Renowned Enthusiast II

At this point maybe a statement from Sonos might be useful.......

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
October 16, 2017
35 replies
1534 views

This isn't one of those table thumping demands asking Sonos to stand to attention and fix what I don't like. I know these forums don't work like that.

However it's been nearly 2 weeks since Sonos's rather bullish launch of the V8 app, and I'm sure they weren't expecting the tidal wave of dissent that has followed.

Now, before I go any further, I know there are people out there who jsut love the new app, and there are those who love the new black and white colour scheme. And I totally get that the the people who are unhappy are more likely to post on these forums than those that are happy.

However, regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, this very public display of dissatisfaction is not a very good for the company or its users. So maybe it's about time Sonos now made a statement -- not in reply to this or to me, or even on this forum, but something to say where the company stands which v8. Is it the vision the company sees for the app (and something we'll have to live with bar any minor tweaks) for some time to come, or is the very beginning of a big 'reset', that will see significant development in the short term. At least some pointer might stem the number of messages on here and let us know where things are heading.

Just a thought .... !

Andrew

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Superdaveuk

Lyricist III

As an early tester of the v8 app, it quickly became apparent that it was a dogs breakfast in terms of usability. Spousal approval was at an all-time low and the responses to the surveys reflected that. Personally, I hardly noticed the colour change which has received lots of attention, but fundamentally changing how the app functions and then persisting with that change to release in the face of overwhelmingly negative feedback does seem to be somewhat foolish.

If you're going to have an open beta program, then please listen to us when that feedback is bad and don't be afraid to revert backwards. Although, I suspect that in order to hit the holiday season release, along with Alexa integration, the non-GUI parts of the app were already so intertwined with the interface that the developer's hands were tied.

Nevertheless, the app has gone from being intuitive and easy to use to neither of those attributes today.

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andrewmkAuthor

Renowned Enthusiast II

So a few messages back Ryan suggested the next few releases will see some positive changes.

Sonos has now pushed out 8.1 which fixes ....... nothing.

Sure it would have been unreasonable to ask for any big interface changes in a little over 2 weeks. But could you not tone down the colour scheme just a little ?????? Would that really have been a big deal ? Really don’t think Sonos are listening to anyone anymore and it’s not a good sign.

Andrew

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Keithmac

Virtuoso

"Dark Mode" surely can't be that hard to implement, sort the rest of the dog's dinner out over later releases..

jgatie

Andrew, I would suggest to you that your expectation for Sonos to suspend their current release strategy which has probably been in place for a year or more in order to squeeze in a UI change, any UI change, in a mere two weeks, is unrealistic at best. The software development and QA cycle just doesn't work that way. You will see these changes, but I would not expect them to start showing up until after the holidays at the very soonest (and even that would mean Sonos is doing some priority shifting).

nicka99

Local Superstar

"Dark Mode" surely can't be that hard to implement, sort the rest of the dog's dinner out over later releases..

it sounds easier than it is. Its not just 'replace white by black and black by white' You also have to think about the other coloured fonts, backgrounds and icons in use and whether they will give problems when the colours are inverted in which case you need new versions of those also. You need to build the interface to make the change itself and then apply it across all necessary screens and test everything. Combine that wit the fact they are sure to be trying to rectify some of the other issues identified in the app and trying to handle those in parallel. Its definitely not a 2 week job !

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andrewmkAuthor

Renowned Enthusiast II

No, I'm not (of course) asking Sonos to suspend their release strategy. there was no hint that this is what I was asking. Nor am I asking Sonos to dance to my tune. Ryan said himself that there would be positive changes in the next couple of releases. Wouldn't he know better than any of us speculating on here ?

Easier said than done -- ? Yes, of course it is --- isn't everything? But possible ? Yes of course -- and probably very doable. I'm sure that Sonos use high level cross platform development tools and are not sitting there coding in binary. I don't really buy that this was not do-able -- even if it wasn't in the original road map. Thing's change. I think as a 'nod' to acknowledge they are listening, it would have been a positive move. The bigger changes could have come later.

Andrew

jgatie

Nor am I asking Sonos to dance to my tune.

I think as a 'nod' to acknowledge they are listening, it would have been a positive move.

No, just "nod" to your tune. 😃

nicka99

Local Superstar

No, I'm not (of course) asking Sonos to suspend their release strategy. there was no hint that this is what I was asking. Nor am I asking Sonos to dance to my tune. Ryan said himself that there would be positive changes in the next couple of releases. Wouldn't he know better than any of us speculating on here ?

Easier said than done -- ? Yes, of course it is --- isn't everything? But possible ? Yes of course -- and probably very doable. I'm sure that Sonos use high level cross platform development tools and are not sitting there coding in binary. I don't really buy that this was not do-able -- even if it wasn't in the original road map. Thing's change. I think as a 'nod' to acknowledge they are listening, it would have been a positive move. The bigger changes could have come later.

Andrew

maybe I phrased it incorrectly. Of course its possible and its also not that difficult. Its just difficult to do all of that in 2 weeks given other priorities and developments they have in the pipeline. Like any company, they have finite resources and have to dedicate those to where they believe it brings the biggest benefit. At this time of year it will be about maximising sales in the holiday period so appeasing existing users at the expense of new ones is probably not top of the list compared to, for example, Getting Spotify on Sonos via Alexa up and running.

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andrewmkAuthor

Renowned Enthusiast II

Well, all that may be. I paid my money, bought the kit, and in that respect our contract is done.

I just remember very clearly being shown the CR200 in the shop (back in 2009), being blown away by it and buying it on the spot.

Truly, if I was shown the V8 running on an Ipad in a shop today, I would think the company was having a laugh at my expense. I really wouldn't buy it. It is indeed coming up to the holiday season, and in that respect, the app is a terrible terrible shop front.

I've said my bit, and I am signing off on this topic now. I await v8.2 -- and hope that Ryan is true to his word.

Kindest regards
Andrew

Ryan S

Retired Sonos Staff

The 8.1 release is mostly the software for the Sonos One, it also has a few bug fixes, but largely that's all that's in it. It's also been mostly completed for some time now and couldn't be delayed to add more things to it since some Sonos Ones are already in people's homes.

There are some changes coming to the app, but they need to go through a full release process; design, development, review, and testing. There's a lot of feedback that's come in, and the team is working with it. You might see some changes in the next few releases that you like, and we will be continuing to improve the app going forward.

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