New SONOS App - Feedback

SONOS =  SO NO sssssssssssssss

🤣🤪🤣

I’ve just about had it with Sonos, I can’t think of anything since I’ve been involved in the digital world that has caused me more headaches. One day it just doesn’t work, and I go through all the procedures listed in the “help” system, and maybe it works for awhile, and then nothng. I must fit the defnition of “insanity” by continuing to try to get Sonos to operate, and have started lookng at alternatives. Honestly, I probably have dozens of hours over the last few years trying to work with this product, but I’m afraid they’ve worn me down.

I’m so done with Sonos. Paraphrasing Les Grossman, a nutless monkey would just release the working S2 app at this stage and put your customers out of this 10 months of misery. But no, it appears that Sonos don’t even have a nutless monkey working for them. 

Abandon all hope those who remain in this car crash of an ecosystem. I’ve got 14 these of these bricked devices to take out into a field and shoot to pieces. Target practice is all they are good for with the levels of disdain and lack of empathy the mothership thinks passes for customer care.

Gave them even more than I should because liked there speakers.. But there instances of controlling everything they have destroyed it.. I have had no choice but to replace the Sonos system on my sunseeker to a fusion one and my home now has been replaced .. I used to add Sonos to all homes I built for customers, I have not and will never use or install fpr customers!!

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!

I have just spent ages getting my sons Sonos Play 1 connected to a network. He recently moved to a new property, finally got Internet connected and got his Sonos out, after not being used for 18months.

His phone had the latest Sonos app, autoupdated and installed on his Android phone, unlike me who has the old Android app “that just works” (looking at you playlists).

Following instructions to get WiFi connected, got a connection, could see IP address allocated by his router, but continually got “Something went wrong” after the getting the speaker “bongs”. Followed by “product not found”. Aaaagh.

Reset speaker, uninstalled App, exactly same result. Couple of phone messages about “lets try a different way of connecting...”. All very frustrating as should just work. Possible messages about upgrading firmware, not really noted as really only interested in getting a connection.

Installed V1.6 APK (the old Android app) on his girlfriends phone and WiFi connected and worked fine. So nothing wrong with WiFi and Sonos.

Reset speaker again and tried wired connection to router and eventually connected fine using latest app.

Tried the “switching Ethernet to WiFi” but continually got “Product not found”.

Finally after many resets, reboot etc suddenly connected via WiFi, not sure what changed, but a lot of time wasted for what was previously quite simple.

Wow!!!, 25% off non working bricks. 9 months into the S*** show. You've got balls Sonos, I'll give you that!

Right On, Mysticman57!  What a bunch of 💩 No excuse for all these problems.  They had a system which worked nicely, and the botched it big time.  Any IT professionals and engineers should have been able to fix these problems.  Even after 9 months, and several updates, my system still disconnects random speakers (I have 6), often won’t allow me to adjust volume, doesn’t let me add songs to current playlists, sometimes can’t find playlists, etc!  Unbelievably bad Company!  Not investing any more money for this crap!

I’ve had it with Sonos. Replacing most of my 6 Sonos zones with Bluesound equivalents and so far, so good. Keeping my Sonos home theatre setup for now as I’ve not had any issues with it and v rarely play music via those speakers.

Bluesound obviously still care about those of us who largely play music from or own libraries, and the streaming quality is potentially higher too. The app is a delight after last May’s ghastly Sonos creation (my Apple playlists have reappeared!), though TBH, not quite as intuitive as the old S2 app. Either way, Sonos has had more than long enough to grow a new human to sort out their software problems, and they haven’t; I no longer believe they will.

Sitting down to read and listen to some nice mellow music to start my day. Go to my SONOS app on my phone 10 months after the start of the Epic S***show..while crossing my fingers I pick a song....it starts flawlessly! Could this be the day I've been waiting for?...then, I watch as all 10 of my speakers slowly disappear from the app til I'm looking at a blank screen...Nope, still a S***show. Way to go SONOS, way to go.

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

Can you guys just start with something basic, like when I go to ‘Artists’ under my local server Library it has the vertical A to Z index on the right side?  Takes awhile in a large collection to scroll to ZZ Top.

I just don’t know what’s going on with any improvements and getting back missing features in this new app. Nothing is getting done. Can’t count on Sonos to fix anything. I don’t even know if they know what’s missing from the new app. I don’t even follow this user group routinely like I did a few months ago when I was waiting for normal commonsense updates and features. I keep seeing everyone complain about the vertical A to Z index feature as mentioned above, losing your place in the playlist and always taking you back to the top upon existing (which is my main gripe), and the IOS app not having a Save button. You would think at least the Save button should be an included option instead of my having to run upstairs and turn on my computer to use the PC Controller. The only thing that you can count on is that the Moderators are good at catching bad language. Now that I have said this, I am deleting this (and any other pages) from my browser. I just don’t need the frustration of not seeing these simple requests get implemented. 

I have given up hope too. It has taken a ridiculous amount of time to make very little progress. I still think that the hardware is really good and the sound quality, when things are working, is excellent. But the days of Sonos being easy to use and offering a great user experience are over.

I’ve been off the Sonos grid for a while, as it pertains to the forums anyway. I was threatening myself to install the latest iOS app, desktop controller and firmware updates but, after reading this… maybe not.

In the spirit of civility, I’d like to ask Ken Griffiths, Airgem or jgatie if they think Sonos will - or will not - reintroduce an S2 controller and mobile app that could bring those of us still experiencing issues back to a full-functioning system.  Yes?  No?  Maybe?

Thanks…  Brad

While I’m not one of these exalted old-timers on here (who by the way often do better product support than Sonos’ new stripped down so called tech support). 

They will NOT go back.  They have committed their entire future on wedging the Cloud between our control of our expense audio systems and that Sonos gear!  Why? well they said in the past, no monetization of our personal data, but the aggregate is more likely than not their goal (and very valuable as a constant revenue stream).  

Why else spend so much on leasing the huge amount of server space/time needed to support millions of users with thousands of individual common control requests through the WWW?  Each volume control, music selection, custom setting, +++ has to bounce through your device to your router (wired or wifi), your modem, ISP, millions of switches to leased servers (probably MS or AMZ), all over the world.  Some users like Ken will have NO PROBLEMS EVER, he sadly does NOT represent the majority of Sonos customers or the company would not be in such turmoil.  

We will become the product not the customer as sadly it is with so many tech/social media companies today.  Is this is why Tom Conrad is being so shy on these forums and more?

See also recent articles from the financial and tech press, links here:

They’ve already been collecting aggregate data for decades.  You don’t need to route anything through a central server to collect aggregate data.

Never say never, but I think we have a better chance of seeing the Titanic raised from the depths than we do of Sonos bringing back the old app/firmware. 

True yet collecting and selling are different.  Why do you think (besides their initial insistence that update deployment is the reason), they are they forcing all this through their servers vs. the local control that was actually pretty stable up until S2-2? 

I have no idea, I wasn’t in their meetings.  And neither was anyone else who is speculating why they made the decision.  But I know one thing, it’s not for data harvesting, because the old app and firmware phoned home more often than ET.

And as far as selling data is concerned, what data is collected and how it is used has not changed since well before the new app came out, and the only change before that was to explain voice control and the sharing of data with voice control partners (pretty hard to use Alexa if you aren’t sending data through Alexa’s servers, duh).  So why would Sonos need to route through their servers to collect the same data they’ve been collecting for years?  Answer: They don’t.  The conspiracy breaks down under even the most shallow analysis.

Thanks, j … I appreciate the prompt reply. If my Fives weren’t so stinkin’ new, I think I might move on to another system. I do have Sonophone for now though.

Loving my five Bluesound zones more and more each day. The app is more responsive, the sound fractionally better and the technical support quick and very helpful. My love of music - dampened down by 10 months of poor Sonos software - has been reawakened.

Not going back to Sonos and my single remaining zone (TV surround setup), now has a Damoclean sword hanging over it. If it exhibits the slightest problem I’m replacing it with Bluesound items too.

Such a shame, Sonos has shot itself in both feet by not listening to its loyal customers...

When I discovered Sonos 10 years ago, I became a huge fan. I’ve lost count of many friends I recommended your product to! I bought my first set (Sonos 3s) with the plan of having the ultimate sound system when I retired. Over the past decade I’ve added 2 Gen 1s, 2 Play 1s, 2 Fives.(Had to save up for those.) A Boost ,a Roam and a Move...Fast forward 10 years, I’ve since retired and my glorious sound system is a pile of semi working bricks,. Being on SS I’m pretty much s*** out of luck as far as replacing them.. On the plus side though I still have my Onkyo system I bought in 1988 with 2 Bose Cubes and 2 Infinite bookshelf speakers. Thanks Onkyo and Bose for building such an Awesome product that’s still working after almost 40 years.  Sonos, not so much! YOU HAD ONE JOB!...AND YOU BLEW IT! Now you’re the laughing stock of the home music world..On behalf of  myself and millions of loyal customers. DO BETTER SONOS!!!!

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