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andrewmk
Renowned Enthusiast II
October 16, 2017

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

  • 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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      35 replies

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      richsniram
      Lyricist III
      October 20, 2017
      I dont know your user demographics, but I would guess a major portion of your users have 0 interest in a microphone in their homes. I think this is a huge miscalculation replacing a terrific 8 years in the making application, for something a smaller % of your users will make use of.

      Im astounded at the adoption of home microphone devices and disgusted that my Sonos speakers are playing along with it and sacrificing my user experience to boot . I cant be the only one. I hope the masses vote with their wallets.
        jgatie
        jgatie
        October 20, 2017
        I dont know your user demographics, but I would guess a major portion of your users have 0 interest in a microphone in their homes.

        You would be wrong. I've been here for almost 10 years, and the Sonos Alexa announcement and subsequent private beta speculation was the one event that had people volunteering to participate in a beta before it was even announced. Hundreds, many of them first purchasers, were requesting entry into a beta that was not even officially happening. That shows the exact opposite from a major portion of users having no interest in a microphone in their homes.
        skipmid
        Contributor I
        October 20, 2017
        Forcing users to go experiment with a 3rd party UI - and I have released a shitload of software over the past 12 years - much of my product development was based on users and superusers and beta user feedback in our forums to control versions - BACK UP versions in a Version 2.x update etc. SONOSPAD and the guy's SonosPhone app are where I'm headed to experiment now, while everyone in our 12 room house struggle to remember DO NOT UPGRDE THE SOFTWARE on their phones... Silly things really - remind you that its not the lions in the jungle that kill you, its the ants and mosquitos...
          richsniram
          Lyricist III
          October 20, 2017
          Lets say 30% of current sonos speaker owners don't want a microphone in their house. That's a major portion to me, notice I did not say MAJORITY.
          You broke the system for these customers, to create a new market. Not cool.
          Why is it not possible to make a 2nd app to accommodate the people who have no value in their privacy?

          If I could sell all my speakers and cash out of the mess you have created, I would.
            nicka99
            nicka99
            Local Superstar
            October 20, 2017
            The new app design has nothing to do with Alexa - one does not interact at all with the other. Only the firmware on the devices themselves required the necessary update to present themselves as discoverable and allow Alexa to push music to them. If you shut down all the devices running the sonos app in your home then Alexa would continue to work with Sonos. The design change just happened to co-incide with the Alexa update but one does not depend on the other
            Kumar
            October 21, 2017
            The new app design has nothing to do with Alexa - one does not interact at all with the other.
            Agreed with the latter, but the former may not be true in a broader sense; as voice control gets in, the use of the then seen to be supplementary app will change, dictating design changes there so perhaps some of these have crept in.

            At this time I don't use voice, and the app changes leave me as unhappy as I am at every app change for the relearning involved, but no more.

            Calling out the system as broken is a leap though, not just a stretch. And there IS another app that I use often, that remains very stable and unchanged. It needs a computer to use it though:-)
            andrewmkAuthor
            Renowned Enthusiast II
            November 15, 2017


            Over the next few releases, I think you'll be seeing some improvements that you like on the foundation of this app. The team is hard at work revising things, and though we can't share any specifics today, the team is really interested in seeing your feedback.

            Well, now on 8.2, and I for one am not seeing it.

            Andrew
            jgatie
            jgatie
            November 15, 2017
            Then I suggest you take a look at the changes made to the My Sonos section.

            Requested ability to combine favorites. Check!

            Requested smaller icons in list view. Check!

            See it now?
            chickentender
            chickentender
            November 15, 2017
            Then I suggest you take a look at the changes made to the My Sonos section.

            Requested ability to combine favorites. Check!

            Requested smaller icons in list view. Check!

            See it now?

            Responsive indeed, in my opinion. To that end, I just noticed following today's app update a quick-tap from the now-playing screen to enter the current queue... Just to the right side of volume bar. Was that always there in V8 and I missed it, or is it a new addition?
            andrewmkAuthor
            Renowned Enthusiast II
            November 15, 2017
            Then I suggest you take a look at the changes made to the My Sonos section.

            Requested ability to combine favorites. Check!

            Requested smaller icons in list view. Check!

            See it now?

            Big ‘rooms’ buttons requiring scrolling if you have more than 2 zones — uncheck

            Glaring black and white colour scheme — uncheck

            Less than elegant grouping functionality — uncheck

            Menu bar at the bottom which looks like it should be persistent but isn’t — uncheck.

            Not optimised for larger devices (iPads and the like) — uncheck.

            But thank you Jgatie for highlighting the changes.
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