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Keith N
Keith N
Sonos Staff
May 11, 2024

The New Sonos App and Future Feature Updates

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: 

 

    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.

    2256 replies

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    fraolim
    Enthusiast II
    May 11, 2024

    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.
     

    • Screen reader for visually impaired customers: May 21
    • Adding and editing alarms: May 21
    • Adding to queue and playing next: early June
    • Sleep timer: mid-June
    • Local music library search and playback: mid-June 
    • Update Wi-Fi settings: mid-June

    CRAP!

    Remove it now! Until it is completed

      sjw
      Local Superstar
      May 11, 2024

      It's nice to see features recognised and dates of hopeful resolution..

      However, that plan should be an internal development plan to deliver all of the fixes to the users - maybe by the last date - NOT drip feed fixes to appease discrete sections of users.  It does not recognise many of the bugs that are also being reported though.

      The right approach should be to firstly apologise for the huge trouble, anger and anxiety caused (and not tell us how courageous you have been!) and then re-release the exact 16.1 version we just had, even if it's called 80.x, that doesn't matter.

      People can then happily go about their lives again, the forum quietens down and Sonos work through those issues and deliver the software in a fit and proper state, when it's ready - like it should have been a few days ago.

        rwrgeo
        Renowned Enthusiast II
        May 11, 2024

        Alarms being back in weeks rather than months and local library search actually being on the roadmap are the first pieces of good news on this app. 

          cidlockie
          Lyricist II
          May 11, 2024

          Arbitrary deadlines to appease management who don't care about users, just to please shareholders, which will ultimately displease both users and shareholders. Great work everyone.

          The problem for us as users is that changing from a multi-room Sonos setup to a different brand/setup is both expensive and a huge pain in the hoop. Sonos know this, and know they can shaft us with a rushed update that removes core features, and reply to no complaints but for this "it's an ongoing process" nonsense, and we still won't change because it's a ball ache.

          The problem for Sonos is that a reputation hit like this, treating their uses so appallingly, can only embolden competitors, reduce new user take-up, reduce existing user new purchases, and ultimately hit the shareholders in the wallet. And, as we all know, when the shareholders are unhappy, it's the beginning of the end.

            Derekdiamond
            Renowned Listener
            May 11, 2024

            Search and play your local music library from June 21? Sorry what?

            Do you not realise how many of your users have huge libraries of locally stored music and THIS IS THE ONLY REASON WE USE YOUR APP?!!!

            So in the name of a "user experience upgrade" you take away my core user experience for six weeks?

            How did it not occur to you that this would annoy your oldest and most loyal customers? But perhaps that doesn't count for anything. It certainly feels like it right now. 

            My Sonos products are getting quite old now and I was thinking of replacing them. I guess I will but it won't be with Sonos. Give yourselves a big round of applause. 

              karstenjensen.dk
              Enthusiast II
              May 11, 2024

              Roll the update back and release the new version when it’s done…...

                skullc
                skullc
                Prodigy III
                May 11, 2024

                Volume level numbers missing on single room playback also eq missing on same slider

                Battery % for move and roam missing 

                Hopefully when all is fixed later this year I can sell my system and recoup some of the money I spent on them

                 

                Network= livewire cpe pro 3 +eero 6 pro wireless
                  DMT1
                  Lyricist I
                  May 11, 2024

                  Bought my first and last Sonos product today. Cannot get it to work through this abomination of an app. Quite an education and experience to read this and the reddit threads. Scarcely believable. Fixes in mid June?!? No rollback?!? Has the management of this company been infiltrated by Bose double agents? Is this an experiment to see how fast to fall to a market cap of zero? What a fiasco. 

                    Rookiba
                    Lyricist II
                    May 11, 2024

                    Keith, I appreciate you and the team trying to stem the bleeding.  I don’t envy your position of having to clean up self-inflicted consequences from management decisions.

                    That said, these timelines strike me as tripling down on the tone deaf and self-congratulatory  “courageous” marketing messages being sent out.

                    You are telling me, the market leader Sonos speakers won’t be able to add a song to the listening queue for a month.  This capability was available last week, but no longer due to an unannounced impact of the “upgrade.”  

                    If I tried to suggest surprising users by taking away core functionality and promising to bring it back in a month, I’d be laughed out of a job.

                    The most obvious way to get back to current state parity is to provide access to the v16.1 app.  No need to rush development and testing on the v80.x.  Let those for whom the new app works continue.  Let those for whom the new app does not work migrate when core feature parity is achieved.  The last thing you want is to make the above promises and introduce new bugs.  

                    Yet, for unspoken reasons, this option is never mentioned.

                    I’m all for change and creating a new platform for the business.  I would like to see Sonos succeed.  However, I haven’t seen evidence of Sonos having the judgment to know how and when to course correct.

                    Best of luck.

                    Spot on great post,

                      sjw
                      Local Superstar
                      May 11, 2024

                      Yes, it really does call for a ‘Hey folks, we hear you, we got this wrong and apologise.  The previous App is going to be made available as an update and you can carry on using it as you were while we work on and resolve the issues and shortfalls that have been observed since release.’ kind of message…

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