Sonos controller problem on iOS 9.3.5

Normally I do not make posts expressing my dissatisfaction with products because it does not do any good or change the end result. This is one of those times when it will not change anything, but I am irritated, and I want to express it. I own 6 ipads, three of them are Ipad 2’s that will no longer work with Sonos. I try to never use the word hate, but I reserve that word for Apple because they are the most arrogant company I have every dealt with in my 58 years of being alive. The only reason I own the Apple ipads is because I love the LaunchPort charges and sleeves I have scattered throughout my house, and the fact that I basically I only use them to control Sonos, Thermostats and RadioRA2. I have a $ 30K distributed audio system comprising of over $ 6K in Sonos connect, connectamps and subwoofers in 10 zones. The fact that I cannot use my original Ipad2’s and I have to buy new units to control my Sonos system is ridicules and unfair to Sonos customers. I am not technologically or financially challenged but I should not have to spend $ 1,800 (3 iPads x $ 400 + $200 LaunchPort sleeves) just to continue to use the $ 6K worth of Sonos equipment I own.

I also agree with the hundreds of other posts in different categories complaining about the constant Sonos App updates. When I first starting using Sonos 4 plus years ago you could do anything in the App on the main page by pushing a few buttons. Now you must push 5 or 6 buttons on multiple pages to accomplish the same task. I own a technology company, so I am not some old guy complaining about having to learn something new, I am complaining because you are not making the user experience better by forcing me to push more buttons. In this case, change does not always equal better, and it should in a company with your history and experience of making innovative products. Although I do not put Sonos in the same category as my dislike for Apple, I do think you are arrogant, and that attitude is not going to serve you well in the long run.

Sonos can certainly figure out how to support older software on IOS products that Apple does not support. You could easily keep multiply older versions on your website for your customers to download outside the Apple App store. Let’s be honest, you do not want to do it. Sonos could also figure out how to let people keep an older version of the software they like better, and not force them into a new skin. I realize that this is a complicated issue and I could not possibly be aware of all the challenges Sonos is faced with, but I think there was a better way to handle it.

The trouble is you cannot add a Sonos app to an iPhone unless it comes from Apple App Store. Apple do not allow multiple versions, unless you are using it in under development, I.e. for Beta test versions. If you abuse this then Apple can remove all your apps.

This is the fundamental issue. But even if Sonos could do this it would make their development process a lot more complex especially having to test multiple versions. This is why they have reduced the functionality of the desktop apps.

Sonos this is ridiculous. I want give any warning. Device auto updated the app. Now I've a useless device on my wall. You shouldn't stop anything working for older devices. Sure perhaps they won't be able to access all features of new app, but stop messing with people's systems.

I join the band of very unhappy Sonos users with an older IPad that runs perfectly well with no need for me to spend hundreds of £'s to replace it.
New features in Sonos are of no interest to me - if I wanted to stream music there are many good quality speakers I could buy to do this..... I just want to play my own music collection as I used to be able to do & the reason I bought Sonos in the first place..... Wake up Sonos you are loosing confidence of your original & loyal customers
Some of the responses in this thread are arrogant & insulting to people who have invested in the Sonos product in good faith & are suddenly unable to use the system!!

I have an 3rd Gen iPad from 2012 running IOS 9.3.5. Sonos shrugged and gave up supporting my ZP100 on this device without warning but SonoPad came to the rescue and works fine. I'd certainly think twice about investing any more $ in Sonos hardware when they are so cavalier about supporting their customers' investments in their products.

I'm a late comer to this party - one of those parties that you don't want to be at!

Same pattern as many contributors - we use an old iPad 3 (running iOS 9.3.5 because Apple won't let it have anything more modern) purely to run our Sonos system. But not any more, as this simply stopped working yesterday evening: no warning, just a rather rude error message basically telling me to "get with the beat, Baggy" (Jungle Book). Thanks for nothing.

We're just about to move in to a new house and will be designing our music system from scratch - up until yesterday Sonos was a shoo-in for the lot, but no longer. A company that treats its customers with such distain and arrogance can't be trusted and doesn't deserve several thousand pounds worth of business. Shame, really, as it's very good (when it works).

So what speaker system are you going to use instead, that is compatible with your ancient iPad?

You're missing the point - it's not about continuing to use a seven year old iPad (although it's a shame to throw out something that has no faults other than simply being old), it's about Sonos's thoughtless and arrogant attitude to its customers (as echoed by many contributors on this string) that is steering me to look for alternative solutions. Until Sonos pulled this stunt I was perfectly happy and wouldn't have dreamt of looking elsewhere, but now I am. Perhaps Sonos feel that they have a near-monopoly and so are behaving in the way monopolies tend to?

You're missing the point - it's not about continuing to use a seven year old iPad (although it's a shame to throw out something that has no faults other than simply being old), it's about Sonos's thoughtless and arrogant attitude to its customers (as echoed by many contributors on this string) that is steering me to look for alternative solutions. Until Sonos pulled this stunt I was perfectly happy and wouldn't have dreamt of looking elsewhere, but now I am. Perhaps Sonos feel that they have a near-monopoly and so are behaving in the way monopolies tend to?


So you are so angry at Sonos for not supporting a device Apple itself no longer supports, you are going to look for an alternative which also doesn't support a device Apple itself no longer supports? And the reason is . . . uhhh . . . a "point"?

Color me confused. 🤔