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Subject: Disappointed and Frustrated by Loss of S1 Functionality

I’m writing to express my deep frustration with what appears to be a recent change to the Sonos S1 app. As of this week, I can no longer access or control the vast majority of my Sonos system—nearly 90% of it—due to what seems like a forced redirection from S1 to the S2 app. This effectively renders most of my whole-home audio setup unusable.

To give some context: I built my home in 2018 and had a professional A/V team install a full Sonos-based sound system. I invested over $20,000 in ceiling speakers and amps integrated into my A/V rack, allowing music throughout every room and on the back deck. Soon after, Sonos introduced the S2 app, which only worked with my newer devices. Fortunately, up until last week, I could still switch between the S1 and S2 apps to control my full system seamlessly.

Now, when I open the S1 app, I’m met with a splash screen instructing me to use the S2 app—which only controls a Move speaker and a soundbar. The rest of my equipment is now inaccessible.

Did Sonos officially decommission the S1 app in the last few days? If so, that decision has effectively broken a system I heavily invested in and relied on daily. If this change is permanent, I may be forced to remove the entire Sonos system and replace it with another brand that respects customer investment and product longevity.

 sincerely hope I’m misunderstanding something here and that there’s still a way to restore functionality. But if not, this move feels incredibly disappointing and short-sighted for a company that once led the industry in whole-home 

Give us a list of your SONOS components. Don’t Factory Reset anything without further consult.

Any Sonos devices purchased in 2018 should be S2 compatible.  S1 only devices were last sold in 2015.  So your installer is to blame for selling you 3 year old hardware.

In fairness to the installer, without knowing what Sonos gear is involved it is impossible to confirm whether the system is on S1 because that is the way it was first setup or because some of the speakers are S1 only. It may be that S1 persists because the user did not know they could/should upgrade to S2. Given that the Move was released in 2019 it is most likely a later addition and that may be when S2 first got installed (alongside S1). Too many unknowns here that need clarifying before anyone can help.

One simple question for anyone still on S1. Are you seeing a recent issue using the S1 App?

Right, and I can respect the S2 app and use it with a few compatible components.  What I was confused about and a bit upset with, was about five days ago I could open the S1 app and could at least control my home audio.  If I want to connect to my ROAM I have to separately control it using the S2 app.  I’m just curious if in those last few days the S1 app was completely taken off line. 
 

Right, and I can respect the S2 app and use it with a few compatible components.  What I was confused about and a bit upset with, was about five days ago I could open the S1 app and could at least control my home audio.  If I want to connect to my ROAM I have to separately control it using the S2 app.  I’m just curious if in those last few days the S1 app was completely taken off line. 
 

I can’t answer the S1 question, sorry. I suspect the answer is no but we need an actual S1 user to confirm.

This may not be the route that you want to go but I think that there is a good chance you have speaers that are all S2 compatible so moving everything to S2 might be the way to go. If you provide a list then someone on the list can confirm. 

Ultimately though you should call Sonos support for help as your problems don't sound like something others here have had. I could be wrong though.

​@WillowsRat 

Your profile doesn’t show any Sonos products that are S1 only. In fact all products listed show as S1 and S2 (Sonos App) compatible. So, the questions are 

  • Do you have S1 only products
  • If not why was your system setup on S1 

According to this Link (and your profile) you don’t have any S1 only products 🤔

I created my profile under the S2 app I believe.  S2 is compatible with my Beam soundbar, PlayBar, Roam and Sonos Sub.  So it's not a total bust.  When I tried adding the amps that control my ceiling and deck speakers, it comes backs roughly saying the hardware it found is not compatible with the S2 App and can't be connected.   As of a few days ago I could open the S1 App with no issues and at least control my older equipment.  But today when I tried firing up the deck speakers with my S1 App, it kept directing me to the S2 App.  

You said your house was built in 2018. It sounds like you have Connect Amps (gen 1) which is odd as the Connect Amp (gen 2) was released in 2015. If true you have Connect Amps (gen1) the question is why did the installer build you a split system?

Obviously the installer did not build a spilt system as there was only one Sonos app version available in 2018.

 

​@WillowsRat - If you fully remove S1 app from your device, reinstall S1 app and attempt to connect to your S1 system, are you successful in doing so?

S1 app has not been decommissioned by Sonos and is still fully functional. You can also try the troubleshooting steps here Products missing from the Sonos S1 Controller app

Here’s something to try:

Shutdown the S2 controller and power down the S2 components. Reinstall the S1 controller. Now do the inverse: power down the S1 components, shutdown the S1 controller, power-up the S2 components, and reinstall the S2 controller. When asked, you want to control an existing system, don’t setup a new system.

 

Edit: This sequence will preserve your music service registrations and SONOS playlists.

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