Attn: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence,
I’m writing this to give my thoughts on where Sonos has got it wrong with the new app and concerns on the companies direction.
I, like many people, are Sonos lovers. It started with one device which convinced me of the dream of a single system running music through the house. We all listen to music in different ways and Sonos fulfilled that. I quickly became a marketing tool for the company because whenever anyone came to my house they would experience it. I was a big endorser of your product.
But that’s all charged with the new app. It’s not irreversible which is why I’m writing to you, because I want my Sonos back…
The biggest frustration for me with the new app is that I’ve been convinced to have a Sonos in every room, but I now struggle to use Sonos in my bedrooms because the new app initially didn’t include alarms but more so that it doesn’t include the sleep timer. This was used nightly in three rooms in my house. I now go to sleep listening to my phone because I can set a sleep timer on it. I’m sure this isn’t the sort of client experience you’d want to hear.
My concern is that you’ve forgotten about your strengths and what differentiates you in the market. If you don’t have the support of your cult like users, then you don’t have your biggest marketing tool. And if you don’t give the tools to be able to use the technology in all rooms, then it may as well be any speaker. I feel like the developers of this app, and ultimately yourself as the person steering the ship have forgotten what makes it great.
Please return Sonos to its former glory. I’m over going to sleep listening to my phone speaker…