The app for IOs is horrible!

With respect to lock screen controls, there are a number of heated conversations about this. The bottom line is that Apple and Google will not allow 3rd party hardware systems, such as SONOS, to implement lock screen controls. At one point SONOS had provided a lock screen hack, but Apple gave SONOS a choice -- remove the hack or the Application will be removed from the Apple App Store.

If you use an App that plays through Bluetooth or Airplay 2, lock screen controls can be available.

Jim,

Both the changes you mention were demands made by Apple, and not choices by Sonos, which was, apparently, threatened by Apple to remove the iOS client from the Apple Store if they didn’t comply, and remove the ‘hack’ that Sonos had made to make both of those features work. If you use AirPlay 2, rather that the Sonos app, they both will function, as you’re fundamentally changing the nature of the connection, from a remote control (Sonos) to playing on the iOS device and ‘casting’ to the Sonos speakers (Apple’s AirPlay 2, which uses a true player on the iOS device, and all the bandwidth necessary for that stream to continue).

If you read this forum, and occasionally read Internet news sites, there is a rumor of an update, at least to the UI/UX aspect of S2 controllers. Speculation suggests this may be tied to the release of the purported Sonos headphones, but being a rumor, there is no guaranty that either may be true, or even the two events being tied together, it is merely speculation until Sonos themselves announce it. 

I use the iOS client for Sonos about 90% of the time I’m interfacing with my Sonos, the rest is a smattering of voice control, and the desktop clients. Perhaps I’m just used to them, but I haven’t noticed any glaring issues. I do occasionally use AirPlay 2, as well, and at that point, am happy to use both the Lock Screen controls, and the hard buttons to adjust the volume on the device playing the AirPlay 2 stream, but at that point, I’m not really using the Sonos software. Although I often will open up the Sonos controller at the beginning of the stream, so I can ‘group’ rooms that I don’t have an AirPlay 2 capable Sonos speaker in. 

But, back on topic, I suspect that Sonos uses a universal code base, any changes to S2 would be carried through to both iOS and Android clients. I suspect maintenance if the codebase would be much more challenging if they had to have separate teams mirroring each other constantly with feature changes.

Edit; it apparently took me a long time to type that. Kudos to both @buzz and @jgatie for being both quicker typists, and less rambling than I.