New Sonos App

Very sad to have to consider scrapping all this expensive hardware.  I’ve been very happy streaming Apple Music via airplay to my Sonos systems both at work and at home for many years.  Never had to leave one ecosystem, never had to fumble with apps, just fling whatever was playing in my workshop to my car on the way home, and then over to my system when I got home.  Now I can only get music out of one speaker via airplay.  No amount of updates, reboots, or reinstalls will help…...UNLESS I use the new Sonos app….. which streams to all speakers…..but DOESN’T WORK.  Every single action either takes an eternity or doesn't function at all.  Simple music selection takes an insane number of actions and is missing tons of data and options.  Volume control is like some kind of puzzle game (I used to just spin the crown on my apple watch!).  Even if I do manage to get it all working, no settings or preferences seem to be retained the minute you leave one window for another.  I understand that Sonos doesn’t have any obligation to support 3rd party streaming and hardware, but that has always been central to their marketing, and let's be honest, its how many of us use their products.  Most of us use Sonos to play libraries we have been curating for decades on other systems.  This feels like an underhanded attempt to force us to use their inferior app.  I’m a confused old man.  I’m not willing to let my music become another computer interface learning-curve nightmare. I’d sooner go back to copper wires and cabinet speakers.

I now live in a house with NO MUSIC.  I won’t put up with this for long.  Sonos products are about to be really cheap on eBay.

The issues are real. I couldn't care less about the design. It is different, not better, not.worse just different.  What is different is the new app does not function. From not loading every time "system unavailable ", to volume controls that are completely off, I can only play podcasts from my PC (not phone or ipad), can't access my music library,  inconsistent access to radio stations, etc, etc. They have added back in sleep timers, now if I could only play a podcast from my phone. 

This new app has rolled back functionality and is unstable. That is why we are complaining 

As so many have pointed out, like above I implore the staff at Sonos to really take a look at these comments.  I believe they have missed the point that the app and controllability that comes with Sonos when using the app is really what makes them special.  In a world full of high-end home stereo and portable speakers Sonos is not the best of either, especially for the price.  Long-time customers have already been bitten because the older speakers can’t be used with S2 and new speakers can no longer be used in the S1 app.  This has caused a lot of irritation and extra costs for loyal customers.  Now that only S2 works with pretty much everything you sell you really need to make the S2 app at least what the S1 could do then add on.  The last couple years has been more than a blunder and if things don’t get back on track you’re going to lose a lot of customers.  I have 10 Sonos speaker, a connect and plus a record player I purchased.   I can’t use the record player any longer due to my Sonos Connect and Sonos 5 not being able to work with your new app.  In addition, 4 of my other speakers will no longer connect to my network on S2.  It is just not the same that I can’t play songs on a single network that is located all around my home.  If you can do anything to assist, please make it so the new speakers can be added to the S1 network, since I can’t add so many to the S2 and because the S2 app isn’t worth using as is.

The release notes indicated improved library connectivity although, that certainly isn’t the case for me or others. In fact, the iOS/iPhone app doesn’t even show my  libraries under Your Sources.  Like mjnoe70, I’d be happy to roll back to the S2 app on my iPhone.  As I’d mentioned before, they’ve “fixed” something that was never broken.  Additionally, the web app is hosed as well.  I launch that every once in a while to see if something’s changed and, it hasn’t.

I’m to the point, as more time passes and the complaints pile up, that I think their app is a complete and total bust. People have posted work-arounds but, to what degree does this become “our” responsibility to repair - in whatever backasswards way is necessary - our Sonos systems?  I’m holding out hope that Sonos will release a new update, additional app - whatever - that will allow us to AT LEAST get back to where we were with our iPhones/iPads and, our libraries will reappear on said devices no matter how they’re stored, NAS, USB...etc.  I’ll take S2 back on my iPhone now if that’s a possibility if it will get me back where I once was.

Alex… Thanks for the post.  Is there somewhere in that link/thread where it addresses iOS/iPhone/iPad downgrade process?  I see the Android stuff.

Hi, Alex… I appreciate you sharing that but… That kind of work-around is exactly what I was referring to when I typed “but, to what degree does this become our responsibility to repair - in whatever backasswards way…”  I think it’s great that some techies have the equipment and ability to do this. I’m not one of them.  I have no Windows anything and, I felt quite good about myself when I was able to rollback to the S2 controller on my desktops (two iMacs). 😂  This particular effort is tiring just skimming it.  Thanks again, Alex.  I appreciate the effort.