HEOS (by Denon & Marantz). The app is rock solid. Many freestanding products like speakers, etc.

You sir have performed a major service to the community!!

Thank you. App rolled back easily and sanity restored. 

It comes to something when having spent thousands on a company's products you then need protecting from them! 

Long term though I can see where this is going. I think it's time to bail.....

Just came across a response from Sonos on another forum...

I downloaded v16.1 and it works perfectly for me but despite turning off auto update on both the Google Play Store and on the Sonos app itself it keeps updating to the lates app somehow. Last night it was v16.1 on my phone and this morning its back to the latest app again!

Further to my previous post, just worked out that on my Honor phone the Sonos app was auto updating from App Gallery so I've now turned that off too. Hoping that solves the problem. 

Did you turn off “Update Automatically” in the “System Updates” tab in the app?

Yes

Thanks to @ChrisJC for this information. I’ve rolled back to 16.1 on my Android phone and disabled auto updates on the phone app as well as on Google Play store. I was later offered an update but was able to decline which I will continue to do.

Can I please confirm that, so long as I don’t update the app or firmware from now on, my system will continue to work as I expect and that there is no way that Sonos can force a move away from current versions of the app/firmware?

I want everything to stay as it is at this moment while I decide whether to replace my Sonos system with something else. It’s going to be tough as I have 4 play 1’s, a sub, a five, a roam and a beam.

What Sonos have done to existing users with this ‘update’ is nothing short of an absolute disgrace and the recent AMA shows us that they simply don’t care. I’ve been a Product Manager in the IT industry for close to 35 years and I would expect to be fired if I did anything close to this...

I have a question along the lines of @Anton. I have moved back to 16.1 on my phone and turned off Play Store automatic updates and am happy to be back to normal. On my Android tablet, I have left the new app in order to (in theory) monitor if and when fixes and updates roll out to make it approach usability. To that end, I see that there is an update that claims to bring back alarms.

On this tablet, I have updated the new app via the Play Store, but afterwards, am not seeing the alarm functionality. I see that in the app, if I go into the settings and check for an update, it says there is an update. So I am wondering if this update is not an app update, but a firmware update that will change all my speakers. I did note that the post regarding the alarm functionality said it required a firmware update. 

If this is the case, I am wondering if doing this update will modify the speakers’ firmware in ways that will break backwards compatibility with the 16.1 app workaround. And thus, besides disabling Play Store updates, we all must be sure to turn off automatic updates within the settings of our apps (both 16.1 and the new one, if anyone else is doing what I’m doing).

Finally, I wonder how long this can go on. I also use the Windows app, and in the past, there have been times when I’ve started it up and it insists on doing an update and you can’t even use it until it does. Based on the slipshod quality of this new app, I have real doubts that Sonos takes much care at ensuring firmware updates are backwards compatible with older app versions; their approach is probably to just require app updates. If that’s right, one false move to allow a firmware update will torpedo the 16.1 workaround. I have been a customer since the 90s and have 10 speakers in my house that have cost me thousands of dollars. I do hope Sonos is reading all these posts as they claim, because what they’ve done to their installed base with this app and its rollout has been egregious. 

With the new app I couldn't work out how to update my music library and I thought I read somewhere that Sonos had taken this facility away because they didn't think having your own music library was the way to go any more. 

@Johnny Rico Exactly this! With rolling back to 16.1, I don't want any more updates to the app or to the speaker firmware. I have a system that now works as it should so what I've done is:

Removed the Sonos app from all devices except my phone (tablets & Windows app)

Turned off updates in the phone app

Turned off updates in the play store 

Rejecting any updates offered

I'm hoping that doing this will keep Sonos away from my system for the foreseeable future so I can use it as I want. 

I wouldn't trust Sonos to change anything at the moment so I want to keep them away from my system whilst I decide what to do next

Nooooooo, I also rolled back to the 16.1 version and it worked ok for 1 night. But today I got a popup that my Sonos Boost was not installed properly, and after adding it to my Sonos network I can't use my system anymore in the 16.1 version. All speakers are blocked now with a note 'needs an update'. I Tried to uninstall and installing the apk again, but unfortunately it does not work anymore. Should I get to reset the Boost again? 

As has been said earlier, if you’ve reverted to 16.1 and your system is now working OK, turn off automatic firmware updates (in System Settings) as well as turning off automatic app updates (in Play Store). My phone app just displayed a message that updates are available which I take to mean firmware updates.

Sadly, we’re invested in SONOS at 3 locations we own. Not so sadly, we have the means to change. Life is too short to make substantial investments in products that become suddenly unstable. Very typical of many technology companies, particularly those located in the Peoples Republic of California. If I had employees executing changes in my business made by this ‘update’, they would never work in the industry again.

I can’t agree more, the new update is a mess.  I mostly listen to my own Music Library, and that feature is apparently arriving in “Mid-June”.  So in the meantime, I’m just supposed to suck it?  How about don’t release the update until it’s fully baked, Sonos?  Thanks, @ChrisJC for the help.

Totally agree. As of today, despite having rolled back to 16.2 last week, most functionality of the Android app and Windows app is now greyed out. I can’t access my music library, which is 95% of what I use Sonos for. Can they not get it into their heads, that it’s not just about the streaming services? A lot of us couldn’t care less about those. Looks like I’ll be living music-free until mid-June. Thanks Sonos. Thanks for not caring about your customers.

Thank you for showing how to get rid of that terrible update. 

Downgraded to 16.1 for many reasons and all new app issues are gone except one. The new app does not let you add Alexa voice assistant (it hangs - one of many reported problems) and unfortunately when I click on add a voice assistant in 16.1 I get App Update Needed. If anyone knows a workaround please advise. Else I guess I’m waiting for the new app fix then will deploy it via my wife’s phone (she does not use her app so won’t notice getting the dodgy upgrade!).

Thanks ChrisJC. A relief to be able to recover this old version after this shambles. Thank you so much.

Thanks for this, just done the same on a kindle fire and all working well.

New app looks like it’s intended for streamers, not users with big libraries…real shame.

I have 16.1 on my Android.  It is working fine with my devices (which are all running 16.2).  I’ve got updates turned off for the app, and have also disabled auto-updates.

I also have a windows machine that I occassionally use to interact with my system.  I just found out that it has 16.0 on it.  Does anyone have directions as to where I can find the windows 16.1 software? 16.0 is asking to update, and I don’t trust that not to break something...I’d rather install a known good 16.1 download.

Brilliant!  Many thanks.

This process worked perfectly for me, I now have an operational system again including the Roam.

thx for the instructions

I, too, have rolled back (using APKMirror) and turned off auto updates in the app (on both an Android phone and Android tablet).  However, a day later they are still auto updating.  Are others experiencing the same issue, or am I missing something that needs to be set? 

I, too, have rolled back (using APKMirror) and turned off auto updates in the app (on both an Android phone and Android tablet).  However, a day later they are still auto updating.  Are others experiencing the same issue, or am I missing something that needs to be set?