Invite a friend over who has a recent phone or tablet. Load the Sonos app and set up the speaker 

failing that get an Amazon Fire tablet, £50 but often far cheaper in the Black Friday sales. Once set up you can use your 6 phones to play music ok. 

+1 to bockersjv. Those are the two suggestions I would have made.

The unsaid portion of those replies is no, Sonos doesn’t support older versions of their software.

I suppose you might find a version out on the “internet” somewhere, but I’d be pretty suspicious of the contents of the download containing malware of some type.

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos/sonos-10-4-release/

Here's a link download at your risk. 

Sonos blocks the previous version from adding speakers because reasons ?????

If you buy an Android device you may want to consider investigating what updates it will be getting in the future in order to prolong the length of time it will be supported by the Sonos app.

Moderator note - if you have found this post, please be advised of the following:
As the writer of this post has rightly stated, use of the firmware in the link is entirely at your own risk. We always recommend keeping your system on the latest firmware version.
Furthermore: any requests for support with your system (to be provided by Sonos) will be met with the requirement to update your system to the latest version.

Bockerjv & John B

Thank you  for your replies, I have read and considered some of your suggestions. Borrowing from a friend is not an option.

I was planning on the Fire approach until I read the procedure involved. Am I correct in saying it involves loading Alexa? Or is there a way around that? We do not use, or want, voice control, even “disabled”.

Airgetlam & Rubix2,

Thanks for the link but I agree with the point about risk.

Thanks to all for the feedback. I really would like to get this working. I will look again at the Fire.

Or purchase a phone I neither want nor need.

Alexa is easy to disable on any fire tablet. Just drag down from the top of the screen and select disable Alexa. 
 

if after setting up your speaker you decide you don’t like the tablet you could always return it within 14 days!

I wonder why borrowing a friend and his/her phone for 2 minutes is not possible?

I can’t guarantee that the software is harmless.

Drastic option:

Dump the Sonos, and get something else if you are only going to use it for internet radio.  

I am sorry but that is ridiculous.

Castalla,

There were several reasons for choosing the Sonos, the main one being our home system is Lutron. But now it looks like we will return the Sonos and go with a Bose.

What software?  The Sonos app?  

Bose has a nasty history of dropping entire line-ups, abandoning them when they cannot add new features.  This is what happened to their SoundTouch line of Sonos competitors.  Unlike Sonos, they couldn’t make them work with Alexa, so they dropped the entire line after only 6 years. 

Sonos may not support ancient mobile OS versions (as will be the case with any competitor), but it has never dropped an entire line of speakers, then replaced them with something completely incompatible with the old line.  

Melvimbe,

Yes, I was referring to the Sonos App. I am willing to put it on my own hardware, then the risk is mine. But I’m no software expert (and too old to become one).  Anyways, this is actually off the real subject.

jgatie,

I agree, but sans Sonos Bose seems the next best choice for an internet radio. Any suggestions for an alternative?

BTW, my phone is 9 months old; that is a weird definition of ancient. The problem is probably that it is a cheap phone.

Death, taxes, spending mucho $$$ upgrading your controllers.

For ease of use, but require voice control mainly, there’s the upper-end Google Home, Apple or Amazon Echo  devices.  The Echo Show has a visual screen to boot.  Alexa has a better choice of radio options (not just Tunein).  There is also a Lutron Connect skill available for the Alexa range.

I have a multiplicity of speakers from different makers (eg. Roberts, Loewe Airplay, Google chromecasts, Pioneer, Libratone, Sonos).  They are all integrated into the Logitech Media Server software and easily controllable from PC, Android apps.   

Be aware that BBC radio is not easily available on Tunein due to recent legal issues.- 

All competitors will be doing the dance between new features and support for older mobile OS.  No matter what you choose, this will be a problem.

As to “ancient”, yes it is not ancient in a literal sense.  However, Sonos supports anything 7.0 and after.  The previous version, Android 6.X Marshmallow, was released in 2015, and support stopped in 2017, which is ancient in mobile OS terms.  

OK, I give up. The Amazon Fire is on order.

Thanks to all for the input, I will post after the Fire arrives.

There  you go, that's the smart move. 

Fire arrived, searched on “How to install Android Apps on Amazon Fire”, ended up trying both the USB cable method and the direct APK file method. Both worked, each had a few problems due to menu changes, etc. My main problem was an authentication issue with Google Play, the messages were far from clear.

So the Sonos is up and running, the sound is very nice, I look forward to playing with some of the features. 

My primary controller is a Lutron Pico Audio Remote through a Lutron Connect Bridge. Installing the Sonos on Lutron was really easy. For things like adding stations we will use our existing cell phones.

Alexa came loaded on the Fire but is easy to turn off and was never an issue during the Google Play, Sonos and Lutron installations.

Again, thanks to all.