Sonos Staff

The New Sonos App and Future Feature Updates

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
May 11, 2024
2256 replies
156775 views

Hey all, today we're sharing a message from our chief innovation officer, Nick Millington in the announcement here. Going forwards we will update that topic and we therefore close this one for further replies.

We set out to create a more personalized and effortless listening experience with the updated Sonos app. It was rebuilt from the ground up to ensure it could support future innovation in the years to come. For its initial rollout, we focused on how we could answer some of the most common requests from our customers, including increased reliability, performance, and faster access to music.

Many of you have shared valuable feedback on both the improvements that have made your experience better, as well as the areas where we fell short. We are listening to all of your comments and working to address them as quickly as possible. Over the coming weeks, we will reintroduce the below features, while fixing bugs and performance issues. Thank you for your engagement and we look forward to building upon this first step to create a listening experience that meets everyone’s needs.

Available now

To access these changes, check for updates in the iOS / Android app store to download the latest version of the Sonos app. Make sure your Sonos products are also up to date.

Last updated: Oct 28, 2024. See release notes.

The update has the following version numbers:

80.11.38 - iOS
80.11.32 - Android

In this update:

Support for the all-new Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4
Music library improvements*
Improvements to product setup
Improved performance when browsing content in Home and in Browse on Android
Improvements to multi-system support on iOS
Fixes for multiple settings including Bluetooth display, EQ, and Sub bonding on iOS
The ability to schedule System Updates on iOS
Continued Voiceover improvements on iOS

* Requires player update - 81.1-58074 (or higher)

You can also follow along with updates in this article:

New Sonos App Update!

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

Show previous replies

J

jennydeione

Looking at the calendar, it is now early June. Where is our queue management? If your dev team has been permitted to leave the office in the past 3 weeks they aren’t dedicated to fixing this problem as much as they should be.

Tbf it’s Saturday / the weekend. I wouldn’t expect anything before Monday, and more likely midweek. “Early” has a way to go yet.

Everyone has to sleep, and I can assure you that the best thoughts don’t come when you have a banging head from reading and cross referencing pages of code. I’ve done my fair share of post midnight jobs and staying awake for up to 36 hours. It’s far from productive.

Also, realise this debacle is unlikely to be down to the tech team, it will be pressure from Senior Management & Marketing. If allowed, I’m sure the tech guys will fix things, but don’t give them a kicking online because they’re not going to be happy with this, and doing so only puts you backing the “bosses” who I suspect have instigated this 🤔

Having worked in this industry as a tester/QA engineer/release engineer (pick your preferred term). Management/sales tend to be responsible for 8/10 debacles like this. Sen. Management ask for a timescale to do the things they want, then dev&test return with one, then mgt/sales tell them that is far to long. They want it done in a ¼ of the time, because they have already promised X functionality by Y date. They get told impossible. Then ½ the time and ½ the features are agreed on, with the caveat that if any series issue is found this timescale goes out the window. Work progresses and series issue is found, mgt/sales then insist that what is complete is released AGAINST the recommendations of the dev/test team. Then chaos results, the good sales/mgt learn from this experience and don’t make the same mistakes again, the rest, well…………………..

M

mistyoptic

Avid Contributor III

In summary for the late comers trying to parse all this noise and just want some answers:

Local libraries (NAS, PC based, etc. collections of ripped/downloaded files) have ceased to work for many systems.
Many other systems continue to work quite happily with local libraries, but tread carefully and don’t disconnect them. They may not come back if you attempt to add a new source.
The 913 error is a networking permissions error that relates to authorising Sonos speakers to access and add the folder with the content. This is a firmware issue that will not change until a fix is available for download and update in mid-June.
There are literally dozens and dozens of differing configurations for local libraries and most of the suggested fixes are very config specific. Sadly, until the fix is released, you may be just spinning your wheels engaging in attempts to correct it. If you get a 913 error, even after a full shutdown of all your speakers, it is game over until mid June.
A local Plex server (highly recommended) or upload to the Youtube Music service (free service for uploads and a good way to backup a collection) will give you access to your collection as music sources in the app. Not perfect, but they do work without issue.

This took me about 15 minutes to put together. Sonos management; get your act together and show some solidarity with your customers and start providing some feedback that is visible on your home page.

is there a Plex 101 somewhere? I keep seeing folk say that it’s a good thing but, until now, I’ve always found that my Sonos system could simply find what I wanted, when I wanted it. As that’s no longer the case, perhaps I need a new approach. Don’t want to have to scroll endlessly through my large library to find the track/album/artist that I wish to play

B

BrianJG

Enthusiast II

Looking at the calendar, it is now early June. Where is our queue management? If your dev team has been permitted to leave the office in the past 3 weeks they aren’t dedicated to fixing this problem as much as they should be.

Tbf it’s Saturday / the weekend. I wouldn’t expect anything before Monday, and more likely midweek. “Early” has a way to go yet.

Everyone has to sleep, and I can assure you that the best thoughts don’t come when you have a banging head from reading and cross referencing pages of code. I’ve done my fair share of post midnight jobs and staying awake for up to 36 hours. It’s far from productive.

Also, realise this debacle is unlikely to be down to the tech team, it will be pressure from Senior Management & Marketing. If allowed, I’m sure the tech guys will fix things, but don’t give them a kicking online because they’re not going to be happy with this, and doing so only puts you backing the “bosses” who I suspect have instigated this 🤔

Having worked in this industry as a tester/QA engineer/release engineer (pick your preferred term). Management/sales tend to be responsible for 8/10 debacles like this. Sen. Management ask for a timescale to do the things they want, then dev&test return with one, then mgt/sales tell them that is far to long. They want it done in a ¼ of the time, because they have already promised X functionality by Y date. They get told impossible. Then ½ the time and ½ the features are agreed on, with the caveat that if any series issue is found this timescale goes out the window. Work progresses and series issue is found, mgt/sales then insist that what is complete is released AGAINST the recommendations of the dev/test team. Then chaos results, the good sales/mgt learn from this experience and don’t make the same mistakes again, the rest, well…………………..

In my last product development job, it went something like this:

PD: “You have given us 5 projects of 100 hours each… do you want them done concurrently or sequentially?”

Boss: “I need them done concurrently, but I need them all done in two weeks.”

PD: “Impossible. That’s 500 hours of work. If we work on them concurrently or sequentially, it’s still 500 hours of work.”

Boss: “Not good enough - find a way.”

PD: “We can do overtime and get ONE project done in two weeks, but not all five. It’s just impossible given the resources.”

Boss: “Oh, and no unauthorized overtime.”

SMDH

Either way, it’s 100% on the hands of management when these things happen. You can tell the measure of a company by how they respond in times of trouble, more than how they act on a good day. In this case, SONOS has hardly responded at all. Users are digging for information that should be clear as day on the SONOS website. This is a scorched earth approach to managing customer expectations. What a slap in the face to all of the customers who have invested (individually) thousands of dollars into equipment.

S

stevepow

Prominent Collaborator I

In summary for the late comers trying to parse all this noise and just want some answers:

Local libraries (NAS, PC based, etc. collections of ripped/downloaded files) have ceased to work for many systems.
Many other systems continue to work quite happily with local libraries, but tread carefully and don’t disconnect them. They may not come back if you attempt to add a new source.
The 913 error is a networking permissions error that relates to authorising Sonos speakers to access and add the folder with the content. This is a firmware issue that will not change until a fix is available for download and update in mid-June.
There are literally dozens and dozens of differing configurations for local libraries and most of the suggested fixes are very config specific. Sadly, until the fix is released, you may be just spinning your wheels engaging in attempts to correct it. If you get a 913 error, even after a full shutdown of all your speakers, it is game over until mid June.
A local Plex server (highly recommended) or upload to the Youtube Music service (free service for uploads and a good way to backup a collection) will give you access to your collection as music sources in the app. Not perfect, but they do work without issue.

This took me about 15 minutes to put together. Sonos management; get your act together and show some solidarity with your customers and start providing some feedback that is visible on your home page.

is there a Plex 101 somewhere? I keep seeing folk say that it’s a good thing but, until now, I’ve always found that my Sonos system could simply find what I wanted, when I wanted it. As that’s no longer the case, perhaps I need a new approach. Don’t want to have to scroll endlessly through my large library to find the track/album/artist that I wish to play

1 - Check your NAS to see if it has Plex or if Plex can be installed. My WD My Cloud has an App section where Plex was there and all I to do was click install and then configure it to point to the music folder.

2 - or go to the Plex web site where you can download Plex Server to run on a computer. You can also download the Plex app for configuration or do it via a browser app.

3 - you’ll need to use the Plex app or web interface to configure Remote Access which seems odd since the files are not remote. Once you get it working and all is good, disable Relay in the Network settings so it won’t keep going out to the internet to do whatever it does...ostensibly rerouting your music through their “relay” servers for remote access - unless you want that.

4 - For setup information, this Forum and the Plex site have SONOS specific instructions that you can find with a search of Google for it.

5 - The Plex server creates what amounts to another streaming service that you can setup in the SONOS app and I had to use the new app and it worked - basically authorizing SONOS on Plex and connecting to your Plex Server. Since it behaves like a streaming service, you get the “glorious” universal search, or generic search as it really is.

6 - you do not need the Plex Pass subscription to make this work - it should all be free.

7 - Occasionally SONOS will say it can’t play a song in the Queue and the Plex app Console will show some errors. These are spurious and clicking on the song will almost always start playback and the issue magically goes away. Some sort of bug maybe or something with my setup. I’m no expert and my WD NAS is several years old - I was impressed it works at all. :D

That SONOS is recommending this is a little worrisome. Will they eventually provide music library search natively or is this the way forward? Just another piece of software to worry about and troubleshoot when things don’t work.

S

stefanomasi1974

Contributor II

We set out to create a more personalized and effortless listening experience with the updated Sonos app. It was rebuilt from the ground up to ensure it could support future innovation in the years to come. For its initial rollout, we focused on how we could answer some of the most common requests from our customers, including increased reliability, performance, and faster access to music.

Many of you have shared valuable feedback on both the improvements that have made your experience better, as well as the areas where we fell short. We are listening to all of your comments and working to address them as quickly as possible. Over the coming weeks, we will reintroduce the below features, while fixing bugs and performance issues. Thank you for your engagement and we look forward to building upon this first step to create a listening experience that meets everyone’s needs.

Available now

To access these changes, check for updates in the iOS / Android app store to download the latest version of the Sonos app. Make sure your Sonos products are also up to date.

Last updated: May 21, 2024. See release notes.

VoiceOver on iOS now properly interacts with individual elements of the Sonos app's home screen - and now adds improved VoiceOver support for allowing for navigating and controlling the Now Playing Screen, System View, Output Selector, Queue, Volume Sliders, and Add Product
Improved TalkBack support for the Now Playing Screen, System View, and Add Product
Improved Local Music Library playback of folders
Adding and editing alarms with the ability to Search for content

Coming soon

Continued improvements to navigation for visually-impaired customers: mid-June
Adding to queue and playing next: early June
Sleep timer: mid-June
- Use the Sonos app for macOS or Windows or Sonos Voice Control to set sleep timers today.
Local music library search and playback: mid-June
Update WiFi settings: mid-June
Snooze alarms: TBD

Known issues and workarounds

"Sign in as the System Owner" error while updating products during setup

Workaround: No workaround currently available.

Our latest update resolves some of the most critical known issues, but know we have more to do. We hear your feedback and are working hard to deliver the experience you expect and deserve.

I can’t add any service, as Apple Music and Amazon. I use a Sonos Port at last firmware and last update app. How can I handle that. Thanks

B

BrettHon

Avid Listener

Is anybody else frustrated with the new app? It is very sluggish and jumpy to the point it's hard to use. For me, the sonos app has always been underwhelming. The speakers I love, but I guess I expect a much better app from a company like Sonis.

A

Ash1111111111

Lyricist I

I’ve just updated to the new “early June fix” release - I can’t see any difference. Still cant search my local library. Still can’t easily index them (have to scroll through thousands of entries). Still essentially unusable. What’s changed?

A

alanWarren

Lyricist I

How about roll back to the old version. Fix all the stuff, and then release it after June! Make a dang headphone only S3 version if you must. Try to win back some good will by doing it right!

And as to feedback on this new version (before it is re-inflicted upon us)?

Maybe some external power-user testing and feedback before pushing a major UX overhaul?
Navigation - now absolutely horrendous. And not just “different”, really really bad.
Access to and management of My Sonos favs, and carrying over what we’ve put together over years maybe?
Multiple family members on a system - can no longer see and use each others libs or even just restart each others’ playlists?
I have two independent systems… and switching between the two is now painstaking.

I could go on...

John Guarr

Enthusiast II

Can’t search for music in the app!! And it haven’t worked since the new app. I’m Using YouSee musik

I’m sure you will have but have you updated the app to today’s latest version?

Yes, no change!!!!

Yes, and no noticeable change for me either.

I

IvPo

Enthusiast II

Well, today's update was a new experience. I was excited about this new, innovative 'add to queue' function.

After updating the app, the app tells me to update my products. I tried that, but it's just a cacophony of error messages. The result is that I can no longer use the app at all.

Another rushed software update, another disappointment.

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Known issues and workarounds

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