It’s the app and the software on the devices to be exact. Though optimising their networks seem to help some people.

The amount of times I’ve seen customer systems simply disappearing from the app in other forums is comical. Fortunately this hasn’t happened to me, yet. What I wanted to say though is - it doesn’t matter whether a person has network issues or not, the app design shouldn’t allow for things like that to happen. Sure it can give connectivity errors when there is a network issue etc. but you know there is a design problem when people’s systems simply disappear forcing them to do all kinds of things, that to me shows a very clear design flaw. 

I finally gave up on the app. Delay, system not found etc. 4-5 calls to Sonos did not fix the issues. They blame the wifi.

Now using Sonopad from appstore ($5) and it works just fine. Sonos must fix the app.

I did a search here and can’t find a peep out of the new CEO Tom Conrad. 

Hey Tom - the new (even if temp) captain of this beached vessel, can’t you even give ANY guidance to the thousands of customers who make your comp package possible?   You don’t seem to be a shy guy, so what gives after all these weeks of silence? 

Apps still sucks, and putting your leased severs in the middle of controlling our once stable whole-home audio systems not only broke too many systems, it got the prior CEO, CPO, and Marketing heads canned.  So what are you doing to address the pain your loyal and long-term customers are still experiencing???  

I'm waiting for this to sort out.  I have place for 6 more speakers but I'm holding until it's figured out. 

Personally I see no reason for the system I have needing to talk to the mothership. We should simply be able to have the hardware on out internal network with non-routable IPs assigned to each and stream to it. 

Some people might have network issues, but the app is broken. I Can't get it to work. Delays are unacceptable. Clients are pixel 8 and iphone 14. Same problems on both. But I also have an old android tablet which can't get the new app. It's stuck on v13. Guess what, it works perfectly fine…

My iPhone controller here, is the much older XR version and the App seems to be okay on that Apple device - what issues are you seeing? Have you spoken to Sonos Support about it? If not, then maybe give them a call. Here is the link to contact them:

https://support.sonos.com/s/contact

It might just be a simple mDNS/SSDP ‘device discovery’ issue that the Staff can quickly resolve with you over the phone, perhaps?

Just put my last Connect up for sale.  Six Sonos pieces gone!  Now if only I could come up with something in place of two play 1’s on the screen porch, I’d be free. Anyone have an idea?  Roon ready would be nice. 
 

it’s so sad Sonos went so bad, so fast. I really liked it.

I can’t see me ever selling my Sonos products, for someone else’s gain/benefit and then spending even more money to get back what I perhaps had already (or likely something not quite as good for the money), particularly as the Sonos Hardware is still as excellent as it’s always been.

I’m one of the lucky ones gaining too by other people selling off their stuff for less than the retail price. I’m also in a good position, as the new Sonos App has been fine here on my Home WiFi mesh. Had that not been the case with the new App, then that would not have mattered that much to me either, as the Sonos App is not a music player, but merely a ‘remote’ controller for the products I have setup… that means I still would have plenty of other apps/options to use to play audio on my Sonos devices including…

• Airplay 2 (useful for grouping speakers too)
• Direct Control (PlexAmp/Spotify/Amazon Apps/iBroadcast/Emby)
• Bluetooth Audio
• UPnP/DLNA
• Alexa Voice Services (useful for grouping speakers too)
• Google Voice Services 
• Sonos Voice Control (useful for grouping speakers too)
• TV Apps (YouTube/Chromecast/Plex)
• Line-In audio
• 3rd Party Apps (Soro/SonoPhone/Orto etc.) (useful for grouping speakers too)

So my own Sonos products are (without any doubt) staying ‘put’ - there’s no chance of me ever parting company with them, whilst it’s still possible to ‘easily’ play my chosen music on any/all my devices here, whatever App, source I use to start playback and use to manage/control my speakers.

No doubt though that those who do decide to sell will likely benefit people like me and probably many new users too and that will also persuade me and those ‘others’, to also add new Sonos products to our ever-growing collections.

Couldn’t agree more. We have probably spent $10k on Sonos products in the past 15 years. I have full house mesh WiFi with fiber internet. No issues with connectivity with any of my other devices. My Sonos app/speakers rarely work unless it’s via my TV/or APPLE TV playing via my Sonos system. I now have a stack of old Sonos speakers I probably just need to sell online. After spending days on the phone, fixing, reinstalling, replacing speakers from Sonos, they’ve lost me as a customer. I’m going to try to keep what I have working as long as possible, but I will never be purchasing another Sonos device. 
 

especially when there are other products out there that are way more reliable. The fact I have to walk around my house with a JBL Bluetooth speaker I bought for the beach to be able to listen to my music/podcast/audiobook is ridiculous when each room in my house has 1-3 Sonos speakers in it. 

Sounds great! I have a ton of speakers in perfect condition I would love to unload. My guess is that we’ll start seeing the speakers showing up in yard sales for free. 
 

I have all of the things you mentioned above. AirPlay NEVER works. I do not turn on voice control because of my kids. I rely on apps to control what music I play or listen to. Apple Music and Sonos just seem to hate each other. 

My own initial thoughts about the issues that you are seeing are you ‘may’ have a multicast ‘device discovery’ issue across your local network that’s preventing the controller device from communicating with the Sonos speakers. See attached re: SSDP/mDNS.

Such communication failure can occur across networks that use WiFi extenders, EoP adapters, or if managed switches are misconfigured. It can also happen if some settings on a local mesh router are incorrect, or there’s software running on the mobile device that is getting in the way of the multicast communication, such as security software, VPN client, firewall, site blockers etc.

I’d perhaps investigate further in the areas mentioned and if still no luck, then it maybe best to reproduce the issue(s) seen and then immediately submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App, note it’s reference and contact/chat with Sonos Support Staff via this LINK and see what the Staff can perhaps suggest to help you to resolve the matter.

​@Fedupwiththissetup,

Just to add too, I also subscribe to Apple Music and the Sonos App here works fine with that music service over my local mesh network and I’m not seeing any issues with AirPlay playback either on my compatible Sonos speakers, so that too is suggesting to me that you may have some local issues with your network setup that are causing your devices to not work correctly. I’d perhaps speak to Sonos Support Staff and see what they can maybe do to assist you.

Apple Music Sonos Service working well here with new Sonos App. I did initially have an issue with multiple Apple IDs in the household, but after reregistering them all in Sonos App all OK.

There does appear be known issue(s) with Airplay from some specific non Apple devices to some specific non Apple devices, not only Sonos devices.

eg I can’t AirPlay from Apple Music Windows to LG TV, but I can AirPlay from iOS to LG TV, I can’t AirPlay from Apple Music on Windows to Sonos, but I can AirPlay from iOS/MacOS to Sonos devices (apart from Era-100)

What mesh network do you have?

https://www.google.com/search?q=airplay+on+mesh+network

Same here; spent a similar amount, was on the verge of doubling the amount.  Sonos doesn’t seem to care.

FIX THE F"ING APP!!!!!  I only joined the sonos community to vent and find when they are fixing the app!  I have only posted to a “chat boards” 2-3 times in 20-25 years.  To learn it is going to be another month or so (I read the date is May 7th, 2025) is disheartening especially based on how long and painful the past year+_has been.  I have been a loyal SONOS customer and advocate for 15 years and have owned or own just about every product released.  My family and I have loved the product and platform...but this app situation is a slap in the face and absolute travesty.  What is sonos doing to make it right?  There is limited communication and disparate information.  Beyond the frustration about having a system that worked well, wasn't cheap, and that we are stuck with, the inability for Sonos to come up with a temporary fix for its dedicated users on top of the way the company is handling the situation feels like a slap in the face.  YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RIGHT!

I took the decision today to abandon S1 and all my legacy speakers and my Connect.  My Arc Ultra and Subwoofer are working fine with my TV so I’ll keep them. For music, though, I’m cutting my losses and going to hardwired DAC and laptop for HiFi and AirPlay for wireless speakers. 
 

I’m just so tired of having a system that works for a month and then suddenly loses connection to devices (esp the Connect). I spent 2 hours yesterday yet again factory resetting, app resetting and starting from scratch. I do not want to do this every few weeks. BTW, my network is fine - I had the same devices working flawlessly for years on the same network but started having issues about a year ago. Goodbye to Play and Connect. 

I think it’s hopeless.  Sonos released consumer software:

• with no sign can’t testing
• apparently written by developers who don’t use the Sonos system to listen to music
• With no roll black plan

Fixes after almost a year?

ERJ wrote:

“I’ve officially given up on Sonos.  The software problems made my Sonos system (9 pieces) unusable, with unexplained dropouts persisting after looong calls with Sonos and various wired/wireless permutations.”

Well, add me to the list of lost customers. I bought (7 pieces) about 2 months before the new APP launch.  It worked so well before and I thought I would eventually figure it out.  I see now that it’s not just me.  The APP does not ever seem to work. I have spent hooouuurs on the phone as well.  I don't listen to music and just want it to work when watching TV.  My wife complained about the cost and now, I’m eating crow over an expensive system that never works.  I love driving expensive fast cars, but most of the time, I just need to get back and forth to work. 

I’ve found that I can use my Arc Ultra and Subwoofer without issues if they are basically just set as a dumb speaker system with sound coming via HDMI from an Apple TV. It means I don’t ever have to use the awful S1 or Sonos apps. I stream music from Apple Music via HDMI and never risk using the Sonos apps 

I'm just glad I stayed on S1 and haven't bought any S2 only speakers. 

My whole house system is access via Alexa using Spotify for music.

Can't really see for our usage case how Google speakers would be a downgrade ans when my Playbar 5.1 setup finally bites the dust it won't be Sonos replacing it.

Shame really as the hardware is excellent..

I'm with the others - officially given up on Sonos. Never again. My Sonos system is a few years old. Soundbar, a couple Play Ones and a Gen 3 Subwoofer. Still more than $2,500 in kit and the app just does my head in. The sound quality is very good, but if I log into the app one more time, only for it to tell me it can't find my system, I'll bin my phone!!!!

It's just not acceptable in this day and age. I'll replace this system one day and Sonos will not make the short list next time. I went back and forth trying to decide between Sonos and Bose when I bought it and I've kicked myself since the app went to crappola. 

The tedious thing about Sonos now is the regularity with which users report in on many, many minor, intermittent, or major, fatal errors in performance; and then somebody pops up with a recommendation that needs the original user to be an enthusiastic software engineer, not just somebody who bought a working version of Sonos and some expensive but really really good speakers.

Ususally, the OP tells us how everything else is working but not the Sonos system; but still the helpful response will be something like: 

my thoughts are that anyone with that type of issue ‘perhaps’ could have a multicast ‘device discovery’ issue across their network that’s preventing the controller device from communicating with their Sonos speakers. See attached re: SSDP/mDNS.

Such communication failure can occur across networks that use WiFi extenders, EoP adapters, or if managed switches are misconfigured. It can also happen if some settings on a local router are incorrect, or there’s software running on the mobile device that is getting in the way of the multicast communication, such as security software, VPN client, firewall, site blockers etc.

To which my reaction is unprintable. The guy just said - everything is working, and so was Sonos until they changed the software.

I have no desire to waste a week or so reading up on multicast device discovery to find out why Sonos have made my purchased devices unusable, or my own library no longer compatible, after 14 years of untroubled use. I used to be a bit of a geek myself, but the thrill is gone, and patronising wifi scholars with nothing better to do than spray their ‘perhaps it’s this, perhaps it’s not’ commentary around are not amusing any more.  And not usually very helpful - try all this over the next ten or fifteen hours over four days. If it doesn’t solve it, reboot everything and get on the phone to Sonos. Great! I’ll just get on the phone to Sonos, I don’t work for them.

It’s clear to me now that the whole Sonos disaster is some kind of marketing experiment to see how far you can upset your base before it disappears. They’ve shifted out the richest and least tech-savvy by now, and are working hard to dislodge the next cohort. Last to go will be the fellows re-writing the crumbling, malign software themselves and fighting grimly to believe that it’ll all OK if you just reboot the router on prime number intervals, and wear your lucky tshirt.  

You put it much more eloquently than I did

I got a JBL soundbar to use as a speaker for another TV through points at work. Didn't have much choice as there were only a couple on offer, but I didn't care because it was free. I opened the box, unpacked it, plugged it in, paired it...and voila... It worked as advertised. The sound is rubbish in comparison to Sonos but it works...every time I turn on the TV it just works. I want to play music on it... That works too. If the Sonos kit didn't cost so much it would already be in the bin. 

Great post.
 

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