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Contributor I
November 18, 2017

Sonos 8 and 8.1 are TERRIBLE.

  • November 18, 2017
  • 14 replies
  • 579 views
I’m someone who rarely uses forum boards, but I created an account just to comment on how bad the new Sonos controller app is in hopes that voices will be heard. It is not intuitive, forces the user to go in and out of screens way too many times and is just plain clunky. A terrible step back from the simpler process of the previous version.

PLEASE SONOS PLEASE! Bring back a UI that is more similar to the last version or make the flow of this one considerably better (like start from scratch).

- a disappointed user
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    14 replies

    Lyricist III
    November 18, 2017
    I so agree with you. Such a bad a bad upgrade. What happened Sonos? You went fron Hero to Zero!
    Lyricist III
    November 19, 2017
    Complete agreement! Please kill the new UI.
    Contributor II
    November 28, 2017
    Please...
    Contributor II
    December 17, 2017
    agree - now that i have invested in sonos in every room in my house i am going crazy - TERRIBLE
    Contributor III
    December 17, 2017
    Completely agree. I just posted the same complaint. I've sat staring at a given screen, unable to figure out how to do a given task, then resorting to using the phone's 'back' button to get to a screen with the option I wanted. Such horrible UX.
    Lyricist I
    December 17, 2017
    I absolutely agree. This new update is horrible and not user friendly at all. Sonos, you swung and missed on this one.
    Lyricist I
    December 17, 2017
    I've been trying to get used to the updated Sonos app (currently 8.2.2) for over a month, and it still confounds me. Every time, I have to pause and THINK about where to go to change rooms, select music for rooms, view current song details, etc., etc. Trial and error get me there. Eventually. We have Sonos in every room in the house including a Playbar and a Sub. If I had to deal with this app from the beginning, I would have seriously reconsidered investing in Sonos like we have. Big UX fail, guys. Love Sonos, but this app is a puzzle. Literally.
    Enthusiast I
    December 17, 2017
    I continue to see new forum users who feel so strongly about the 8.xx UI that they take the time to register to give feedback. I should know. I am one of them.

    I've used this app for a month now and I still find myself swiping and clicking until I find what I am looking for. Sonos, it may seem simple to your design team to navigate this app but part of the problem is the lack of logical progression. The navigation doesn't make intuitive sense and what occurs is we click/swipe the wrong thing first and then we swipe/click back and then we have to "think" about where we need to navigate to.

    These two things 1) initial incorrect navigation and 2) thought process to correct navigation are what create the time sink. I think that's what confounds your UI team. They may think "it's just a click to the left" but we've already swiped incorrectly and then back again and now we have to try to think "wait - was it click?"

    Browse and search? Look I get they are different words but they are way too similar to pick the right one without thinking about it.

    White background? What works for a website doesn't work for an app. I like(ed) to show off the Sonos app. I don't think I've ever "shown off" a website to anybody.

    Back in Black - ac/dc
    Contributor II
    January 3, 2018
    I have had enough. I cannot switch zones without having to attempt the operation over 5 times before it finally switches or groups. This was working so fine until some idiot at Sonos thought it might be a good idea to screw this up. I am looking for an alternative to Sonos and will be selling this crap very soon. I have everything from a 3 to a playbar. It has cost me thousands of dollars but I don't care. I cannot take the functionality (lack thereof) anymore.
    bockersjv
    Local Superstar
    January 3, 2018
    It is very clear that the latest updates have not been well received, can't say I like them myself but a Sonos representative, on one of the other complaint threads, has said they are listening and changes are afoot.

    I hope these arrive soon but understand software cycles take days not hours to plan and roll out.

    So by all means have a rant but why the insults? I don't think the company deliberately intended to alienate people with the latest changes. I still listen daily to my Sonos and consider this a blip in its usability that I hope will be rectified soon.

    On the plus side I am enjoying the Alexa integration especially now Spotify works with it.

    So stick with us(users), it'll be worth it in the long run.