I had a forced update when adding a new Play1 this morning.
Reading all these posts and thinking to myself "it can't really be that bad", well it deffinitely is!.
My Sonos page is just badly laid out with very poor use of screen, everything is now another swipe or two or three away from where it was before..
Think the wife is still on 7.4, I've found the APK so will see what happens later, hopefully won't brick the whole lot.
Just can't understand why Sonos thought this was an improvement, wonder if anybody actually used it or if they just got carried away with shiny big icons..
Userlevel 3
Agreed! Please change or revert back. Or give us the option for an easy reinstall of old version
Never buy a new tv. You will never work out how to use the remote.
I really hate the latest software update. What were they thinking?
Userlevel 3
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.
Those of us who use our player primarily in dark rooms/bedrooms are not going to get "used to it," since it completely changes the light level in the room. Other threads dedicating to unhappiness with the new UI have mentioned SonoPad/SonoPhone for folks in the Apple ecosystem. I've been using SonoPad since the day after the update and am quite happy with it - not quite as elegant as the old Sonos UI, but a much more tolerable background.
The logic I don't follow is not the explanation of how the Sonos design aligns with Apple and Deezer but rather how this is a justification for the changes Sonos is making since not everyone uses those services and other popular services like Amazon clearly do not work like that. An additional paragraph of exactly how Apple design aligns to the new Sonos UI does nothing to address that point but if you think it is clearer to include the entire quote and let folks parse out the bits relevant to my comment then I can certainly start doing that.
I would also note I was not invalidating anybody's logic or observations. I just questioned if this was a valid basis for Sonos to be making the design decisions they are making. In other words it is Sonos' logic that I am have a hard time understanding.
I would also note I was not invalidating anybody's logic or observations. I just questioned if this was a valid basis for Sonos to be making the design decisions they are making. In other words it is Sonos' logic that I am have a hard time understanding.
Except I wasn't debating or challenging or invalidating anything in the post. I was pointing out that my experience was different and therefore their design is not universal and therefore I do not understand how Sonos can use this as justification for their new UI design. And I still don't understand that logic but that is to Sonos, not to Burt.
Yes, Sonos have real problems with their software, but... I suspect it's not the developers' fault. I build software for a living, so I'm well aware of
1. The compromises that go into development, and the prioritisation of new features over fixing bugs or getting the core user experience right
2. The need to get your software in front of real users for feedback as early as possible (seriously, watching real users let loose on your software and using it in ways you never expected is a sight) - if only the comments on this forum led to changes...
3. Developing to deadlines - at least where live production software is concerned, Sonos don't employ an agile "continuous delivery" approach of constantly shipping minor changes, but an infrequent "big bang" quarterly (with minor patches) schedule
Are you guys using IOS, cause I just tried this swiping up and it doesn't work? On my android, I can only swipe down the now playing, there's no swipe up behavior.
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