RIP sonos once market leading product ruined by such an  unprofessional app upgrade it’s comical I hope the ceo falls on his sword  and customers should be compensated as we are left with a product that isn’t fit for purpose you make a executive decision from the top and reinstate the old app

i’m going to get rid of my 20+ Sonos devices. they are useless pieces of s**** at the moment.

i hate what Sonos management have done to a wonderful product. 

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

No it doesn’t.  Not if you mostly use your own music library.  The lists are still not indexed and the search function doesn’t work properly. 

It’s not much fun having to scroll through several thousand albums arranged in alphabetical order trying to locate the one you want Sonos to play.

It feels like its time to be pragmatic on this issue and look to the future.

This is not a decision that I am taking lightly.

The reality is that Sonos have won, they are not going to bring back the old app because they don’t care about me.

So from my perspective I will approach the future by:

• Suffering in silence while the New App gets fixed
• Enjoying my Sonos products as long as they continue to work and meet my needs
• Not spending another £ on Sonos for the upgrades I was considering i.e replacing my Play:!s, Play:3 and possibly the Play:5 - they all work just fine and I can live with them even if I do like the Era 100s and Era 300s
• Not spending anything with Sonos, if something breaks I’ll look on eBay and I’m pretty sure following this farce I’ll find what I need
• Finally, when my system stops working I’ll use all of the money I have saved by not getting the latest Sonos speakers to replace my entire system with something else because right now every Sonos competitor is preparing to fight to fill the void that is emerging

Over the next 3-5 years I expect to see Sonos fall behind because their loyal customers will all have a similar plan to mine so the repeat revenue will dry up and they will be totally dependent on new customers. And of course the reviews that this fiasco is generating will make it harder for Sonos to win those new customers.

The amazing thing is the complete silence from Sonos, they have completely abused customers who have invested a lot of money in their products.

I cannot understand their behaviour.

It is clear that Sonos never flooded the app to actual users to test it and get feedback. They want the feedback now? This is already a huge PR and upcoming revenue disaster for Sonos. There is a real simple solution. Allow people to go back to the old While they go to the drawing board and actually test, any update with real users of the products. There are any number of people who got Sonos on my recommendation. I guess I need to apologize to all of them very soon. As to the person who suggested a boycott, and to the person who suggested that that was rash, I would say putting out and pushing an update that has never been tested by actual users is rash. It doesn't take three minutes of trying to use the app to realize how awful it is. This was a play to get people to use Sonos music and searches instead of Spotify. 

We did have an update.  Sonos chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin said “It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing it may require taking a few steps back to ultimately leap into the future.”  Basically, it takes courage to release buggy software and screw your loyal customers.

I agree with all of the above, so used the link from the support page to email the CEO at ceo@sonos.com. If it’s genuine (which I’m not convinced of) and enough of us complain, maybe he’ll do something. I’m not holding my breath….

Please pass these comments on to your deign & usability team.

I wanted to say that by far the best IPAD UI for usability was the original one I first used in around 2016. 

This was similar in layout to the design of the current PC version (which I strongly expect you will scrap because its so easy to use!! ) 

I can tell you this because I used to be able to hand the IPAD over to my guests and they could see how to use it and select music with minimal intervention from me.   That tells you all you need to know,  every single update you have made since to the IPAD version has been less and less intuitive. I hand the latest controllers to guests now and they are totally lost.

Now I know why you did this,  you wanted to share code base with the phone versions which are much more limited in screen space but with each release you seem to have lost your way. 

I have very simple needs :-

1. When I first pick up the controller I want to indicate which speaker or component I want to control
2. I then want to pick the source of my music  (be that a NAS music library, Line in or a service)  
3. I then want to pick either an artist, album, playlist, radio station or track
4. And finally, I want to be able to control what’s playing, start / stop, adjust the volume etc or manage the queue on the component if I’m using one.   

As you see Simple requirements but you have made these simple actions so awkward….

So what is wrong with the current UI? 

1. The System components start out hidden and if I want to select an individual component or a group its several clicks under a different screen.  I can see no rational for this when selecting which component(s) you want to control is an obvious first action.  
2. You have split “Sources” (Music Library and Line In etc.) from “Services”. To me these are all just sources of music or content and I cannot see why you chose to split them out and effectively wasted screen real estate by doing so.  Just put them all on one section as “Content Sources” .  I would suggest most users are like me and only have a handful of services established. 
3. You have a section of “Favourites” which is a mess at the moment because you cannot add or maintain playlists (and almost all of my “Favourites” are pre May 24 playlists). The last think I need is to plaster favourites with individual tracks.  Its not a massive help to be able to save an artist or an album as a “favourite” either. By far the most useful aspect for favourites is the ability to maintain playlists. sadly this is one of the many features you left out.        I know you are working to restore this feature but “favourites” are pretty limited without it

BTW, I do realise that others may prefer to select their music or content source first and then pick the device on which to play it but swopping those two sections around should be a configurable choice within each controller.   

Sonos, I paid a ton of money to put speakers in every room. It’s been great. I didn’t pay all that money to get messed with. I didn’t pay all that money to be a beta tester.

This was fun and all, but time to swallow your pride and give us the option to use the older version. I’m on an iPhone, so I can’t go download it like you can on Android.

When I blindly pressed the update button, I said to myself: “Surely Sonos wouldn’t lead me astray, surely this update is great.” Boy, was I wrong, and boy did you permanently lose my trust. Was it worth it?

I am still hoping it would improve. I just can not believe that they will not be able to fix it. Luckily, I still have my Desktop with Windows, where Sonos works as before.

It is really really sad, how such a great product and company has been destroyed with such an unprofessional release because of the new headphones they wanted to make a marketing platform. 

The management that deceided that release, has destroyed a whole company with one untested release.

Shame on you

This update is so bad it should lead to resignations from high ups.

100s of millions of pounds/dollars worth of hardware out there and it's effectively not remotely fit for purpose.

You can't even set an alarm and the social media team are saying "don't worry it will be coming soon" when it's been available for years

I have been reading this thread yet again to see if anyone from SONOS has responded.  No responses from anyone at SONOS.

I sent an email to CEO as was suggested on this thread and have received no response.

It is apparent that SONOS does not care that they have rolled out a huge mistake.  I read a response from a support member that this was to be a seamless update to revitalize the SONOS app.  It revitalized alright- it is defunct.

Thanks to Salami Slices I did get my library to appear but only briefly.  It is not working now.  I can play none of the 4,000+ songs in my library.  I have been streaming and all I hear are the same songs over and over.

A loyal but very frustrated SONOS customer.  SONOS is going to lose its customer base if they can’t correct this and very soon.

Did anyone receive responses from CEO or anyone at SONOS on this farce?

At a certain point, there needs to be a class action lawsuit. You've sold people thousands of dollars in equipment then released software that renders it largely unusable. 

Sonos team!

Guys, look… I love the brand! But these 3 updates you’ve done to the OLD app have caused HAVOC on my system for sometime now. It’s always a hassle to manage the app. I have to reconnect over and over again on my network and reinstall my devices every time!

Your engineers need to get this right please. I cannot be reconnecting and reinstalling my system every time. The app loads my channels and favorites and it only plays once. Then the darn pesky secondary tab opens and I cannot pause nor play my music and I have to reboot my Orbi, turn off my iPhone and reconnect again. Fix this thing please - or even better - GO BACK TO THE OLD APP!!!’ That system was outstanding!!! Never had an issue and the connectivity was super effective!!!

Thanks!

Sonos.  Please stop the constant emails. I’m getting one every couple of minutes. 

The new app is bad and doesn't work properly.it takes longer to load than the old one and there are constant error messages....It's annoying.

Can anybody honestly say they would tell anybody to get a Sonos product in the future?

I'd honestly feel guilty selling my system now as it simply doesn't work.

Let’s all email the CEO and make public announcements as well… Here you all go from the bottom of the support page. Remember Patrick, you asked for this, and I love this for you. Maybe it’s time you went and found a new job…

Get in touch with our CEO, Patrick Spence, at ceo@sonos.com

Here is a copy of the email I just sent Patrick, feel free to re-use…

Dear Mr. Spence,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to you not only as a long-time customer of Sonos but also as someone who has greatly admired the innovation and quality your company has consistently delivered. It is with a heavy heart and considerable frustration that I find myself compelled to communicate a significant issue that has not only undermined my confidence in Sonos but has also deprived me of the enjoyment and value your products have brought into my home.

This week, following the release and mandatory installation of the latest Sonos app update, my entire system of ten speakers, which until the moment of update worked flawlessly, has been rendered completely inoperative. The system, which represents a substantial investment in your brand, is now bricked, leaving me without the high-quality sound experience I have come to associate with Sonos.

Understanding that technology is inherently prone to occasional issues, it is the scale and impact of this problem, coupled with the lack of immediate remediation or communication from Sonos, that prompts my direct appeal to you. The situation as it stands not only disrupts the daily enjoyment and utility I derive from your products but also raises serious concerns about the longevity, reliability, and customer support philosophy of Sonos.

I am reaching out to you directly, Mr. Spence, to request your personal intervention in this matter. Specifically, I seek:

1. Immediate and transparent communication regarding the nature of the issue, its scope, and the steps Sonos is taking to rectify this for affected customers.

2. A clear timeline for when a fix can be expected, along with interim solutions for those of us severely impacted by this update.

3. Consideration of compensation for the disruption caused, which could take forms such as an extension of warranty, credit towards future purchases, or direct support to ensure our systems are restored to their full functionality.

I understand the challenges of managing a global tech company and the complexities involved in product development and support. However, I firmly believe that the mark of a truly customer-centric organization lies in its responsiveness and accountability in times of adversity. I trust Sonos values its customers’ loyalty and satisfaction above all and will take swift action to address this issue.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response and resolution.

Sincerely,

Became the worst app on my phone over night.

I’ve had a few days to get used to the app before providing feedback, and I’m sorry to say, that it’s not good.

I’m sure that a lot of these have been covered already, but here are the issues affecting my usage of the app:

1. I use Deezer and the context menus for tracks, albums and playlists have disappeared so I can’t add tracks playlists, view the album (without resorting to search) and a bunch of other stuff that used to be there.
2. I can’t edit or add to the music queue, only replace it.
3. Scroll bar has disappeared meaning that when I scroll through my music library on my server, I manually have to scroll through hundreds of albums just to get to albums starting with the letter G. I’ve not got further than that yet.
4. Album art is no longer displayed for any music on my server library
5. The file type (mp3, flac etc) is no longer displayed on any music, including my server library tracks.
6. When browsing my server library, the lack of a home button means I have to press the phone’s back button numerous times to get back to home / search.
7. The volume buttons on my android phone only work when I have the app open. Previously they worked when the app was playing in the background, or when the phone was locked.
8. Speakers are generally dropping more than they used to. I also have an iPhone and the old version of the app installed there. The speakers are present and correct without dropping on the iPhone old version, at the same time they are dropping from the new app on the Android phone.
9. App generally seems buggy, with “An error has occurred” type message often popping up.
10. The new version is definitely slower than the old version with pages taking a little longer to load. S2 was similar at release.
11. Personally I preferred the old layout with the menu bar at the bottom, but I get that UI is always subjective.
12. Music Library is now a Source rather than a Service meaning I can’t add folders to the Home screen as a short cut. I had these saved to home previously.
13. Last.FM has disappeared as a service, but my system is scrobbling.
14. Showing the bit rate would be nice

I don’t use the alarms or accessibility features, but if I did, taking these away would have infuriated me. 

In my day job, I’m an Application Product Manager, and from a professional perspective, I just don’t understand the decisions that Sonos have taken here.

What was the MVP? And why was it seemingly deemed to be ok to be so lacking and Minimal? Did it pass QA? Could it not have waited for further functions to be ready? Nobody was crying out for a new app, right?

The most important person in any equation is the user. Ergo, you need to understand your users. Without them, you have nothing. To take away features which users previously relied on is just nuts. If I did the same, I’d be out of a job.

So it makes me wonder why this was done? Is it an admission that Sonos got it wrong with the previous version of the S2 app? Is it a new product coming online which necessitates a new app? Is it arrogance?  

If you read this, thanks for reading. 

Dear SONOS, 

Something went wrong. Try again. 

Forbes:

Learning From A Botched Upgrade

Here are four lessons to help providers avoid such a fate:

1. Don’t rush the deployment of a software upgrade. Conduct rigorous testing and elicit feedback from a large diversity of stakeholders.
2. Quickly acknowledge issues to the marketplace. Letting the community fester in the silence of the provider ensures that the situation will deteriorate.
3. Provide the choice to return to the previous version of the software. There are times when a one-way option is the only option, but more often than not, a way to return to the original is good business. This option can be temporary as issues with the upgrade are resolved. Eventually older versions can be phased out.
4. Never deliver an upgrade that is missing essential functions with the promise they may return in the future. While it’s okay to add new features in the future, it’s never okay to eliminate existing features people rely on and may have been the basis for their purchase in the first place.

what the f*** is this garbage ass app update that was foisted upon us?  there’s not even any way to select the actively playing device without grouping it with whatever device was previously selected. 

i’ve spent probably close to $10k with y’all over the years, but you f***ed up big time and you assuredly lost my future business.  it’s been this way for months now. what the hell is wrong with your product team that you didn’t just roll back your s***ty app update?

hey sonos?  maybe don’t force product updates when they suck. it should be glaringly obvious that your “improved experience” is anything but when the first thing you hear upon calling Support is an announcement that updates to fix customer complaints about the “experience” are “coming soon”.  y’all suck.

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.