Should I wait to buy my first SONOS because of the App trouble?

I would not go any where near buying any Sonos kit until they have fixed the app, as you have no choice other than to run that as a new customer.

It's been nearly 6 months now and not been fixed?.

Look at the APP reviews as the whole Sonos sytem revolves around It's APP.

I can't see how anyone with good conscience could recommend you buy in at this time.

Just have a good long read across this forum before you make your mind up.

@Cidr I agree, not what I would do personally, just wanted to clarify the basis of the “chances are everything works” assessment, which apparently had the implicit footnote, “and anyway you can send it back if it doesn’t”.

Makes sense. My last comment was for @Stanley_4 btw, wrong tagging :-)

It’s very, very much buyer beware at the moment. As Sonos is not cheap, most of us who are invested have little choice but to ride it out…

However, right now I would not personally recommend any friend to buy Sonos, as you might be ok in terms of initial setup, but equally it could be an absolute nightmare. If it is the latter for someone then that’s it, they’ll (rightly) return and never buy it again.

Even if you do manage to get through the setup, the experience currently is a bit ****. Again last night there were issues with Sonos services so only my local library worked. To use Qobuz I had to Airplay from the Qobuz app as the Sonos App couldn’t connect to any services. Second time in two days.

So a lot depends on what you are buying Sonos for.

If you are looking at a TV system, then you could be ok (again if you get through initial setup) as once setup, the TV is the source and you don’t need to bother much with the Sonos App.

If you re looking at Sonos primarily as a music source, then currently I think you will be frustrated to death after a short while with all the lack of function, unless you’re buying one speaker and are controlling it directly from Spotify.

The lack of ability to edit and maintain a queue of music in the Sonos App currently is not a minor irritant, it’s a major lack of basic function in my opinion which if you want to start creating lots of playlists within Sonos will make you question quite quickly what on earth the Sonos team were smoking when they released this new app.

Buy direct from Sonos and you’ll have (I think - please check!) 30 days’ home trial period to assess your devices.

There are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful folk on these forums. If you have setup problems, explain what’s happening here and you should get helpful advice to try and resolve things.

No..don’t buy direct from Sonos…buy from a retail store such as Best Buy or other reputable dealer. You can return them the same day if you find they are crap without the headache of mailing and waiting for a refund weeks later.

@Cidr I agree, not what I would do personally, just wanted to clarify the basis of the “chances are everything works” assessment, which apparently had the implicit footnote, “and anyway you can send it back if it doesn’t”.

I'd say buying now wouldn't be a bad thing, the chances that everything works for you are good. As others have said do be prepared for the worst and be aware of your return window and any charges.

Please, please, please believe that I am not challenging your response! I truly want to know: Why do you say that “the chances that everything works for you are good”? Is it your impression (perhaps based on some objective statistics somewhere) that newly acquired SONOS systems tend to work well with the latest software/firmware? Is it perhaps your impression that, despite the complaints heard around the world from what seems like large numbers of SONOS users, there are far more SONOS users who do not have problems (again, whether this is your instinct as a careful observer or a statistical measure)? Something else? Really, I just want to understand your reponse.

While there are a lot of people that have problems there are more that haven't had any or only minor ones. I'm in the mostly lucky group with minor glitches.

The risk of buying is minimal if as I suggested you watch your return window.

Buy the Sonos you want, set them up and if you have no issues you are good. If you have issues I'd look to the forums first, then support, that gets most folks working.

Last resort box them out and return them. Buying local or from a place that makes returns easy (Amazon and Crutchfield) makes good sense during this mess.

Thanks, I do appreciate the reply. So it sounds like you’re saying the odds are good that “everything works” because it’s only a minority of SONOS customers who have had major problems. You’ve been tracking this much, much longer than I, so I take your assessment quite seriously. Thanks again.

I'd also be very curious where your stats are that determine that 'happy' customers with no issues and those with minor issues are the majority over folks with a 'lot' of problems. As far as I can see, this is a serious problem that effects the majority of Sonos users. What's being used to define small vs large problems? and who is determining that?! For example I can't connect to Sonos via Spotify and the app keeps forgetting my system and then it locates it eventually. I'd say this is enough to deter me from buying anymore Sonos products, but an infinitely patient person might be fine with this. The fact is, there ARE real issues with the app whether small or large. If it wasn't for the the fact that the hardware is awesome, I'd suspect the company would have fallen from grace by now. It's been a shambles. Your metric seems to be that cause you're in the 'lucky' camp, all will probably be fine!? This is fallacious reasoning. I'd suggest stating clearly your opinion rather than presenting what looks like a fact without any stats. I'd be well annoyed if I bought a prodcut that had even the problems I face and had to send it back, cause I'd invariably write a bad review of the company and it seems you would like to avoid that @slworona

I was about to buy my first SONOS speaker(s) and just came across the comments about the latest App and the issues with it. Of course , now I’m struggling. Should I wait or buy something else.

How bad would it be for a first time SONOS user?

Is it more a problem for a longtime SONOS customer that lost some features / functions he or she used to have?

Thank you.

I have been a big believer in the Sonos system for years. I have expanded my network to 20 devices over the years. When it works, nothing that I am aware of that can do what Sonos does, however, they really dropped the ball with the new app. I feel like I have a part time job just trying to make the system work. For the last few months, I have not been able to make it work at all.
Some day in the future, they will fix their problems and Sonos will be great again. Who knows how long that will take. I never dreamed that they would not have been able to fix it by now. I would wait till they fix the software before I would jump in.

The only thing I’d change in Trad99’s post is instead of buying one Sonos, buy one room’s Sonos. That way you can confirm it will work as you intend to use it, be it a simple stereo setup or a full home-theater setup.

The only downside is the hassle of returning a few more boxes if it fails for you.

Purchase it with the expectation that you will return it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised if it works well and won’t be frustrated if it doesn’t.

Since you’re buying with the intention of returning it, choose a retailer with a hassle-free return process. I’ve found Amazon Prime, with Amazon as the seller, to be the best option for this sort of puchase—just a few clicks online, and you’re all set. Since you’ll be reporting the item as defective, return shipping is free. They may even pick it up from your home for free. I’ve also heard that Best Buy is good. You should also seriously consider Crutchfield. They offer the longest return policy I know of at sixty days. So if you are a patient sort of person you may want try them. You do have to call or chat with an agent, but there are no wait times, and the staff is quite helpful.

Hardrock127 - If you do decide to try Sonos, it might be a good idea to start by only getting one item. If you’re satisfied with the way that works, you can always add additional items to your system at any time.

I don’t know the percentage of users, old or new, who are experiencing problems, although there have been ongoing comments about problems for three months now here, on Reddit, on Facebook, Twitter/X etc.

The biggest concern is whether the most basic functions work for you. Can you set up the device, connect it to your WiFi, control playback (and stopping playback) of your choice of music and easily change the volume as desired? And do all of this without excessive lag or the speaker(s) losing connection to WiFi? Many people are still reporting problems with these basic issues, but some people do comment that they aren’t having problems.

If these basic functions work for you, then your satisfaction with the current setup may depend on how you want to use your system. Some features, such as full playlist editing, have still not returned, but will supposedly be returning in the future. Whether you’re satisfied with Sonos will depend on whether the features you personally need are currently working, or you’re willing to wait as needed for them to appear.

At any rate, I second/third etc. all the comments suggesting you buy from a company with a good return policy, keep all the boxes/inserts, etc. and try using your purchase as soon as you can after you get it.

For myself, the only reason I’m not overly upset right now is that after doing the first app update on one controller device, an iPad, and seeing what a disaster it was in terms of the way I personally want to use Sonos, I simply have never done another update on that device or my other devices. So far, the update hasn’t been forced, so I’m still able to use the older app on my other devices to control my system as before. Unless forced to update, I plan to wait to update further until full playlist editing is back, since I rely on that feature daily. And even then, I’ll wait for comments to see how everything is working at that point.

Just like to add my voice to the MANY others who have said the new app is the worst. Before the so called upgrade I loved my Sonos system. It was so easy to do what I wanted …. listen to my music. Every time I attempt to play it now (and for a while) I find it extremely difficult to do the most simple of tasks. VERY, VERY, FRUSTRATED.

Gee, has anyone tried bleach or UV light yet? Worth a try, isn’t it?

Remember, the vast majority of people who post here are people who are having issues. If things are working fine for other folks, there is really no reason to post about it.

Basing your decision on frustrations posted here is like walking in to a hospital, and assuming everyone in the world is sick or injured.

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Companies don’t do this for a small number of users. The posters saying it’s only a minority of users aren’t paying attention or are being deliberately disingenuous.

Ya think?

Given the number of Sonos systems out there the number of problem reports is a fairly low number but there are enough that it is impacting Sonos sales and their perception as a good choice. When the press chimes in saying Sonos is no longer their go-to recommendation that is going to hurt too, and long after the current mess is fixed.

This isn't the first time Sonos has messed up an update and I doubt it will be the last unless there are major changes in how they operate. Still over time things are repaired and things are better for users.

So as I said give Sonos a shot but watch your return window.

Thanks, I do appreciate the reply. So it sounds like you’re saying the odds are good that “everything works” because it’s only a minority of SONOS customers who have had major problems. You’ve been tracking this much, much longer than I, so I take your assessment quite seriously. Thanks again.

Sonos is delaying product launches and restarting earnings down ~$140 million (iirc), 10s of millions in unplanned expenses related to the app and is basically all hands on deck to fix the app. Companies don’t do this for a small number of users.
That said if you buy from BestBuy you can return it if it doesn’t work for you. But keep in mind this project to fix the app will be ongoing, they have introduced new bugs and what works today may not after your return window. If you are good with being a beta testers for the foreseeable future fill your boots.

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

Forget about it!

With the current app it would be a suicide. Definitely check for alternatives!