Sonos frequently updates their app and devices to make enhancements to their products and improve the Sonos user experience. This is pretty common with modern-day technology. And Sonos updates aren’t that difficult. You update the app which takes a few seconds. Then you update the speakers which usually takes anywhere between 1-5 minutes depending on the update. That’s it.

If this process is a burden in your life and makes the speaker unusable to you, then you are probably better off selling your speakers and using a traditional stereo system that doesn’t require an app and doesn’t connect to your wireless network.

All you need do is turn off auto-update on speakers and controllers. 

I'd advise just the opposite: turn auto-update on. 99.9% of Sonos updates go unnoticed on my system. Why is your experience different?

My guess, based on the statement ‘sometimes unplug sonos or my router to reset’, the OP has some sort of network issue that needs to be resolved. In a normal update process (all of Sonos’ updates so far), there is no need to do anything with unplugging the Sonos devices, or rebooting the router. It does make me wonder about the quality of the router, though. 

Maybe assigning static/reserved IP addresses to the Sonos gear would make the Sonos system happy with the router?

i came here to make this thread, UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE and all i experience is a graduately worsening user experience. I was holding on tightly to my S1 app since i was told S2 is **, but then i added a one gen2 to my system and was FORCED to update, and i see npw what they meant whe they said it was crap. Unstable, often not working, uses more CPU power on fancy animations than actual functions that works, when and why did sonos decide to become manufactor of useless crap..?

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

I’m going to hazard a guess that you’re experiencing network issues of some type, but there just isn’t enough information in your post to be sure. 

What has Sonos Support said when you called in?

no network issues. S2 is just **

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

I don’t know. I run S2 across 20 plus speakers, and have zero issues. There must be something going on there. If it’s not a network issue, perhaps a hardware issue? In any case, what did Sonos support say when you called them?

Are you capable of expressing yourself without profanity? 

The S2 controller offers more features and can use more controller resources. In my case the latest S2 controllers are slightly slower starting up because they collect more data from the players and from online servers, but I’d need to use timing instruments to prove that screen to screen operation is significantly faster or slower than the older controllers.

With regard to “no network issues” we have helped hundreds of people, who had “perfect” networks, achieve full use of their SONOS system (after reconfiguring their network slightly). SONOS makes more demands on the local network than simple web browsing and email.

When I first started my SONOS system it was awful. After I reconfigured my “perfect” network and dealt with a neighbor’s wireless phone interfering with my system, it has been smooth sailing since 2005.

100% agree this is out of control, and i am fed up with forced useless updates.  S2 controller is unstable drops speakers, and is full of useless animations and cosmetic features that makes actual functions less functional, i have actually had it, i am looking to replace my sonos system, also the sound quality is straight up bad compared to competing brands.

Sonos updates are not a big deal if you take control of them by choosing when and how often to update. It isn’t as if there is a big security issue you will be exposed to in the time you delay any update because of this controlled updating regime of even say once in six months. I am on S1 and don’t get many updates, but this is how I would deal with S2 updates because not all my Sonos units are on all the time.

That said, any issues after an update point to network issues that are best addressed ASAP because they may next turn up even without an update cycle.

I know there isnt a big security issue, but there a features that are unavailable unless you update, and that is just poor design from the get go. I baught these speakers so that i could listen to music, not so that i would have to be bothered with POS software and anoying useless updates when i want to use them. Sonos is going in the bin, i just convinced myself.

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

Do you want help, or is this just a rant?

Make up your mind, which of the two?! Surely you did not buy the system for features introduced only in subsequent updates?

The firmware on the speakers and software on your controlling apps should be matched,  If you updated one and not the other, it’s understandable that certain feature would not work.   And it’s not surprising that you have to be on the current version in order to install new products.  And sure, some cloud based features are going to require being on the latest version, although I’m not aware of any specifically for Sonos.

I assume you didn’t mean to say that new features should work without having to update.

I’ll note that SONOS offers far fewer iPad updates than SPOTIFY or AMAZON MUSIC.

Imagine bringing home a smoking hot chick from a night out on the town, and you want to impress her by playing some nice tunes..and then, right then and there Sonos wants you to update the firmware, because there is a new animation for the list of speakers, so that when you check one speaker in the list of speakers it jumps to the top and then to the bottom of the list, because who on earth can live without animations in the list of speakers OMG. Also imagine how that would play out if the update fails and you have to retry a few times, to get the new animations, and you can’t add any new services unless you update the animations on all devices and controllers...that hot chick is not allowed in this forum is she? Why do you hate hot chicks??

I’ve mine set to 4am. She won’t notice an update…..

Well… maybe not. Then again, all sorts of things can go on at 4am… Maybe that’s why she won’t notice the update?

My problem with the updates is that nothing really seems to change or get better. Recent updates only took away functionality instead of adding them. You also don't get any info off what is about to change when it does like taking away of the - On This Device - option. 

Here are the release notes.

A lot of the issues are going to be bug fixes that only a small number of users are experiencing in rare cases.  It does not make a lot of sense to give details about these changes, since the vast majority will not care, or perhaps even understand what the issue is (myself included since I don’t have inside knowledge on how some parts of Sonos work)

It could also be security related changes to protect against known attacks.

It could be that these are pre-emptive changes to deal with future OS changes that Apple or Google has planned.  Or changes that Sonos has planned but not yet fully implemented.

And sure, as a consumer, we might prefer to have less updates and only apply the changes that we care about.  However, that makes it rather difficult and expensive to troubleshoot issues when every installment is potentially a different version of your software.  So Sonos requires that you update to the current version before working on issues.

Sonos might consider a dual-track update system, several things I use offer that.

Instant updates - As soon as they are ready you get them.

Scheduled updates - You get them once a month, if there were any.

Given the App Store issues that could well mean having to have two different Apps to work around the built-in auto update limitations.

i diddnt tosss the speakers into the bin like i convinced myself i would, instead i kept them, and i updated and updated and updated and updated and updated like a good little lad and all that happend is that the chick fell a sleep on the couch and now the controller is worse than EVER. 

So you’ve still not done the right things:

• fix your router
• ste updates to automatic.