Sonos app stops working when it detected an update

That sounds a lot like a speaker updated its firmware (auto updates were not turned off, maybe?) and now your controller , which you didn’t update, can’t talk to your speakers, due to a version incompatibility?

You may want to call Sonos Support directly to discuss it. Alternately, you may just want to update your system, both firmware on the speakers if needed, and your controller, as this week’s mobile update is bringing back some long awaited control for playlists. I’m running the iOS controller, and have had no problems in my system. 

Thx for you reply Airgetlam. But as I wrote - everything was working for me. It turned south, with one of the speaker reaching out to the SONOS servers.

I know my boxes are not on the latest versions of what SONOS considers current. But I simply can care less with a company that messes up updates like SONOS does. And I am willing to take that risk of not keeping up to date. After all, these are MY SPEAKERS, I paid for them, I want to use them. I do not need any of the many upsell and marketing stuff that SONOS pumps into the newer versions - after all, I do NOT have any issues with the speakers. Well, I did have a lot less issue before SONOS release their new app. But I am willing to live with that I got but SONOS just messed that up again.

An naturally, there is this “never touch a running system” and “only update what is broken”. Neither is the case, and I as user of the speaker am the judge of that. Not SONOS.

Generally speaking, Sonos requires all speakers and controllers to be on a compatible (ie the same) revision of software/firmware. You need to turn off auto updates to stop your speakers having updates pushed out to them. If, for whatever reason, one speaker in a system gets updated, they all have to get that update. The app(s) may also need the appropriate update. 
Sonos doesn’t “force” these updates on anyone. Turning off auto updates is simple and (in my experience) effective. I choose when to update - at a time that suits me, rather than when they get rolled out. 

And the ‘unfortunate’ aspect is there are two sorts of updates that you have to turn off. The firmware update at the speakers, and the software update of the controller. 

Lazy people like me just set them both to auto update. I don’t have any issues with my system, although I don’t frequently modify my playlists. For me, that is a deliberate and thoughtful act, which I’ve tended to use the Mac desktop act to do so. 

My experience shows different: I have disabled autoupdates, I disabled App Updates and still the app forced me into an update if I wanted to keep using it. So now I have an older iOS app and updated speakers.

So no - as SONOS user it is very hard even impossible to chose if you want to update

In a post above you stated “everything was working for me. It turned south, with one of the speaker reaching out to the SONOS servers”, ​@Dirk55. I’m not quite sure the circumstances in which a speaker would “reach out” but I took that to mean an update was loaded to the speaker, but as a request from the speaker/system/app/user rather than a forced push from the servers. This would put the rest of the system into a “needs to be updated” state. 

Well, my experience indicates that SONOS speakers pick up an update flag automatically, even if “auto update” is disabled.

In my case, auto updates are disabled, none of the speakers can connect to the internet. The iOS app does not update automatically. This has worked for a longer period of time for me. Only once I had to reconnect a speaker (see this forum post), the app enforced an update. Without a proper documentation of the SONOS update behavior, I deduct that the boxes will pull the update information from the SONOS servers, then the app talks to the boxes, sees the “hey there is an update” flag and stops working (enforces an update).

So has anyone found an alternative app to manage the SONOS speaker via their local API?

​@Dirk55 

Am I missing something? I get they are “your speakers” and you can do what you like with them - but complaining they are not working and yet at the same time refusing to update anything feels like keeping your umbrella closed in the rain and complaining you’re getting wet. 

Why the blunt refusal to update? And how do you ever hope to have fully functioning speakers without updating them?

I think you may have the sequence wrong here. Things have been working for me. All automatic updates are disabled. Then I needed to expose one of my SONOS speakers to the internet because is had lost it`s registration. Just flipped internet access on. Did nothing else. Only after I did this, the iOS SONOS app refused to work until I updated all of my speakers. I would be ok with an update if the release notes would indicate that “loss of registration” was fixed. But the release notes are mostly useless in that respect.

The refusal has many aspects

• SONOS history of making things worse with update. And I am not talking about the occasional glitch that get`s fixed with the next update. See the app update
• SONOS history of trying to bend their customers into sucking more revenue out of them. See S1-S2 migration. See their move to cloud services and making cloud more and more mandatory.
• They hired a bunch of people specialized on revenue generating cloud services. See their blogs about new management hires 2-3 years ago. I read out of that, that they want to first force their user base into cloud service dependency. Then sell their customers data and also upsell various services or even force a major recurring fee.
• In order to push cloud services, they need to move speaker functionality onto their cloud service - that means they will do functionality shifting updates to my speakers. So I try to stay away from those updates before I loose local functionality that I originally payed for. Lack of clear statements from SONOS does not discourage such thoughts.
• IT-Best-Practice: Never change a running system and only apply an update if you have an issue.
• IT-Best-Practice: Read the release notes before you update. But the SONOS release notes are a joke. How am I to understand if an update is relevant for me?

Check your tinfoil hat, it might be a bit too tight… But to add something useful: No update, no usable system. You simply have no choice. 

Good grief.  If I actually believed all that conspiracy BS, I wouldn’t have a Sonos device within 300 miles of my home.  Never mind going through the trouble of blocking access, it would be on e-Bay or tossed in the dump.  

Well, I never said that SONOS does spy on people or that the aliens have taken over some peoples brains. So keep things on a technical level please.

My thinking runs along risk considerations. A risk based approach to security is highly recommended as it is what corporate and government IT do.

The base line is, that SONOS establishes a network connection from the local boxes to their servers. To pull updates, do some advanced audio optimization, there is no real way around that. I am good with that.

The challenge for me pops up in the combination of a web interface that can control my home boxes. That means there is a constant outbound connection from my boxes. You toss in the software management qualities at SONOS, you get a pretty high risk that I am not willing to take.

Interestingly, nobody in this thread has brought up arguments the contradict my perception => bad software management, constant network connections, crapy security, enforced updates … how you interpret those data points is up to you.

I think you’re absolutely right. There is no greater risk to personal data security than Sonos seeing what track you’re playing. Trump and Musk will be sifting through this information as we speak. 
edit: I do respect you have the right to make individual choices on risk. 

Maybe it becomes more clear this way:

Imagine you buy your steaks from this great butcher shop. Really great steaks. Then, one evening in the bar, you see this guy from the butcher shop leaving the toilet without washing his hands. That does make you wonder, what else is happening when your steaks are cut, right?

So, now I have this steak in my fridge and this picture of the guy who touched my steak without washing his hands in my mind. What do you do? Well, I personally, will eat steaks from that shop well done only. Because that is my compromise to be able to consume the stake at all - it will get any germs cooked out of the flesh.

Naturally, if you do not have an understanding what it means that some body does not wash their hands when handling raw meat, you will still eat the steak and simply not worry about it.

When moving this into the software security world, I do understand what a secure software development life cycle (SDOL) is and what it means. I do understand what it takes to develop and operate a cloud service that is up to common security standards. And SONOS has indicated multiple times that they are not on top of this - simply put, I have seen them numerous times to not wash their hands. Does that mean their software is insecure? Not necessarily. But I don`t eat their steak with comfort any more. 

So no more direct network connections from a device with a microphone in my house to a untrusted cloud service. Feel free to eat your steak as you like it.

Yes Sonos has made a mess with the new app. But I have seen no mention of this having any consequences for the security of the system.

To stay with your analogy, I’ve seen the butcher cut the steak the wrong way once, but have seen no evidence of him not washing his hands…….