I've been a SONOS user for any years and have 10 zones, including a subwoofer and L/R pairs. Like others, I was a bit underwhelmed by the new functionality included in update 6.4. It certainly wasn't worth the price I've been forced to pay.
I have three 4th generation iPods that I bought as dedicated SONOS controllers. They are running ios 6.1.6, which is the latest version available. I'm pretty peeved that these controllers no longer work as SONOS controllers once I updated my system to 6.4.
SONOS should design their updates so that they don't shaft their existing users. I can understand that code will inevitably grow beyond the capability of older devices. But, I would be perfectly happy to have controller features frozen for older devices. I'd be content if I wasn't able to access all of the management functions from an older controller. But to have several perfectly good devices suddenly become totally unusable is an outrage.
There are two versions of the SONOS App available in the App Store. The current one requires ios 7, but even the older one doesn't work anymore.
I trust that SONOS will fix this and restore the lost functionality.
I notice that there are few 3rd party paid controller Apps available. SonoPhone is the only one I found that will work with ios 6.1. Are there any others? Do any users out there have any experience with this App? Will it even work with with SONOS 6.4?
Page 1 / 3
YOU MUST READ THE RELEASE NOTES FIRST
Maybe there should be a sonos splash screen with this, and you have to accept, before you can do an update.
The email you got telling you about 6.4 was quite clear.
https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/127
I too have lost my 2x ipod 4th gens, but during beta I asked the question, and was told they would no longer work.
You cannot undo an update, but sonos can if you ask support nicely as they have access to old versions.
To be fair to sonos, chromecast never worked on 6.4.
Luckily I can use the wife's old iphone5 as a dedicated controller.
You would be better off with android controllers as 10yr old ones still work, maybe an amazon fire tablet or similar.
Maybe there should be a sonos splash screen with this, and you have to accept, before you can do an update.
The email you got telling you about 6.4 was quite clear.
https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/127
I too have lost my 2x ipod 4th gens, but during beta I asked the question, and was told they would no longer work.
You cannot undo an update, but sonos can if you ask support nicely as they have access to old versions.
To be fair to sonos, chromecast never worked on 6.4.
Luckily I can use the wife's old iphone5 as a dedicated controller.
You would be better off with android controllers as 10yr old ones still work, maybe an amazon fire tablet or similar.
There's only one reason why Android phones/tablets have over double the life of iOS units when used with Sonos, even through they support 95% of the same features, and it has nothing to do with Sonos "killing" iOS controllers. It has to do with Apple's planned obsolescence sales model.
Since it seems the OP purchased the iPods as dedicated Sonos controllers, I would suggest a $50 Amazon Fire tablet would be a good substitute. They are bigger, have double the life as a controller than the iPods, you can "pin" the Sonos app to the screen so it can only be used for Sonos, and at $50, who cares when it finally dies or is made obsolete?
Since it seems the OP purchased the iPods as dedicated Sonos controllers, I would suggest a $50 Amazon Fire tablet would be a good substitute. They are bigger, have double the life as a controller than the iPods, you can "pin" the Sonos app to the screen so it can only be used for Sonos, and at $50, who cares when it finally dies or is made obsolete?
Also
Do you seriously think Sonos don't try, until their butts fall off, to keep old operating systems working fully as long as they possibly can? Even whilst, as jgatie points out, some of the hardware manufacturers are doing their darndest to obsolete their products as fast as possible?
Sonos know every time they make a change that affects which PCs, Macs or iOS devices or Others will become useless as full controllers that they will get a torrent of complaints.
But they do have to improve their products which they are continually working to do.
Do you seriously think Sonos don't try, until their butts fall off, to keep old operating systems working fully as long as they possibly can? Even whilst, as jgatie points out, some of the hardware manufacturers are doing their darndest to obsolete their products as fast as possible?
Sonos know every time they make a change that affects which PCs, Macs or iOS devices or Others will become useless as full controllers that they will get a torrent of complaints.
But they do have to improve their products which they are continually working to do.
Is it only ipod 4th gens affected, or there other apple products stuck on iOS6?
Could sonos provide an even lower level of functionality than partial controller, "just alive controller" ;O) volume, play, pause etc?
What will be the next apple product to bite the dust, stuck on iOS7?
Could sonos provide an even lower level of functionality than partial controller, "just alive controller" ;O) volume, play, pause etc?
What will be the next apple product to bite the dust, stuck on iOS7?
you can see if any 3rd party controllers work like Sonophone or Zoneplay. According to Sonophone its compatible with IOS 6.1 or later. You may have to shell out a couple of $/£/€
I'm surprised at the number of people who think that it's unavoidable that SONOS had to deep six older IOS controllers. I just spent the big bucks ($3.99 US) and downloaded Sonophone. It works well, although it has a few quirks that I'd like to see resolved before I could wholeheartedly recommend it. It doesn't have all of the full management functions of a full SONOS controller but it seems to have about the same functionality as the pared down versions SONOS is offering on even newer versions of ios.
So how can a guy working by himself in Germany manage to figure out how to create (from scratch) a SONOS controller App that works with rev 6.4 under ios 6.1 while a big company like SONOS can't keep theirs functioning?
That being said, I agree with the comments about Apple's planned obsolescence. The three iPods I bought were my one and only foray into the ecosystem of the evil empire. But you have to remember that, when we early adopters started using SONOS, there WAS NO ANDROID APP available. So it was either buy an Apple device or run to your PC every time you wanted to play music or change your volume.
I wasn't taken by surprise when 6.4 killed my iPods. (I read the release notes beforehand). But I was disappointed since other apps have shown that it wasn't necessary.
So how can a guy working by himself in Germany manage to figure out how to create (from scratch) a SONOS controller App that works with rev 6.4 under ios 6.1 while a big company like SONOS can't keep theirs functioning?
That being said, I agree with the comments about Apple's planned obsolescence. The three iPods I bought were my one and only foray into the ecosystem of the evil empire. But you have to remember that, when we early adopters started using SONOS, there WAS NO ANDROID APP available. So it was either buy an Apple device or run to your PC every time you wanted to play music or change your volume.
I wasn't taken by surprise when 6.4 killed my iPods. (I read the release notes beforehand). But I was disappointed since other apps have shown that it wasn't necessary.
There are multiple third party Sonos controllers that will continue to work if you have a device that you have to use. They utilitze uPNP commands that aren't dependent on the operating system.
Sonophone uses uPNP commands.
You've had users complaining (I could use many more harsh words here) for Lock Control on ios devices like FOREVER. Especially after Android controllers got lock controls. Apple of course locks down their operating system so much that it makes it impossible for sonos to implement features in a controller until an operating system from apple allows it. So to get more features - they have to forcable move on to apples newer ios to get it.
Its and apple issue.
But - the solutions aren't difficult. Use a less featured controller such as Sonophone (which isn't so ios dependent) or get a cheap android (which is much more open system and less prone to being obsoleted).
Apple wants your money - Sonos never made a penny making your iPhone obsolete.
You've had users complaining (I could use many more harsh words here) for Lock Control on ios devices like FOREVER. Especially after Android controllers got lock controls. Apple of course locks down their operating system so much that it makes it impossible for sonos to implement features in a controller until an operating system from apple allows it. So to get more features - they have to forcable move on to apples newer ios to get it.
Its and apple issue.
But - the solutions aren't difficult. Use a less featured controller such as Sonophone (which isn't so ios dependent) or get a cheap android (which is much more open system and less prone to being obsoleted).
Apple wants your money - Sonos never made a penny making your iPhone obsolete.
Don't you think that frank has a point though, if a German guy can do it from his bedroom, so could sonos. There needs to be money it for them, so sell it from the apple store. SONOS for iOS6 controllers only @£5 then everybody is happy.. well maybe not, "you want £5 to give me functionality I already have" etc.......
Guess they think there is no money in it, so let it die, move on.
How many development guys does sonos employ I wonder, seems like a cupboard with a dusty phone ;O))
Guess they think there is no money in it, so let it die, move on.
How many development guys does sonos employ I wonder, seems like a cupboard with a dusty phone ;O))
Totally different controller type using upon controls. 3rd parties created why does Sonos need to devote any resources to a light version.
Sonos could do it for sure but they would have to develop, maintain and support another yet controller in addition to the PC, Mac, Android and IOS - the 'IOS lite' !
Not forgetting their own controllers also (100 and 200) which also need to be kept limping along.
I'd sooner they devote their resources to something which affects more than a minority of people who happen to have old ipods from 6 years ago still running !
Not forgetting their own controllers also (100 and 200) which also need to be kept limping along.
I'd sooner they devote their resources to something which affects more than a minority of people who happen to have old ipods from 6 years ago still running !
Guess they think there is no money in it, so let it die, move on.
How many development guys does sonos employ I wonder, seems like a cupboard with a dusty phone ;O))
Apple doesn't allow more than one app in the app store targeting different iOS versions. You either write one app without all the new bells and whistles that is backwards compatible, or you include the bells and whistles and orphan the old iOS versions. You can't do both.
Not forgetting their own controllers also (100 and 200) which also need to be kept limping along.
I'd sooner they devote their resources to something which affects more than a minority of people who happen to have old ipods from 6 years ago still running !
No they couldn't do it. Apple doesn't allow it. Apple makes money selling new iPhones, so allowing different versions of apps just to avoid orphaning older devices is not in their interest.
And before anyone says Apple does allow it, they allow you to offer older release versions for older iOS hardware. They do not allow you to maintain and release two different versions. Given that changes on the Sonos hardware entail changes on the controller, keeping older versions of the controller that still work would be difficult, if not impossible. Even during beta, a single release difference in hardware vs. controller versions kills the majority of setup options.
Why should SONOS devote any resources to a light ios version? Well, first off, I'm not sure that there are any significant additional resources required. As long as they don't change any of their existing internal commands to their players, they could have simply frozen the existing ios controller App version and continued to make it available to ios 6 users. It would have continued to work, as is. They can always add new commands to their internal App/Player interface to increase functionality, but changing the existing basic command set is just plain dumb. (I spent a few decades designing, writing and maintaining s/w systems so the process isn't all that mysterious to me.) Freezing the App and letting users gradually migrate over as their old controllers die or the newer features become irresistibly attractive seems like the proper way to treat your user base.
SONOS has always been a premium system. They maintain almost Orwellian control over their retail network, making it very difficult to obtain their products for less than full list prices, which are high. We have ALL willingly paid this premium up front. We paid handsomely for the hardware but had an expectation that they would provide and maintain the controller apps required to make it work. So, why should SONOS do this? Because we've already paid for it!
To me, it is not reasonable that the functions supplied with a premium system should suddenly stop working, years after I've paid my money. (I bought a sound system, not an OS.) My three iPod Touch 4Gs cost about $200 each, plus the cost of the docks. They all still worked perfectly well before the upgrade. (They had much snappier response to commands and faster startup than the 3rd party uPNP based versions we are now being forced to use.) The iPod Touch 4G was discontinued in May 2013 so some of them out there are only 3 years old.
I've bought 14 SONOS devices over the years. They sound OK, but the main factor for me was their convenience and ability to perfectly sync the sound in different rooms. (If I want to hear really great sound, I still go to the basement and play my vinyl or non-mpged CDs.) But other companies are catching up. I was a big booster of SONOS and several friends now have their own systems. I'm not sure I'll be recommending them any more.
Feel free to agree or disagree but I continue to believe that SONOS s/w development has gone off the rails.
SONOS has always been a premium system. They maintain almost Orwellian control over their retail network, making it very difficult to obtain their products for less than full list prices, which are high. We have ALL willingly paid this premium up front. We paid handsomely for the hardware but had an expectation that they would provide and maintain the controller apps required to make it work. So, why should SONOS do this? Because we've already paid for it!
To me, it is not reasonable that the functions supplied with a premium system should suddenly stop working, years after I've paid my money. (I bought a sound system, not an OS.) My three iPod Touch 4Gs cost about $200 each, plus the cost of the docks. They all still worked perfectly well before the upgrade. (They had much snappier response to commands and faster startup than the 3rd party uPNP based versions we are now being forced to use.) The iPod Touch 4G was discontinued in May 2013 so some of them out there are only 3 years old.
I've bought 14 SONOS devices over the years. They sound OK, but the main factor for me was their convenience and ability to perfectly sync the sound in different rooms. (If I want to hear really great sound, I still go to the basement and play my vinyl or non-mpged CDs.) But other companies are catching up. I was a big booster of SONOS and several friends now have their own systems. I'm not sure I'll be recommending them any more.
Feel free to agree or disagree but I continue to believe that SONOS s/w development has gone off the rails.
As stated above, even a single release out of date controller app loses most Settings menus, and in another thread a Sonos rep explained that it would not be too long before the older app didn't work at all. I personally have experienced this with older, out of date phones that I charged up and tried to kick off the app. It just hangs there not finding the system. Apple simply does not allow Sonos to keep modifying and releasing the older apps, they must remain on the app store as is. So, would you be willing to extend the life of your units a single release cycle at the cost of losing updating the index, tone controls, adding new units, TruePlay, etc., followed by one or two more release cycles after which it does not work at all? I doubt that would be satisfactory, because it would extend the life of your limited compatibility controller an additional 3-4, maximum 6-8 months.
Sonos have done this before to original ipad owners, it is like a kick in the nuts, if that is your only control device that you bought as a dedicated controller as Frank did.
If I had to go out & buy new controllers every3 years, I would sell the stuff.
I think there should be a sonos lite version, even if sonos has to create a new company/whatever to get around apples version limitations. After all their own original controllers still work.
If I had to go out & buy new controllers every3 years, I would sell the stuff.
I think there should be a sonos lite version, even if sonos has to create a new company/whatever to get around apples version limitations. After all their own original controllers still work.
Why do thrummed to do that when there are lite controllers already available.
Or maybe they have and we just don't know it. 😃
ah I see what you did there, me old bluff double bluff 😛
This is very disappointing
Amazon is adding Alexa to their $50 tablet, which means a full, up to date, Sonos app remote, with voice control, will cost less than any iPod ever did. Apple's planned obsolescence model is the problem here, not Sonos.
Is this about the iPod Touch 4th generation, launched in September 2010, the one that can only run iOS6 (4 generations old as of next week's iOS10 launch). In all seriousness, how can the fact that a September 2016 release of Sonos software that doesn't run on such a device cause any sort of concern? There are literally thousands upon thousands of apps that won't run on that device.
Can I just ignore the upgrade and continue to use me 4th generation iPod controller? Or we'll SONOS force me to eventually upgrade?
You can ignore until you try to add a new Sonos device. At that point the new device will download the latest version and force all the other Sonos devices to do the same.
Enter your E-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.