TruePlay on 2021 Apple Devices - Pushing On Sonos' Product Roadmap, Participate Here

To clarify, you are asking for the ability to trueplay tune Sonos speakers with certain Apple devices?  Can you list out the specific devices you can’t currently use trueplay with  that you think you should be able to?

How do you know what the current priority level is, or that it’s a heavy lift to get priorities changed?

For those who want more details, here is the support article on trueplay support.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3222?language=en_US

It should also be known that Sonos does have data on what devices customers are currently using to control Sonos.  If there are a lot of iPhone 13 Sonos users out there, Sonos knows. Of course, they don’t don’t how important trueplay is to you, not discouraging people not to vote or voice their thoughts on it.  

Edit:  Also should add that iphone 13, if that is the model that’s the big concern here, was release a little over a month ago.  Don’t know if Sonos was given a model in advance to develop and test trueplay on, but they would need some time to make sure it works properly before releasing it to the public.

Thanks for the clarification ask, Danny / @melvimbe 

Yes, on TruePlay for certain Apple devices.

Other threads suggest, “coming soon” is meaningless; I’ve seen people report 11 month waits for new Apple devices; hence the logic of customer participation, voting to drive Sonos product roadmap prioritization… .

Devices I’m asking for:

• iPad Air 4 (2021); any other devices that are still are not supported from 2020/2021 
• Below is the link to a list of the “coming soon” devices (Best I can tell, Sonos’s answer for specificity as regards “coming soon” was met with non-answers)

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3222?language=en_US

• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPad (8th generation)
• iPad (9th generation)
• iPad mini (6th generation)
• iPad Air (4th generation)

I have no idea what Sonos, priorities are; I base my ask on seeing others wait 11+ months, in the other threads on this subject, for their new Apple device to get TruePlay...

I know it’s a heavy lift to reallocate resources, generally, due to my experience with dev.

Sonos has always supported new Apple devices, it just takes a while for them to calibrate Trueplay to the new hardware.  I highly doubt this thread is going to speed it up any. 

I assume this is the other thread you’re referring to?

For reference, Google says that iPad Air 4 was release Oct 23, 2020.  iPad 8 was release Sept 18, 2020.  iphone 12 was also released on Oct 23, 2020, and is supported. I believe he remaining devices on the list are Sept 2021 releases.

Correct on the other thread: Pt. 1 and 2.

Exactly my point, my iPad Air 4 is now 12 months into, “coming soon”. (per your data on release dates) To be accurate and fair, is “iPad Air 4” the same thing as “iPad Air (4th generation)”?

Thanks, Danny / @melvimbe !

I highly doubt this thread is going to speed it up any.

Agreed, lol. @melvimbe 

@Support - Sonos @melvimbe 

If buy an old iPhone that supports IOS 12, am I correct in understanding that this would support TruePlay regardless of the iPhone version, per the Sonos link below? The Sonos link, best I can tell, only speaks to IOS version, not iPhone verison.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3222?language=en_US

E.g., Apple is saying the below legacy devices support IOS 12; can you confirm any of the below will work with the S2/Trueplay functionality, as long as they have IOS 12 installed? 

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209051

iPhone

• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 5s

Thanks!

The iOS operating system is clearly not important here - It’s just the different microphone hardware and the way it captures the audio.

Just as an example, I have an iPhone XR that can be used to TruePlay tune Sonos products and it’s now running iOS 15.0.2

I guess Sonos have to take a ‘batch’ of each of the newly released Apple products to then test each models hardware to ensure it works to correctly to calibrate a ‘Rooms’ TruePlay settings. It probably takes a lot of work to certify each new iOS product for this purpose. 

I guess eventually, with enough raw data captured during testing etc; that perhaps the mics in each of the ‘newer’ Sonos speakers might be able to one day Auto-TruePlay themselves, like we now see with the mobile products ‘Roam’ and ‘Move’.

I’m surprised the mics in the ‘Roam’ could not somehow be used to TruePlay tune a room too, instead of resorting to using an iOS device, but I guess there are technical reasons behind such matters.

Thanks, @Ken_Griffiths!

I’m going by Sonos’ guidelines, in regards to the IOS version; please see below:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4875?language=en_US
 

Mobile device OS requirements

An iOS or Android device is required to set up a new Sonos system or add new products. The Sonos app is available for the following OS versions:

 

 Sonos S2 app

• iOS 12 and higher
• iPadOS 13 and higher
• Android 8.0 and higher (Not supported on Chromebooks)
• Fire OS 7 and higher

Ah I see 👍 .. it’s sometimes often easier to just to borrow a device off a mate for ½ hour - as it’s a feature that’s often ‘just set and forget’ anyway in the majority of cases.

I’m using up my borrowing good graces… @Ken_Griffiths 

I like to move the surrounds around, angle them differently for the rear soundstage; try different positions for the sub, angle the Arc, itself, during playback of Atmos content etc. and then retune afterwords. 

I’m going to buy a cheap, supported iPhone for $50 -$150 to have a dedicated tuner, since Sonos doesn’t seem to be prioritizing support for my iPad Air 4th gen, a year after it’s release date, lol. I think that’s more than a reasonable amount of time to have waited for a current IOS gizmo’s support...

Think they’ll give me a refund, for the cost of the the iPhone tuner, for a less than stellar CX with my $2,050.00 of new Sonos gear? (LOL)
 

@Support - Sonos

October 23, 2020

iPad Air (4th generation)

Type	Tablet computer
Generation	4th
Release date	October 23, 2020

@Support - Sonos 

Can you provide any detailed eta information for support for TruePlay on iPad Air 4th?

Sonos do not normally announce their development roadmap in advance, as I guess there are no guarantees, until such things have been fully tested, but for changes to TruePlay capable iOS devices, this page-link here below often gets updated first, so perhaps just keep a close eye on that for any changes around the time of any new S2 App/Firmware updates:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3222

HTH

Thanks, @Ken_Griffiths. I’ve already linked your page, above, in my documentation (way above) regarding the permanent status of “coming soon” for the year since the iPad Air 4 has been released. This page is of no value for me. 

“Coming soon: Estimated Trueplay support date is December of 2021, with updates provided if a date is missed, would be of value and provide world class CX.

“Coming soon” in perpetuity (I don’t how long the devices have been listed in this status; iPad Air 4th gen was released a year ago, as I documented above) is dishonest, and disingenuous at best. @Ken_Griffiths 

The support page will get updated if/when that iPad gets added to the general list of supported products. Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying that Sonos do not normally mention any such update until it’s just about to be released, or is released …and that page is one of the first things that gets updated.

No worries; wasn’t my intention to offend. Appreciate your taking the time to help. @Ken_Griffiths 

I’m saying, Sonos should normally update customers with their roadmap for a better CX. 

They haven’t even chimed in on this, after a few days, and I’ve tagg’d them a few times.

@jnelly,

Well it is of course the weekend period and that can occasionally mean Staff may not be around, what is mainly a ‘user-community’ here anyway… At least perhaps not as often as we may see them drop by during a working week.

There are several other gateways to Sonos Support Staff (some 24/7), besides what you find here in this user-community.

You may just find the answer to enquiries about such on-going development work is going to be along the lines of Sonos do not have anything to announce at this time, but Staff will feed your comments back to the team responsible. (..or words to that effect).

So don’t be too disappointed, as I understand their hands are tied too and in most cases they may not actually know any dates for the release of such features, at least not until shortly before they are due for release anyway.

@Ken_Griffiths

For a premium product, with premium pricing, a world class company would care enough to understand its customers by having a community board manager monitor this space.

I’m situationally pleased with my Arc home theater surround system; Sonos’s phone support and TruePlay CX is lacking.

I’ve talked to Sonos phone support, lol. The individual asked for all the annoying identification data points (go Sonos data analytics), put me on hold; then came back and was reading a generalized script, and... didn’t even understand the question from the response I was given; I simply hung up, lol.

I’m getting a cheap, older iPhone. Problem solved. ($50 -$100)

The only reason I’m continuing to spend time on this here, is in hopes it lands on Sonos. There is a lot of room for improvement with its CX; I’ve tried to narrate my CX to that end in a non-snarky (well, mostly) reasoned way. 

I’m obviously in the minority here, because you are the only participant in my thread’s subject, lol. (Refer to my thesis statement at the thread’s top about, resource allocation, budgets, priorities et al., lol)

By way of contrast, when I was testing the Bose 900 Soundbar, full surround system vs. the Arc’s, Bose’s CX was world class. If their rear 700 surrounds were louder and designed for more than subtle surround sound, I’d dump the Arc in a heartbeat. Atmos’ spatial, audio object placement for the the x, and y axis, is articulated SOOOO much better with the Bose 900 Soundbar.

And, if I had any energy left to test the Samsung Q950A, or if the Sony HT-A9 was ready for prime time, I’d go in that direction. Sonos is good enough, because I’m exhausted with all the energy I’ve had to put into this home theater project (primarily because I have an older Plasma TV, sans, eArc port, that I love)

I’m settling, happily, but situationally, with the Sonos Arc home theater.

It’s not my first choice… for a few more dollars, the Sony HT-A9 is the bleeding edge; state of the art.

Yes, it’s not a topic that’s mentioned here too often in the community. I suspect most users tend to use their iPhone, rather than an iPad, to wave around the room and some perhaps tend to borrow a device from a friend, as for the majority of folk, it’s only something they may ever do once-only anyway and then forget about it - but I appreciate you have different requirements to the majority and want to move your Sonos devices about much more frequently than most.

Given that situation, I would personally choose to TruePlay tune the devices once only, whilst they are set at the position where I use them most ..and simply toggle ‘off’ the TruePlay feature when they’re placed elsewhere. Then switch on TruePlay when they are moved back to their usual spot… So I would choose do that anyway, even if I had access to a compatible iOS device, as it is much easier, than keep tuning the devices, particularly if they are shifted about regularly. 

If December 2021 has been muted (as per your earlier post) and your choice is not to wait till they release the update for your iPad model, nor wish to borrow a device from a friend, then I guess buying a cheap iOS device is one option for you, but speaking from my own perspective, I would choose to just wait, but it’s certainly your prerogative to buy yourself a cheap device in the interim period, if that’s your own preference.

Appreciate the input. At some point, the surround components will live in a permanent place. I’m simply doing all this adjustment to optimize the output of the system. I was so bummed when I dialed up the S2 app on my iPad Air 4 and got the…   It hadn’t even occurred to me, to check that a year old device would not be TruePlay supported.

Anyway, time to move on my new friend. I think we’ve done the subject justice. Thanks again for your time, thoughtfulness and input! @Ken_Griffiths 

Well, here’s hoping you don’t have to wait too much longer to use the Sonos TruePlay feature on your iPad …👍

No excuse for devices almost a year old still not supported.   How damn different is a one  iPhone or iPad model from another one anyway, when it comes to waving/flailing it around while it “listens” !?!?    
 

it’s not rocket science…  what gives??

There must be a problem with this. As usual Sonos keeps silent about future possibilities.

There mis be a bigger problem, has Apple by any chance started to use microphones with different properties within the same series of phones? That would make it harder for Sonos to standardise responses for Trueplay.

I bought an iPhone, just after this thread was started. I’m TruePlaying like a *&^; I’m still waiting for the reimburse from Sonos, haha...