Sonos Staff

The New Sonos App and Future Feature Updates

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
May 11, 2024
2256 replies
156697 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

Ken_Griffiths

Quick reminder of some of what’s still broken or recently broken in the latest version of the app (versus March 2024) with emphasis on local libraries:

No realistic browsing of local library (other than scrolling for 5 mins to get to an artist starting with “Z”) because A-Z markers removed, so you have to rely on search for everything
Recently-played list ignores local library tracks (only shows cloud music service entries)
Favorites unhelpfully ordered by date-added not alphabetical even when you expand for category breakdown
Artist tag entries with multiple artists ignored so compilations and tracks with guest artists can’t be played via mobile app (desktop controller will show them, but as multiple/unordered entries)

Also reminder: these are bugs and deliberate UI design decisions that Sonos chose to ship.

So if you own music, hold-off on updates and use desktop/3rd-party controllers for as long as you can, unless you really want that shiny/confusing swipe-to-do-anything new UI.

Perhaps not so much a priority, compared to queue management, I think.

I see more users asking for the option to edit/re-order and save a room queue, so I hope Sonos will do that first.

My other ‘wish’ is for a better tablet interface, as some screens overlap on the iPad in landscape mode. Also the ‘playback options’ screen needs to open a little faster when long pressing on an album, playlist etc.

i think a workaround option to goto ‘Z’ Artists, tracks etc. in the local library is to press the letter on the keyboard when in the local library only search - see example attached.

B

BVRBVR

Contributor I

Quick reminder of some of what’s still broken or recently broken in the latest version of the app (versus March 2024) with emphasis on local libraries:

No realistic browsing of local library (other than scrolling for 5 mins to get to an artist starting with “Z”) because A-Z markers removed, so you have to rely on search for everything
Recently-played list ignores local library tracks (only shows cloud music service entries)
Favorites unhelpfully ordered by date-added not alphabetical even when you expand for category breakdown
Artist tag entries with multiple artists ignored so compilations and tracks with guest artists can’t be played via mobile app (desktop controller will show them, but as multiple/unordered entries)

Also reminder: these are bugs and deliberate UI design decisions that Sonos chose to ship.

So if you own music, hold-off on updates and use desktop/3rd-party controllers for as long as you can, unless you really want that shiny/confusing swipe-to-do-anything new UI.

Perhaps not so much a priority, compared to queue management, I think.

I see more users asking for the option to edit/re-order and save a room queue, so I hope Sonos will do that first.

My other ‘wish’ is for a better tablet interface, as some screens overlap on the iPad in landscape mode. Also the ‘playback options’ screen needs to open a little faster when long pressing on an album, playlist etc.

i think a workaround option to goto ‘Z’ Artists, tracks etc. in the local library is to press the letter on the keyboard when in the local library only search - see example attached.

Seems to me all these things could be done concurrently. They look like different areas in the app.

Ken_Griffiths

Perhaps not so much a priority, compared to queue management, I think.

I see more users asking for the option to edit/re-order and save a room queue, so I hope Sonos will do that first.

My other ‘wish’ is for a better tablet interface, as some screens overlap on the iPad in landscape mode. Also the ‘playback options’ screen needs to open a little faster when long pressing on an album, playlist etc.

i think a workaround option to goto ‘Z’ Artists, tracks etc. in the local library is to press the letter on the keyboard when in the local library only search - see example attached.

Seems to me all these things could be done concurrently. They look like different areas in the app.

Well if it can all be done at the same time, then ‘Yes’. The faster the better, but if not, then I’d like to see ‘queue management’ take priority as some have asked for that for quite a while, by comparison to the things listed.

A

Alan_6

Prodigy II

I don’t doubt that re-introducing core features to recreate the “queue-based music player” experience of “old Sonos circa 2009-2023” is a priority for all (in addition to our own personal priority wishlists). I was merely highlighting a random subset of features which are no longer useable due to omission (local library), deliberate design changes (favorites ordering) or recently-introduced bugs with core firmware (tagging support). But the end result is the same: the product that Sonos chose to ship (the new redesigned mobile app) is not yet fit for purpose, and anyone who still wants to play the music they own needs to look elsewhere for a Sonos controller (ideally by avoiding upgrades).

Ken_Griffiths

I don’t doubt that re-introducing core features to recreate the “queue-based music player” experience of “old Sonos circa 2009-2023” is a priority for all (in addition to our own personal priority wishlists). I was merely highlighting a random subset of features which are no longer useable due to omission (local library), deliberate design changes (favorites ordering) or recently-introduced bugs with core firmware (tagging support). But the end result is the same: the product that Sonos chose to ship (the new redesigned mobile app) is not yet fit for purpose, and anyone who still wants to play the music they own needs to look elsewhere for a Sonos controller (ideally by avoiding upgrades).

I certainly have no problem playing any music I own via the new Sonos App - I can search via the App, as shown earlier, by letter, Artist, Album, Track or Playlist name etc. or I can just browse by ‘Artist’ or ‘folder’.. its pretty quick for my local library of 25,697 tracks… I can even load the entire NAS library to a speaker queue and shuffle it, not that I do that too often. My most common playback method is .m3u playlists, followed next by the Sonos library search these days.

Whether the library things mentioned are ‘design changes’, or (more likely) ‘bugs’ in the new software, I just don’t see these things stopping me playing anything from my own library, even finding/starting their playback quite quickly.

Queue Management on the other hand would be far more useful, so I’m just commenting on that in the hope that if things are to be prioritised, that queue management development might perhaps take ‘pole position’.

I would perhaps report any feature requests, or any ‘bugs’ in the new App to Sonos customer support staff via the usual link here: https://support.sonos.com/s/contact

That’s if the Sonos Staff/Forum Moderators perhaps do not see the suggestions, or pickup on the feature requests/bugs mentioned here in the user-community.

A

Alan_6

Prodigy II

I don’t doubt that re-introducing core features to recreate the “queue-based music player” experience of “old Sonos circa 2009-2023” is a priority for all (in addition to our own personal priority wishlists). I was merely highlighting a random subset of features which are no longer useable due to omission (local library), deliberate design changes (favorites ordering) or recently-introduced bugs with core firmware (tagging support). But the end result is the same: the product that Sonos chose to ship (the new redesigned mobile app) is not yet fit for purpose, and anyone who still wants to play the music they own needs to look elsewhere for a Sonos controller (ideally by avoiding upgrades).

I certainly have no problem playing any music I own via the new Sonos App - I can search via the App, as shown earlier, by letter, Artist, Album, Track or Playlist name etc. or I can just browse by ‘Artist’ or ‘folder’.. its pretty quick for my local library of 25,697 tracks… I can even load the entire NAS library to a speaker queue and shuffle it, not that I do that too often. My most common playback method is .m3u playlists, followed next by the Sonos library search these days.

I am aware that I can select local music via the app as I did before the refresh. Well almost - I mean the old “library->browse->click letter->select artist” wasn’t much faster or easier than the new “library->search->type letter->type letter->wait->view all->select artist”. And I can play everything in my local library. Except albums with tracks featuring multiple artists. For that I need the desktop/3rd party app (and rearrange the order/make a playlist to replicate the original tracklisting). Or I could go edit the tags in the affected FLAC files.

The thing is, my common use-case (select artist via browse or favorite, select album I own, play) and your common use-case (playlists) and everyone else’s common use-cases used to be accommodated by the multiple Sonos controllers that “just worked”. Now they’re putting all their effort into a controller that offers a much-reduced, harder-to-achieve, or “just broken” feature set. Maybe when (if?) the new app ever improves to the point where it’s in a “shippable” state things will be different.

Ken_Griffiths

I am aware that I can select local music via the app as I did before the refresh. Well almost - I mean the old “library->browse->click letter->select artist” wasn’t much faster or easier than the new “library->search->type letter->type letter->wait->view all->select artist”. And I can play everything in my local library. Except albums with tracks featuring multiple artists. For that I need the desktop/3rd party app (and rearrange the order/make a playlist to replicate the original tracklisting). Or I could go edit the tags in the affected FLAC files.

The thing is, my common use-case (select artist via browse or favorite, select album I own, play) and your common use-case (playlists) and everyone else’s common use-cases used to be accommodated by the multiple Sonos controllers that “just worked”. Now they’re putting all their effort into a controller that offers a much-reduced, harder-to-achieve, or “just broken” feature set. Maybe when (if?) the new app ever improves to the point where it’s in a “shippable” state things will be different.

Can you not browse your albums via "folders/compilations" to play the album? I accept its not great, if you perhaps have lots of them, but maybe see the attached.

D

DaveS00

Lyricist III

Quick reminder of some of what’s still broken or recently broken in the latest version of the app (versus March 2024) with emphasis on local libraries:

No realistic browsing of local library (other than scrolling for 5 mins to get to an artist starting with “Z”) because A-Z markers removed, so you have to rely on search for everything
Recently-played list ignores local library tracks (only shows cloud music service entries)
Favorites unhelpfully ordered by date-added not alphabetical even when you expand for category breakdown
Artist tag entries with multiple artists ignored so compilations and tracks with guest artists can’t be played via mobile app (desktop controller will show them, but as multiple/unordered entries)

Also reminder: these are bugs and deliberate UI design decisions that Sonos chose to ship.

So if you own music, hold-off on updates and use desktop/3rd-party controllers for as long as you can, unless you really want that shiny/confusing swipe-to-do-anything new UI.

Perhaps not so much a priority, compared to queue management, I think.

I see more users asking for the option to edit/re-order and save a room queue, so I hope Sonos will do that first.

My other ‘wish’ is for a better tablet interface, as some screens overlap on the iPad in landscape mode. Also the ‘playback options’ screen needs to open a little faster when long pressing on an album, playlist etc.

i think a workaround option to goto ‘Z’ Artists, tracks etc. in the local library is to press the letter on the keyboard when in the local library only search - see example attached.

Seems to me all these things could be done concurrently. They look like different areas in the app.

all depends on how many developers they have in the team ….that will be the limiting factor.

It does no good to throw more people at the problem that don’t have knowledge and experience of the App .. that’s the road to an even deeper hell!

A

Alan_6

Prodigy II

I am aware that I can select local music via the app as I did before the refresh. Well almost - I mean the old “library->browse->click letter->select artist” wasn’t much faster or easier than the new “library->search->type letter->type letter->wait->view all->select artist”. And I can play everything in my local library. Except albums with tracks featuring multiple artists. For that I need the desktop/3rd party app (and rearrange the order/make a playlist to replicate the original tracklisting). Or I could go edit the tags in the affected FLAC files.

The thing is, my common use-case (select artist via browse or favorite, select album I own, play) and your common use-case (playlists) and everyone else’s common use-cases used to be accommodated by the multiple Sonos controllers that “just worked”. Now they’re putting all their effort into a controller that offers a much-reduced, harder-to-achieve, or “just broken” feature set. Maybe when (if?) the new app ever improves to the point where it’s in a “shippable” state things will be different.

Can you not browse your albums via "folders/compilations" to play the album? I accept its not great, if you perhaps have lots of them, but maybe see the attached.

OK, that hack does at least give you compilations or albums with guest spots with all the tracks in the correct order. Thanks.

But yeah, it’s “not great”, because it still has the same problem as library artist browsing - no alphabetical index markers - so it could be a very long scroll down.

C

coder451

Trending Lyricist I

The "sources" item in the app is sometimes missing, sometimes displays only the TV, always omits the CD player connected to line-in. By switching things off and on I can sometimes play a CD, but only sometimes. When I do get the CD player to work, it is only with the TV off. In that case line-in is displayed as the source on the room tile, but is not shown under the main sources list. If I turn the TV on after successfully having the CD recognised, the CD disappears again. Then I have trouble getting it recognized again. When the CD has been recognized, it is shown with the name I gave it after installing the original app version. So the info is in there but often (mostly) ignored. My wife likes to play CDs but the app update has made that impossible for her.

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