Disaster App Update 80.xx.xx - May 2024

P
Userlevel 6
Badge

I just want to put my review (app store) from the latest update here in as already so many of us feel the same way:

 

first of all - i m a customer and fan since 2011 and i ve several setups in my home: 1x arc - 2x era 300 - 1x sub (3rd gen) - 1x beam (2nd gen) - 2x era 100 - 1x one (2nd gen). also i m a software dev and system admin for about 25y (large international corporation). yesterday I downloaded the new update and it s a total failure and complete disaster! it s so bad that i m willed to sell all my speakers if it s not corrected or will be rollbacked. the new design is neither intuitive nor performant (iPhone 14 pro) and also key features missing like editing an actual playlist/cue, sleep timer, alarm, etc. also my favorites don’t work anymore, can’t mute, can’t switch between tv and music, nas settings gone and are not available, some services had to been removed and new connected, etc.

how is it possible that a big company like this „burn it down to the ground“ when the app before was nearly perfect?! where is the quality management, the testing rings, etc.? it s unbelievable - such an disappointment and like i wrote before - if this is the new way i m out and selling all my speakers. you can also read a lot of the same opinions in the official sonos community/forum. this is all a huge L

125 replies

G
Userlevel 5
Badge +2

This app has killed their competitive advantage - the Sonos Ecosystem. I’ve paid to upgrade hardware (3 Gen2 Amps and 2 Gen2 Ports) because I trusted they’d be guardians of their most valuable asset. I was wrong. It's the equivalent of Apple eliminating any functionality of Apple Music to play any purchased or downloaded music. I have 20 Active Sonos products that now work like a iPod Shuffle with a streaming service that will only use the algorithm. 

20 active SONOS products, 27 Hardware products bought since 2013, shareholder since 2018.
T
Userlevel 1

Could not agree more. Been a Sonos user since 2012, have my whole house fitted with Sonos. There have been issues, but this is a new level of bad. Everything is sluggish, my system randomly disconnects from the app, widget gone, have to actually open the app every time I want to pause, skip tracks or do anything. It is an astonishingly horrible mess of an app, and my patience with Sonos is running out. Complete garbage. Get your act together.

C
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

This app has killed their competitive advantage - the Sonos Ecosystem. I’ve paid to upgrade hardware (3 Gen2 Amps and 2 Gen2 Ports) because I trusted they’d be guardians of their most valuable asset. I was wrong. It's the equivalent of Apple eliminating any functionality of Apple Music to play any purchased or downloaded music. I have 20 Active Sonos products that now work like a iPod Shuffle with a streaming service that will only use the algorithm. 

 

It's the courageous bee's knees 🐝🐝🐝
P
Userlevel 1

A catastrophic mess.

L
Userlevel 2

Maybe SONOS got bought by Spotify and we’re all out of luck now….

 

M
Userlevel 1

I wish I never updated my App, but we will be forced to update eventually.

This version 80 has broken many of the services I use such as CBC and Stingray. It won’t play anything from those two services anymore, and the streaming only music stations are now gone from CBC only the radio stations are listed but of course they won't play now. It all still works on my other phone which I haven’t updated yet (still on version 16). It’s like no testing was done before rolling out this new and “improved” update. I have been a Sonos user since 2018 with 6 speakers and have been very happy with the experience up until now. The new search feature is terrible, it’s very hard to find what I am looking for as there is no way to narrow it down to what you are searching for (artist, song, podcast, etc.). And the Sleep Timer has been removed, I used that often. Sonos, how exactly is this App better?!

T
Userlevel 1

I have been a loyal customer of Sonos for many years, but I am very unhappy with the latest update of the app and the performance of the speakers.

  • The new app does not allow me to adjust the volume of my rear speakers in a ARC + ERA setup. This is very frustrating. 
  • The app UI looks terrible, what a mess and the structure is totally gone. The app is very hard to navigate and use. The app does not match the functional and elegant design of the old app, and it feels like a cheap product made in a rush.
  • Sonos does not have the best sound, but I always loved the simple and straightforward app, it had some very few issues like the limitations of setup of speakers etc. I would like to use my surrounds as normal speakers when not watching TV without the process of removing them from the ARC.  But all in all, it was the app that was the king! Very apple like… The old app was easy to use and intuitive, and it allowed me to customize my speaker setup and preferences. The new app has removed many of the features and options that I liked, and it has made the speaker setup more complicated and restrictive.

    I am very sure that I will sell my Sonos if the app does not roll back. . I will go for B&O instead, which has great audio quality and “okay” app. At least its simple to use.
C
Userlevel 4
Badge

Why is Sonos going in a direction that its users don’t want?  The updated app, as presented on the Apple App Store, if rated on the basis of the last 3 days, would be 2.0, or less, not 4.7, which is based on 4 years of ratings.   Why are customers having to accept steps back?   When did it become okay to dilute the value proposition of customers prior investments?   

Courage?  Convenient framing.

”“Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that represents just how seriously we are committed to invention and re-invention. It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing it may require taking a few steps back to ultimately leap into the future,” said Sonos.”

J
Userlevel 1
Badge

Long time Sonos user at 9 houses over previous decades and have never seen Sonos release such a disaster app.

We RELY ON 18 daily Sonos alarms and frequently use sleep timers. How can Sonos product management remove such useful features - ones that differentiate Sonos from so many other music players?

what a disaster “upgrade”

J
Userlevel 3

It is unbelievable any organisation could be as stupid as Sonos has been with this so called update. Gerald Ratner was the CEO who comes to mind who described their product as 'crap' and that destroyed Ratners the jewellers. 

Here we have an organisation that had a good product and substituted it for CRAP! It's a bit like taking off your top scorer and putting on the mascot. At least that would resemble a football game whereas this app resembles a cluster f..k of monumental incompetence.

Sort it out Sonos or are you too arrogant to admit your mistake.

A
Userlevel 3

After 3 days trying to use this ridiculous update, I am on the point to give up with Sonos. 
Music Library does not work like before anymore !!!

cannot connect Nas drive !!!

No cross-fade for songs anymore

No Playlists!!!!

Plex is not running anymore as well!!! 
No Alarms !

and so on, it’s a complete downgrade-disaster 

P
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

Yes, absolute disaster. My first ever post was motivated by my disbelief and frustration. I have 23 Sonos zones in my house. While some glitches here and there, it was dependable for the most part. The moment I downloaded the app, everything fell apart - even after rebooting modem, every mesh WiFi, and each Sonos product. Music cuts out, unable to play, app takes forever to load…and, yes many features are removed or harder to access in exchange for a too ambitious and less functional experience - to say the least. I’m in too deep with Sonos, but this really makes me want to replace my entire system with a different solution.  At least let us downgrade to the older version, as things get worked out. Terrible. 

It is actually possible to install the old version if you are using an Android device. You can uninstall the updated SONOS app, get the 16.1 version from APKMirror and install it (remember to disable automatic update for the SONOS app in the Google Play store for the SONOS app).

Sonos 16.1 APK Download by Sonos, Inc - APKMirror

F
Userlevel 1

App just became even less useful after this last ‘upgrade’

Will use it as before only tomchange some settings for sound speaker etc. 
For playing music from apple music will have to use airplay so at least I have the full intuitive interface from Apple music at hand.

It’s a pity that nobody from Sonos replies here, they are all probably waiting for the storm to fly over.

M

They only reason why I bought Sonos is to stream my digitalized collection when I'm not using my hifi. Without this feature Sonos is useless for me. At the end we bought speakers, not software where marketing boys control how we can use them.  I started already to replace my system with heos.  I think I will speed up but again useless costs that could be avoided 

V
Userlevel 1

Came to say similar to all these posts; updated my app now no alarms, no sleep timers, can’t connect to my system half the time, constantly reloading the app to try and get it to connect; trying to link Sonos components in different rooms takes multiple efforts.  

Sonos needs to provide a roll back path ASAP or I’ll take my business elsewhere, don’t want to do this after investing for the last 10+ years, but I will as this is ridiculous.

G
Userlevel 1

Just downloaded app update, absolutely shocking. What is wrong with Sonos. Speakers are great but the app has not always been the best but now...... its total dog @#!£.

You seriously need to sort this out. I feel like dumping my system there's better ones out there.

A
Userlevel 2

One more loss:

  • Custom radio stations … gone on my app (iOS)

iPhone-Workaround for now: SonosPhone app (1.99$) brought these back, at least.

M
Userlevel 2

I don't expect to have to roll back to an old app version to continue using my sonos to play my own music on my NAS.

Will never recommend Sonos to anyone again.

P
Userlevel 3

Why is Sonos going in a direction that its users don’t want?  The updated app, as presented on the Apple App Store, if rated on the basis of the last 3 days, would be 2.0, or less, not 4.7, which is based on 4 years of ratings.   Why are customers having to accept steps back?   When did it become okay to dilute the value proposition of customers prior investments?   

Courage?  Convenient framing.

”“Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that represents just how seriously we are committed to invention and re-invention. It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing it may require taking a few steps back to ultimately leap into the future,” said Sonos.”

I can’t say I disagree with your or Sonos’  philosophy. I haven’t actually looked at most of the dysfunction other than to say that the app doesn’t work at all on my phone (I kept the old app on my iPad and  computer, fortunately) On my phone, there is no Queue at all  and I  can’t even stop a song that I have started from iPad or computer. So now, I have to carry my iPad with me as I move around the house.

P
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

couldn’t agree more.

 

i note there’s a facility to write to the CEO at ceo@sonos.com.

 

Perhaps if enough people write, they’ll reconsider.

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

Completely agree with all the other replies. Can't search my local mp3 library or find any of the playlists I used to use daily. How can I roll back????

1

Appalling update. How this was aloud to pass quality control before release is beyond belief. Some heads need to roll at Sonos headquarters. 

 

Never mind no alarm function or ability to edit or clear playlists, the controls for the speakers have become very temperamental to say the least. To pause, skip or stop music playing results in no response at all meaning I am having to unplug the corresponding speaker or a lag of 60-90 seconds before the system decides to respond to the request. 

 

Needs sorting ASAP as the Sonos system has become pretty useless. For a premium product this is abysmal. 

 

PS Bring back the Alarm!

R

Wait, your speakers actually work after the update? Mine disappears after 5 seconds in the app, one of my 7 speakers remains in the app but can’t play music. No problems using Sonos speakers via roon though, so it’s app related….

D
Userlevel 1

Total agreement with ALL the comments above. Shame on you SONOS.

Please offer the previous app version until this disaster is fixed.

B

Terrible update, they need to revert to the previous version which was fine. 
 

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