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Unable to downgrade sonos one (g2) to s1 compatible


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I have just been hung up on by a support person whilst in the middle of an online chat.. I am losing my mind here trying to downgrade a factory reset sonos one (2nd gen) to use with my existing s1 system. I already have one of these speakers on the system but it won’t let me add this one.. This article https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/downgrade-a-sonos-product-to-s1 keeps refers to things which just don’t appear as options anymore. I have tried ‘adding a missing product’ I have tried for hours to downgrade the speaker but it just doesn’t seen possible. Please help

Best answer by GuitarSuperstar

The instructions are referring to the new app. Look at how Sonos differentiates the two different apps in step 6.

”Sonos app” - new app

”Sonos S1 controller” - S1 app

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52 replies

The article states:

Sonos app version 80.0
The ability to downgrade a Sonos product to S1 is temporarily unavailable, but will return in a future update.


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 144 replies
  • May 31, 2024

Thanks but that refers to the app previously known as s2 which is on version 80.1.2 or something similar. Is that the only app that can downgrade as all the support articles say you can do it in s1 (currently version 11.14). They say there should be something at the bottom of the screen which isn’t there. Is there a timeframe for bringing this future update live?  


Based on the instructions in that article, it appears that both apps are required to downgrade a device to S1.


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 144 replies
  • May 31, 2024

If you only use the S1 Controller app to control Sonos

  1. Make sure the Sonos product you'd like to downgrade has been reset. A Sonos product that has been reset will show a flashing green status light.
  2. Open the Sonos app for iOS or Android.
  3. When asked to Set up or Join a system, select More options at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Select Downgrade product to S1.
  5. The app will detect your product nearby. Follow the instructions to downgrade your product's software to S1.
  6. Once the downgrade process is complete, close the Sonos app and open the Sonos S1 Controller app for iOS or Android, then add your product to your S1 system.

step three is where it all falls down.. ‘More options’ doesnt appear


The instructions are referring to the new app. Look at how Sonos differentiates the two different apps in step 6.

”Sonos app” - new app

”Sonos S1 controller” - S1 app


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 144 replies
  • May 31, 2024

You’re absolutely correct. Thanks for all your speedy replies. How ridiculously confusing :S


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 144 replies
  • May 31, 2024

Anyone else with this problem… Get an ios device that doesn’t have latest ios on it.. Go into your app store purchase history. Download the sonos s2 app (Bronze coloured icon) and then you can downgrade. That will save you hours with the terrible support staff.


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 6, 2024

I have the same problem, did try everything and it’s not possible. Even whit the new update, there is no possibility to downgrade. In my case it’s really strange, cos i have 4 Sonos one speakers. I have set them up as stereo, so 2 sets. They are all on the same network, auto update is off and 1 set did update to the S2. It should not be possible, but it happend. Called the helpcenter and they could not explain and help me. I doubt if in the future there will be a possibility that the can be downgraded, cos why did they not solve it whit the last big update this week?? But i going to try the old S1 controler and hope it works. Cos i notice the difference in sound and i’m not happy whit it. 


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 144 replies
  • June 6, 2024
Mr IDgafos wrote:

I have the same problem, did try everything and it’s not possible. Even whit the new update, there is no possibility to downgrade. In my case it’s really strange, cos i have 4 Sonos one speakers. I have set them up as stereo, so 2 sets. They are all on the same network, auto update is off and 1 set did update to the S2. It should not be possible, but it happend. Called the helpcenter and they could not explain and help me. I doubt if in the future there will be a possibility that the can be downgraded, cos why did they not solve it whit the last big update this week?? But i going to try the old S1 controler and hope it works. Cos i notice the difference in sound and i’m not happy whit it. 

can you get hold of an older ios device even if its just to borrow it to do the solution I have mentioned above


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 6, 2024

I have a old iPhone 8 and even a 4 somewhere, but i have to see if it’s possible to get the old app on the 4. On the 8 i hope i didn’t update the 8 last time i used it. I really hope this way i can downgrade. 


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 6, 2024
withnail69 wrote:

Anyone else with this problem… Get an ios device that doesn’t have latest ios on it.. Go into your app store purchase history. Download the sonos s2 app (Bronze coloured icon) and then you can downgrade. That will save you hours with the terrible support staff.

I know the Bronze app doesn’t exist for a long time anymore. I did check my iPhone 8 and it has only the previous version from the Sonos S1 on it. So i did find a Iphone 6 and hope that i can get a old Sonos app on that one. But i don’t understand why the S2 app to downgrade? A few years back i needed to use the S1 app to downgrade from S2. 


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 7, 2024

I did find my old iPad and running on IOS 9, but i can’t get the bronze app on it. Trying to download the s2 app on it issn’t possible. I get a notification that the device must run on ios 12. For the S1 i did get the message if i wanted do download an older version, so that went okay. The Iphone 4 won’t start up, the 6 has a password issue and the 8 is running on a older version ios 12. So i hope it will do the trick. 


GuitarSuperstar wrote:

Based on the instructions in that article, it appears that both apps are required to downgrade a device to S1.

Mr IDgafos wrote:

I did find my old iPad and running on IOS 9, but i can’t get the bronze app on it. Trying to download the s2 app on it issn’t possible. I get a notification that the device must run on ios 12. For the S1 i did get the message if i wanted do download an older version, so that went okay. The Iphone 4 won’t start up, the 6 has a password issue and the 8 is running on a older version ios 12. So i hope it will do the trick. 

Mr IDgafos wrote:

I did find my old iPad and running on IOS 9, but i can’t get the bronze app on it. Trying to download the s2 app on it issn’t possible. I get a notification that the device must run on ios 12. For the S1 i did get the message if i wanted do download an older version, so that went okay. The Iphone 4 won’t start up, the 6 has a password issue and the 8 is running on a older version ios 12. So i hope it will do the trick. 

It seems like you're facing compatibility issues with your older iPad when trying to download the Bronze app. Unfortunately, the S2 app requires iOS 12 or later, which isn't compatible with your device running on iOS 9. As for your iPhone models, the iPhone 4 won't start up, the iPhone 6 has a password issue, and the iPhone 8 is running on an older version of iOS 12. You're hoping that the iPhone 8 will be able to run the app successfully. If you encounter any further difficulties, reaching out to the app's support team might provide additional assistance.


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 7, 2024
smithjohns405 wrote:
GuitarSuperstar wrote:

Based on the instructions in that article, it appears that both apps are required to downgrade a device to S1.

Mr IDgafos wrote:

I did find my old iPad and running on IOS 9, but i can’t get the bronze app on it. Trying to download the s2 app on it issn’t possible. I get a notification that the device must run on ios 12. For the S1 i did get the message if i wanted do download an older version, so that went okay. The Iphone 4 won’t start up, the 6 has a password issue and the 8 is running on a older version ios 12. So i hope it will do the trick. 

Mr IDgafos wrote:

I did find my old iPad and running on IOS 9, but i can’t get the bronze app on it. Trying to download the s2 app on it issn’t possible. I get a notification that the device must run on ios 12. For the S1 i did get the message if i wanted do download an older version, so that went okay. The Iphone 4 won’t start up, the 6 has a password issue and the 8 is running on a older version ios 12. So i hope it will do the trick. 

It seems like you're facing compatibility issues with your older iPad when trying to download the Bronze app. Unfortunately, the S2 app requires iOS 12 or later, which isn't compatible with your device running on iOS 9. As for your iPhone models, the iPhone 4 won't start up, the iPhone 6 has a password issue, and the iPhone 8 is running on an older version of iOS 12. You're hoping that the iPhone 8 will be able to run the app successfully. If you encounter any further difficulties, reaching out to the app's support team might provide additional assistance.

I don’t think the app supportteam wil do anything for me in this case. The Sonos support did not or could not help me. And i think Apple is the factor that limits me in this case. I can try a older Android phone, maybe that’s a way to succeed. I have a feeling that Sonos wil not come whit a solution to downgrade anymore, cos the One SL can not be downgrade anymore. 


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 144 replies
  • June 11, 2024
Mr IDgafos wrote:
withnail69 wrote:

Anyone else with this problem… Get an ios device that doesn’t have latest ios on it.. Go into your app store purchase history. Download the sonos s2 app (Bronze coloured icon) and then you can downgrade. That will save you hours with the terrible support staff.

I know the Bronze app doesn’t exist for a long time anymore. I did check my iPhone 8 and it has only the previous version from the Sonos S1 on it. So i did find a Iphone 6 and hope that i can get a old Sonos app on that one. But i don’t understand why the S2 app to downgrade? A few years back i needed to use the S1 app to downgrade from S2. 

If you’ve ever used the bronze app it should still be in your ‘purchases’ in the apple app store


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 11, 2024
withnail69 wrote:
Mr IDgafos wrote:
withnail69 wrote:

Anyone else with this problem… Get an ios device that doesn’t have latest ios on it.. Go into your app store purchase history. Download the sonos s2 app (Bronze coloured icon) and then you can downgrade. That will save you hours with the terrible support staff.

I know the Bronze app doesn’t exist for a long time anymore. I did check my iPhone 8 and it has only the previous version from the Sonos S1 on it. So i did find a Iphone 6 and hope that i can get a old Sonos app on that one. But i don’t understand why the S2 app to downgrade? A few years back i needed to use the S1 app to downgrade from S2. 

If you’ve ever used the bronze app it should still be in your ‘purchases’ in the apple app store

I used the app on my ipad and several iPhones and all of them do not show them. On my old iPad running on the IOS 9 i can only find the black Sonos and could download a older version from the S1. I did talk to Apple about it and they say it is not possible. So i only can hope Sonos really comes whit a update. So i can downgrade via that way. But i do find it strange that i need the S2 app to downgrade. In the past when i updated the S1 to the S2 bronze, i did only use the s1 controler to downgrade. 


HI

Iphone 6

Sonos 2 bronze

I have downgrade my Sonos One a few minutes ago

Best regard


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 11, 2024

I have a old Iphone 6, but i don’t know the code anymore and tried everything. So if that is the possibility, i will keep trying. 


When will Sonos re-enable this. Apple won’t let us download the S2 App. It is ridiculous they are alienating their user base like this.

 


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 17, 2024
LaserGuy2020-US wrote:

When will Sonos re-enable this. Apple won’t let us download the S2 App. It is ridiculous they are alienating their user base like this.

 

I have the same problem. I used a old iPhone 6 from my mom and did get the message that the app issn’t compatible. So i downloaded the latest ios 12 cos it was running on ios 10. But even then i could not download the Sonos app, only the S1. The sonos app is only for ios 16 or newer and it’s not possible to get a older version in the app store. 


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • June 25, 2024

I finally have the iphone 6 whit the gold/bronze app on it. But the app crashes all the time. I get the gold Sonos screen and directly after that it crashes. I reinstalled it a few times now, but no luck. I have the idea that Sonos doesn’t want people to downgrade in any way and that they won’t come whit a downgrade option in the future.  Cos if they would, it shouldn’t take that long.  Has anybody a idea how i could get the app going? 


  • Contributor I
  • 4 replies
  • July 8, 2024

In my case the crash was related to iPhone Bluetooth, if Bluetooth is disabled on the iPhone, the app works. But I need Bluetooth enabled in order to downgrade Sonos Move, and I didn't found any working solutions...


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • July 8, 2024
Stam wrote:

In my case the crash was related to iPhone Bluetooth, if Bluetooth is disabled on the iPhone, the app works. But I need Bluetooth enabled in order to downgrade Sonos Move, and I didn't found any working solutions...

I noticed the same. When i disable Bluetooth the app works en whit Bluetooth it ain’t. I did try several iphone’s and a old android, but nu luck. I really hope Sonos comes whit possibility to downgrade, bit i don’t understand why it must take that long.  


I smell a rat, a profit driven contrived one. The issue. You can no longer upgrade S1 Sonos play speakers to S2, or downgrade S2 devices to S1, to make them compatible and link them in the same Sonos system.   I have tried every suggested work around. 4 tech support calls. Even old IOS APPs are now hobbled, only force you to upgrade APP.  S1 Speaker software upgrades to S2 repeatedly fail. It has been two months, and the return of this feature to the APP is not even on list of APP developments for July, or future. I note the *will be reenabled in the future, that has been there for two  months. If you buy a new S2 product, ie AMP, that could previously be simply be downgraded to S1, you must now buy new Sonos speakers with S2 software.


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  • Lyricist III
  • 22 replies
  • July 13, 2024
MarciaMarciaMarcia wrote:

I smell a rat, a profit driven contrived one. The issue. You can no longer upgrade S1 Sonos play speakers to S2, or downgrade S2 devices to S1, to make them compatible and link them in the same Sonos system.   I have tried every suggested work around. 4 tech support calls. Even old IOS APPs are now hobbled, only force you to upgrade APP.  S1 Speaker software upgrades to S2 repeatedly fail. It has been two months, and the return of this feature to the APP is not even on list of APP developments for July, or future. I note the *will be reenabled in the future, that has been there for two  months. If you buy a new S2 product, ie AMP, that could previously be simply be downgraded to S1, you must now buy new Sonos speakers with S2 software.

Yeah, something ain’t right. There were a few updates now, and still no way to downgrade. Why must it take so long? I think that they want to force people that have devices that can run the S2 and still on S1 to the S2. They than stop the S1 and give people the choice to turn in the old devices for a percentage to buy a new device from Sonos. They just want to make more money this way. But on the Sonos site it still says that in a future update it will be possible to downgrade, but not on what devices?? But if they don’t make my One not downgrade anymore, i will switch to Denon. They have also a great product and they just going to lose income, cos i think people more and more people will switch to a other brand. 


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