Blame Apple.  They are the ones who require you to abandon older devices in order to support newer ones.

You had “several iPad 2 mini’s” just to control your Sonos system? Was that really necessary? 

They worked fine up until a few weeks ago. Now the s2 app says it needs an update but it can't be updated. Can't control sonos with the older version of the app. Such a waste.

Why even bother reply with this type of comment? There are many sonos products across multiple properties.

Dumping them was dumb. Just go to the Store and install SonoPad.

Nice, will check sonospad out. Does it let you add devices?

Is there a 3rd party PC app that can manage sonos? The official pc app is crippled and doesn't let you add devices any more (or re-add them when they drop off occasionally). Hence the need for an ipad.

@Stove  Which of the following actions would resolve this issue:

1. Buy a new Sonos speaker, or

2. Buy a new iPad.

That should settle the question of who is responsible for the obsolescence.

Your problem is not that the Sonos S2 app  needs iOS 14. It needs what it needs.  Your problem is that Apple won't support anything higher than iOS13 on your iPad.

But if you wish to continue to ignore facts and logic, that is your right.

The best solution would be a windows app that was fully functional as there is a windows server at every property. Failing that there is an ipad in a dock running 24/7 with teamviewer to manage the systems at all the properties.

Or perhaps a cloud portal where you could manage multiple systems from anywhere.

At least back port the new ios14 only app version to ios12. 

It's a pain to manage these system across so many different properties all over the world.

Funny thing is the old properties with sonos s1 are all fine using the old s1 app.

That’s not a guarantee though.

I would not say “there is a windows server at every property” as a general rule since the last decade, but maybe you mean only the properties you seem te service? As you mention more properties all over the world, could you elaborate on your use case?

SonoPad, like every other third party Sonos app (including my own) does not allow system configuration changes such as adding devices or system setup, for good reasons.

If a device “drops off” then that is a local network problem, there is never a need to “re-add” a working device with the app. Fixing the network is the recommended solution for that scenario.

Apple will update iOS and remove or update features. If a third party developer does not update to support these changes, the 3rd party App will be dropped from the App Store. This leaves the 3rd party and its users caught between a rock and a hard place. End users could elect to freeze their software and hardware and survive for a while longer, but this is not a viable business model for 3rd party manufacturers and developers.

Specifically with SONOS, there is an API that 3rd parties can use to operate a SONOS system. These 3rd party Apps can keep a older SONOS hardware and iDevices viable for a while. Unfortunately, the user will need to borrow a current iOS unit in order to setup their SONOS system.