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Windows 10 Controller

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411 replies

Sam Goddard
Userlevel 3
Badge +1
When is the 'private beta' good enough to get released...? I saw the Sonos tile on a Windows 10 Mobile device couple of weeks ago.....can't wait for the app to be released!

For me it's the last app that I need to complete my windows 10 mobile. Garmin came out with their version of connect just a few days ago. It's all rosey in the Windows Store! Just Sonos left 🙂
Stuart_W
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Dear Sonos

Take the opportunity to support a very fastly growing oecosystem and to keep its users as customers.

The possibility to support a whole bunch of devices (phones, tablets, xbox, computers) with one single app is just great

We've been waiting for too long!!

4 months too long? Come off it!
Arc + Sub (Gen 1) + 2 x Play 1/ Stereo Play 3s/ Era 100 Stereo in Kitchen, One Stereo in Bedroom, SL One in Study, Play 1in Bathroom & Conservatory
L
Userlevel 2
There was something before Windows 10 came out.
B
I have Windows 10 on my Surface Pro 2. Windows 10 is so much better than even 8.1. Windows 10 phones will soon have a much bigger market share. Sonos, pay attention!!
0
Userlevel 3
Badge +3
I honestly don't know what the fuss is about, there is already a windows application. Surely SONOS can just convert this into a windows store app and everyone will be happy! Job done.....
They need to do a proper Windows 10 universal app that will work well as a desktop, tablet and phone app. This really would fix the one grating problem with Sonos for me (and many others, judging by these threads).
R
Very disapointed that there is no WP app yet from you guys. Considering most of the WP users are well paid business users im supprised at the lack of updates on this front :/

A minor point, but the Windows Phone platform is a legacy product with a tiny market share. Windows 10 is the current product offering.

saying windows phone i mean Windows 10 apps ofc, Running a Lumia 950XL myself, trying to hold off buying more sonos products untill its released, it's so hard though 😉
B
Been following the Sonos windows saga with interest for a couple of years now. My wife is desperate for us to get something for the house to stream music but I'm reluctant to plumb for Sonos as we are all Windows platform based (WinPhone 8.1, WinMobile 10, Win 10 tablets).

I was very glad to hear about the Sonos / Groove / Xbox Music integration that was announced recently as I thought this showed promise for better MS / Win10 support but I guess not. I'm woried that as most Groove users are probably also in the Windows camp they might drop support for Groove music due to "lack of uptake" or some such when actually lack of app support is probably also limiting lack of Groove usage.

Ah well, time will tell. If they produce an app soon I'll probably join the club, if not hopefully the closer partnership between MS and Samsung might bear fruit in another direction.
L
Userlevel 1
Good touch support for the Windows platform would be great.
There are many Windows touch devices out there.

When doing that upgrade, making it a Universal App would be a no-brainer. The app would work on computer, tablet and phone with one one set of code. So easy to make it work between different form factors.
G
I have to say that the responses form Sonos regaring the status of Windows as a supported platform is deeply unsatisfactory. I don't care about getting commitments to deliver software by any given date, I just want to know if Sonos plan to support the Windows 10 platform going forward. That is not an unreasonable question for a customer to ask and there is no sensible reason why Sonos cannot respond in a meaningful and helpful way.

Deliberately avoiding making a clear statement on this is very unhelpful to Sonos customers who have invested in Windows 10 as a platform. Why does it appear so difficult for Sonos to appreciate why the current uncertainty over windows support is unsatisfactory to its customers?

I`m getting ready to abandon the platform because of this. I am not prepared to waste money on additional Sonos units which may or may not work for me going forward.

I've just spent several hours with Sonos tech support installing my sub so first up want to acknowledge the really great job done by the guys who are the voice of the system when you need it. They did well and its not the first time.

Which makes the failure to have a mobile controller for windows phones all the more inexplicable.

The equipment is great, ahead of the curve except when it comes to trying to use the system, when I have to go to the PC in the study to change anything. I'm not new to windows equipment and made the choice to get a WP when the Blackberry died and with the new operating system everything is coming together. Except my Sonos controller. Your bad and I hope you step up soon.

Many thanks (for the great tech support) and regards,
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23
Sorry but a poorly-supported change.org petition isn't going to do anything. Look, I've sold tens of thousands of copies of my app (currently #5 in paid apps in the US Store), and Sonos are more than capable of detecting just how many users I have too. They have plenty of data as to the level of demand.
Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
T
Userlevel 3
Badge
Sorry but a poorly-supported change.org petition isn't going to do anything. Look, I've sold tens of thousands of copies of my app (currently #5 in paid apps in the US Store), and Sonos are more than capable of detecting just how many users I have too. They have plenty of data as to the level of demand.

Tend to agree. If they are not acting on feedback from their own site or user data a change.org petition is not going to shift them. Sorry but it's the truth.
L
Userlevel 3
Badge +1

It's our policy not to comment on possible future products or features. We do keep track of customer requests though. Many of the current features came from customer suggestions in the past. We'll be sure to make an announcement as soon as we have an update that we can share.
oh come on. You can do better than this...
We know that this is BS. when apple announced apple music, it took you only one day to confirm, that you are going to support it, as soon as apple will allow the support of external devices. At the time you confirmed the feature, it wasn't even possible for you to support it!!!
So stop telling us about your policy which applies only in cases were you do not want to offend your costumers with a no!

We know that you do not care at all about windows customers. This request is running for over 3 years now and all you have done the last years was keeping hope alive for your windows customers. I have quoted all your comments a few weeks ago to demonstrate how you were manipulating your customers. Now you are ignoring this of course. Pretending you'd never said anything. Just say no to an windows app and that's it. A good company would do so.
And just to remind you. A windows app is no feature nor a product. It is essential for the use of your products. Especially since you stopped selling and supporting the sonos control.

But ok. As you are not going to say it, i will:

Sonos does not and will never support Windows phone/mobile.
Stuart_W
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Sonos will never give you the information you looking for here... Their method of engaging with customers appears to be to say many things but not actually tell you anything.

Actually, Sonos are very consistent. They acknowledge receipt of ideas, suggestions and issues. Beyond that for issues they will remind us that things are still being worked on and enhancements or suggestions or feature requests they simply do NOT publish their plans up front.

This may or may not be to people's taste but this is how they operate and I for one don't interpret this in the way that you have.
Arc + Sub (Gen 1) + 2 x Play 1/ Stereo Play 3s/ Era 100 Stereo in Kitchen, One Stereo in Bedroom, SL One in Study, Play 1in Bathroom & Conservatory
J
A few straightforward facts:
!. Sonos are not idiots
2. They know some people would like a universal Windows app
3. Only possible conclusion from 1 and 2 is that for whatever reason(s), strategic, technical or other, they haven't felt it was right for their business. Which is their prerogative.
4. If people don't like it they can keep their wallets in their pockets.
5. As others have implied, notably @jgatie and @Stuart_W, Sonos never pre-announce, or even hint, and anyone who thinks they have done so on this issue is kidding themselves
T
Userlevel 3
Badge
With respect I think you are being deliberately obtuse if you cannot have an appreciation, at least to some degree, to the points I am making.
Actually, no. jgatie is telling it like it is.

Oh come now if you must see those comments and actions from Sonos staff are misleading and why anyone who has been following this for a while would be upset at the way this thread (and previous thread) have been handled by Sonos.

The fact that they have not explicitly stated they are working on an app is irrelevant as the intimation that they are is so strong that if people are getting upset then that is entirely the fault of the Sonos employees who wrote those posts, the blind assentation that they have never explicitly confirmed it Is ridiculous and yes, obtuse. If they had stuck to their guns and kept to a consistent policy perhaps this thread wouldn't be quite so accusatory. Fact is Sonos have rejected ideas and proposals before (see DTS etc) and the fact that this one has been rumbling on so long without a definitive answer while dangling tempting possibilities in our faces hints at either duplicitousness or cowardice. I think most of us have accepted this will not happen, what we really want is to hear Sonos say so, then we can stop wasting our time.
E
As of todays Build conference there are over 270 active Windows 10 devices. Stop focusing on the phone as where the app is needed. Sonos just needs to support the Windows 10 application platform. To not do so would just be foolish of them. Hell they and even have one code base for all of there client/controller apps using Visual Studio with Xamarin.
jgatie
Thanks for the definitive answer, Kenneth. It will obviously disappoint some, but at least they can now move on to a product which does support Windows mobile.
J
28 Votes? Sonos is not going to write an app for 28 votes. Come on people if you really want the app then you have to do something about it.
VOTE!!!!
Thunderbyte
Userlevel 3
Badge +1
That market share numbers may be the case for Windows 10 on the desktop (most of them without touch screen). And for those there is a quite acceptable desktop client (and has always been).
1 Playbar | 1 Sub | 2x Play:5 | 1x Play:3 | 2x Play:1 | 1x Sonos One
E
Badge
In the end, however, we’ve made a decision that Sonos is not going to build a Windows Phone 8 app nor are we planning to build a Windows 10 “universal” app. We’ll of course continue to support the Windows desktop controller.
Surely you're not serious? Not only have you decided that you won't build an app for the [deprecated] Windows Phone OS (which, btw, is completely understandable - even in the regions where WP had "taken off" it was 10% of market share at most) but you've also decided not to build a UWP app which will run on, as of Build 2016 - i.e. a couple weeks ago, 270 million devices? Are you kidding me? Like it or not, desktop apps are quickly becoming legacy apps and while this move probably won't affect your bottom line today it sure will tomorrow - people are already less willing to install legacy apps than a store app and this is a trend that will only continue going forward.

We know this is super frustrating for Windows Phone owners anxious for more native apps on the platform, but like other companies we've had to place our bets. Our focus right now is on Voice and Paid Streaming Services, and we’re exploring quite a few innovative ways to experience and control your music – on your device and off.
It's not frustrating for Windows Phone users, well, I'm sure it is, but that's the part of the market you can afford to forget about. It is however super frustrating for the 270 million, current and active, users of Windows 10 devices (which include, but is not limited to, Windows 10 Mobile, the Surface line of computers, Xbox One's - almost all of whom are proven time and time again to spend more per capita than the average consumer).

While the legacy app works it really needs an overhaul in terms of design, but perhaps more so in general UX and discoverability. Continuing to pour money into desktop apps in this day and age makes no sense what so ever. Cut your losses and rewrite it as a UWP app, the way Microsoft is "forcing" users to upgrade to Windows 10 there won't be many XP, Vista, Windows 7 or 8 users left soon anyway - at least not ones who own or intend on owning a Sonos system, because, interestingly, those are also likely to spend more money than the "average" Joe. And sure, you may not like having this image of catering mostly to the higher-end markets, but as long as you have the kind of condescending staff you do in your UK offices that's exactly the type of image you are purveying - at least here in Europe.

We’ll be sure to keep this group informed of our progress.
Progress towards what? You've just said you are not going to cater to Windows users going forward - what makes you think said group of people would be the least interested in your progress?

Oh well, thanks for the definite answer, at least I now know not to bother investing further in your products - which, to be honest, I hadn't done in the past few years anyway due to the lack of the Windows Phone controller (or publically accessible APIs allowing GOOD QUALITY 3rd party apps). I've just ordered another couple Amazon Echo's, and while they don't do multi-room audio like Sonos (yet) I feel confident I can MacGyver a solution based on these and some RPi's which will give me the outstanding voice control provided by Alexa as well as streaming music, audiobooks (you no longer even support Audible...), news read out loud.. The more I think about it the better it sounds.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/phish-alpha/9wzdncrcww3f
With good ratings? Why kill it, when you have built it!

Sonos your arrogance will kill you. You were first moveres, and at that time great. But now you are just milking your customers, and bringing nothing new to the table. One amongst many.
More than likely because they're already struggling to survive in todays changed landscape. People, and no, not just the audiophile people Sonos UK would like to cater for. but people in general, are now buying Amazon Echo's and similar products en-masse. Sonos have already started letting people go.

Some years ago, Sonos had the edge because of their integration with audio services and high-quality speakers, but over the past few years the field has become crowded with competitors and Sonos no longer stands out - and even less so now, when they are actively trying to limit their user base.

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Apparently you don't allow animated GIFs, so I removed the inline image.
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Chris
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
I'm actually very surprised we haven't seen one yet. There were some screen shots by others showing a version in development (showing as an app for developers in the Windows App store). I expected we would see something with the Windows10 release. However, they have also been right in the middle of some other big projects so maybe they don't want to release it until we get our the next full version released (just like we don't get public ios betas either).

Fingers crossed with next full release we see Windows universal app (I have never seen one personally though)
Respect the Queue (1)Move (2)Beam (1)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1)Connect:Amp (3)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings
U
Userlevel 2
Badge +2
Well that is thoroughly rubbish. However as a previous posted stated maybe sonos could look into a web app and remove be platform agnostic, lowering development cost/time which clearly is required at sonos.
A
My Sonos has been collecting dust after I bought a Raspberry Pi and installed a media service on it which anyone on my network can access through a web browser. Not supporting Windows 10 was the final nail in the coffin. My Play 5 is getting sold to a poor soul tomorrow.
N
Userlevel 1
Badge
Only took them three years to answer. Thanks Sonos, you're so wrong and I'm never going to recommend your devices to anyone ever again, but thanks for finally actually saying no. Next time, maybe say this straight away to avoid thousands of frustrated customers.
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23
The Universal version of my app is now available in Preview: http://phonos.org/universal - try it out.
Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
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