Sonos App is Complete Garbage - for mobile or desktop

  • 2 September 2023
  • 34 replies
  • 1484 views
B
Userlevel 1

Sonos speakers are great, but everything about the apps is garbage, and gets worse with each update.

Almost everyday, Sonos “forgets” where my library is. I have to go into settings and add the folder again, even though it is already there. Sometimes, I can just start playing something I played recently through the app, even though it says there’s no music library!

On the mobile app, when I search an artist, it can’t find the song files I have stored locally on my phone! I’ve checked permissions, I’ve updated… everything. For a while, I could fix this by toggling between new and classic search and now that doesn’t even work. 

This system is way too expensive for such * software.

If I find a better app that can work with these speakers I will absolutely never use Sonos apps again.

 

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

34 replies

S

Any network device, including Sonos, is only as good as the network it is attached to. The vast majority of issues reported on these forums can be attributed to network issues. 

While I appreciate this may be the case I think it would be fair to say very few of us purchase Sonos thinking we need to resolve network issues just to hear premium sound. There must be a better way to avoid these issues. 

A month back I suggested your network was the root cause of your woes. I see you opened a new thread, but to date it appears we still don’t have a clear description of your network structure. 

FWIW Sonos’ requirements are set out here. 

I’m having the same issue, Sonos customer service has confirmed that it 100% is not a network issue. They ran a diagnostics test on my speakers, no issue on their side they said. I wonder what the issue could be then. The ego on the people here is ridiculous.. 

also, the only reason they keep having so many issues with their garbage app, is because they don’t put focus into it. It has nothing to do with the network, it has to do with archaic technology that’s poorly implemented.

The simple fact is, Sonos are speaker manufacturers, not app developers. Their app is trash, and it’s not a network issue.

ratty

You joined today, and we have no idea what your problem is. 

Ken_Griffiths

Sonos confirmed it’s 100% not a network issue.

nothin wrong on the diagnostics test as well they said.

So what is the issue, hardware failure, low average SNR levels, SSDP multicast/broadcast communication, STP issues, or something else? At least give readers a hint as to where your own issues may lie.

My family, friends and I, have used Sonos at our various Homes, business premises and elsewhere for a good many years and none of us have had any huge issue that was not down to ‘poor-network-configuration’ related, but fortunately the advice in the community here and Sonos support pages have helped to eradicate those, even the multicast/broadcast issues that may arise between controller devices and wired/wireless network segments can be quickly resolved in most cases.. but if you’ll enlighten everyone, then it might be useful for ‘any other users’ who land here in the community and perhaps read this thread.

O

Sonos speakers are great, but everything about the apps is garbage, and gets worse with each update.

Almost everyday, Sonos “forgets” where my library is. I have to go into settings and add the folder again, even though it is already there. Sometimes, I can just start playing something I played recently through the app, even though it says there’s no music library!

On the mobile app, when I search an artist, it can’t find the song files I have stored locally on my phone! I’ve checked permissions, I’ve updated… everything. For a while, I could fix this by toggling between new and classic search and now that doesn’t even work. 

This system is way too expensive for such * software.

If I find a better app that can work with these speakers I will absolutely never use Sonos apps again.

 

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

The app is terrible and confirm it is absolutely NOT a network issue. Constantly does not recognize the other Sonos speakers. In the 6 months I have ARC and Sub Mini I have had to reset almost 20 times!!! I recently added the Move 2 and opened 12 suport tickets. Complete garbage app that is unstable and needs to be rewritten. 

Hard reboots (i.e. disconnecting the mains supply for 10s and reconnecting (as per Sonos’ own instructions) are a fact of life with this garbage. Only 20 times in 6 months? Your system is working relatively well. You should consider yourself fortunate. You could always ditch it and go back to real gear that works for decades =).

106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

OK, so you just just complain instead of asking for help, which might bring a solution?

P

Concur. The app is complete garbage, an embarrassment. Am working to unload my Sonos products via Craiglist and will replace with Bose. What a disappointment that this company can’t develop an app to match the speakers (which are great).

106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Which is strange, since, as explained above, the app does not do anything but contact the speakers……

P

Daily issues now. Sometimes just restarting the app will work, even when it can’t find the system initially. It is very flaky, consistently frustrating.

jgatie

Daily issues now. Sometimes just restarting the app will work, even when it can’t find the system initially. It is very flaky, consistently frustrating.

 

Connection problems which appear suddenly are often caused by network problems, not Sonos problems. The typical cause is duplicate IP addresses. These often show up after an update or power outage because a reboot requires the device to request a new IP, and the router, having lost track of current IP assignments, issues a new IP that is in use by another device. Rebooting the router may offer a temporary respite, but in reality it exacerbates the situation because the reboot simply loses track of the IP assignments all over again. You need to do a complete refresh:

Reboot/power cycle your devices in the following order:

Modem
Router
Switches or hubs
Wired Sonos units
Wireless Sonos units
Computers/printers
Wireless devices - phones/tablets etc.

Allow each device to come back up before proceeding to the next. Note that you can permanently prevent duplicate IP addresses by assigning an IP to each device's MAC address in the router setup. See your router manual for details.

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