Prior to updating the app, I had a number of custom streaming radio stations whose URLs I had painstakingly curated using the (old) TuneIn service.
After updating the app, where are they? Gone!
Does the new app have the ability to configure streaming radio by URL? Nah, I didn’t think so.
Exactly the same problem (in addition to alarms, sleep timers and queue management gone missing) - I had number of URLs for local radio stations added to SONOS favourites and after this update all have disappeared. Not only I can not add custom URLs any more, but I have now lost ones that I already had!
I dropped on this article because i’m looking to resolve the same problem.
Although you can’t get to the custom stations through the new app, for now, you can still get to them from the PC desktop app. I’ll have to make sure i don’t update that one until a fix is found!
Same problem here.
Post update like others I have lost my most favourite station! How can I get Handcrafted Radio (Okemos Radio)? May need to junk a 5 system sonos rig if such a simple Radio station can not work 🤔
Post update like others I have lost my most favourite station! How can I get Handcrafted Radio (Okemos Radio)? May need to junk a 5 system sonos rig if such a simple Radio station can not work 🤔
I agree. If custom stations are going to be permanently removed, i will be selling what i have and taking my custom elsewhere.
See this thread:
Good luck!
I believe it is unacceptable to launch your new app with so much buzz but then having to discover that basic functionality has disappeared and no way to go back to the previous app version. I was a loyal Sonos customer but this got me over the edge and decided to start upgrading my speakers with Bose. We are not a free testing crowd Sonos.
I contacted customer support about this, and they stated that the custom radiostations have disappeared from the app due to an issue which they're working on. As I understood, the radiostations are still there and will be visible again in a future update.
Same problem. Even if you know the URL of the stream there is no way to enter it in the app. There are other regressions, notably reactivity (system recognized after minutes) and counterintuitive grouping. Shame on Sonos.
Right now I kind of gave up using the mobile app.
I'll stick with the desktop app until all the bugs are sorted out and missing functionality is brought back.
The workaround of adding stations does work but not for the station i want to add. Through the old TuneIn app, it will play but through the new one, it refuses to play it saying that regional restrictions are in place. That is a restriction that tune-in have decided themselves because the radio station has its own app (coast fm Canary Islands) and they let you listen to that anywhere in the world. Sonos need to get this sorted out with tune-in!
The workaround of adding stations does work but not for the station i want to add. Through the old TuneIn app, it will play but through the new one, it refuses to play it saying that regional restrictions are in place. That is a restriction that tune-in have decided themselves because the radio station has its own app (coast fm Canary Islands) and they let you listen to that anywhere in the world. Sonos need to get this sorted out with tune-in!
My understanding is a lot of this came about due a court case bought by some of the record companies (I seem to remember Sony & Warner being involved) against TuneIn to do with music licensing. The argument being overseas radio stations don’t have the licence to play music in the uk. To be honest I find it pathetic, detrimental, and extremely lacking in any thought about the people it affects - but when does that ever bother corporates.
You will find that other things like Radiogarden - the website and app where you can explore internet radio using a map of the world - will pop up a message that stations outside of the UK are restricted. This is again due to the legal case and subsequent ruling.
It affects radio tuning services - TuneIn, Radiogarden, myTuner - but by small mercies not direct URL’s.
What Sonos could do for their customers is have a content service you could optionally enable which allows you to simply add direct URLs - or even better when you’re in Sonos Favourites just have a handy button that says “Add custom streaming URL“ or similar.
Back to the UK-only thing - it’s frustrating that I can’t simply find & play my favourite chilled station which originates in the US, that I have to jump through unnecessary hoops to listen to it, but it must be extremely frustrating to anyone who listens to overseas internet radio because they have links to that location, perhaps because those stations broadcast in their first language. Note this doesn’t just affect Sonos, which is a premium brand, it affects any internet radio where a tuning service such as TuneIn is used - that’ll be most home speakers, streaming hifi, radio apps etc.
I think Sonos could do a lot more to alleviate these frustrations for their customers. By having a facility to easily add custom streaming URLs to a local system, owned by private individuals, I can’t see how they could be seen as providing a radio tuning service.
Ps I'm starting to get suspicious that the new phone app is in fact just an interface to Sonos web. I could be wrong, I’ve not tested this theory, but if so it’s all very much a step in the wrong direction.
Thank you for taking the time to compose such an interesting and revealing reply. it does make a lot of sense now that you have explained other things that have gone on in the background.
i agree that there should be an option to add a URL streaming link direct into the Sonos app. I have managed to still access this radio station through the direct URL link but i’m sure that will probably be the next thing to be closed down!.
Btw my custom stations are also gone from my iPhone app, but they’re still visible and working in official MacOS app:
So there’s indeed a hope they will be brought back into the phone app too.
has there been any official statement from SONOS on when or whether Custom Services and URLs will be added back to the controller?
The plot thickens with Tune-in. I’d reverted to using the windows PC app and selecting the custom station from the old tune-in app but yesterday i noticed that the old plug-in had disappeared from the list on the PC. (i thought it was something that i’d done so i just re-added it).
put the computer on today, went to select the custom station and found that the old tune-in app had disappeared yet again!. i’ve re-added it but they are really trying their hardest to get this old app away from sonos!
Are there no third party apps that control sonos and let you add a custom station?
Just adding my vote to this massive issue. Adding custom URLs via TuneIn has always been a hack and the SONOS app should have a mechanism to add these directly instead. Good thing I was able to down-grade to the old app for now to preserve playing custom URLs.
I contacted customer support about this, and they stated that the custom radiostations have disappeared from the app due to an issue which they're working on. As I understood, the radiostations are still there and will be visible again in a future update.
Any idea when the future update is coming? In the meantime, I pay for the other service that I listen to on my Sonos speakers. No point in paying for a music service that you can’t use on your speakers while we wait for Sonos to figure this out.
+17
You can ad custom url’s in the TuneIn app, though I have not tried this.
I contacted customer support about this, and they stated that the custom radiostations have disappeared from the app due to an issue which they're working on. As I understood, the radiostations are still there and will be visible again in a future update.
Any idea when the future update is coming? In the meantime, I pay for the other service that I listen to on my Sonos speakers. No point in paying for a music service that you can’t use on your speakers while we wait for Sonos to figure this out.
Unfortunately they didn't tell me that. I also can't find any mention of it on the official page that lists coming features and enhancements (https://support.sonos.com/nl-nl/article/the-new-sonos-app-and-future-feature-updates).
I'm paying for the use of these custom radio stations as well. I can still listen to them using airplay, but I chose Sonos years back because the speakers can stream audio without the use of a phone.
That selling point is gone for custom radio stations.
You can ad custom url’s in the TuneIn app, though I have not tried this.
While that worked in the old TuneIn app, there is no such functionality in the new one. I have tried this (happy to learn precise instructions if I just didn’t find the correct settings).
I have recently discovered that SonoPhone (iOS) works with custom services on Sonos. The services need to be added via the Mac or PC portal/controller.
The plot thickens with Tune-in. I’d reverted to using the windows PC app and selecting the custom station from the old tune-in app but yesterday i noticed that the old plug-in had disappeared from the list on the PC. (i thought it was something that i’d done so i just re-added it).
put the computer on today, went to select the custom station and found that the old tune-in app had disappeared yet again!. i’ve re-added it but they are really trying their hardest to get this old app away from sonos!
Are there no third party apps that control sonos and let you add a custom station?
A bit expensive option, but I use Homey Pro to do this.
The plot thickens with Tune-in. I’d reverted to using the windows PC app and selecting the custom station from the old tune-in app but yesterday i noticed that the old plug-in had disappeared from the list on the PC. (i thought it was something that i’d done so i just re-added it).
put the computer on today, went to select the custom station and found that the old tune-in app had disappeared yet again!. i’ve re-added it but they are really trying their hardest to get this old app away from sonos!
Are there no third party apps that control sonos and let you add a custom station?
A bit expensive option, but I use Homey Pro to do this.
You can use Phonos Plus as well for this. It's free to download and its premium features can be unlocked for 0,99 cents. A bit cheaper 😉 and it let's you add radio stations using the old Tunein service, so it works similar to the Sonos desktop app.
I've also been using it to backup all of my custom radiostations from Sonos, just in case Sonos decides to remove them altogether.
For playing the custom stations from your mobile I'm using SonoPhone which is paid at 3,99.
I'm thankful that these apps exist, but the fact that I need them because the official app dropped these functionalities is saying much about Sonos and how their brand is not an obvious go-to anymore when looking for quality speakers.
I'm thankful that these apps exist, but the fact that I need them because the official app dropped these functionalities is saying much about Sonos and how their brand is not an obvious go-to anymore when looking for quality speakers.
Sonos definitely was the obvious brand. When I wanted a new speaker it was the default. Unfortunately for many of us switching brands isn’t easy (well for me anyway) as I’ve spent too much on what I have. But I’m not buying any new Sonos hardware until this mess is fixed and even then will consider other options as I don’t trust them going forward.
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