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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

    Show previous replies
    Leesy69
    Lyricist I
    May 30, 2024

    Its encouraging to see you are going to bring back local library functions but I see no mention of Playlists…. What’s happening please? This was one of the best parts of the entire SONOS system. Bring together tracks from my hundreds of albums on my local library into playlists. 

    John Guarr
    John Guarr
    Enthusiast II
    May 30, 2024

    The old app was crappy but usable at best and I could trick it to work despite being laggy and buggy…can we go back to the old app? The new one is horrendous - there is a weird constant scrolling on the Home Screen of the category titles, I have to hit “apply” after adjusting the volume? No add to queue? On an iPhone 13…

     

    Looks like you are on iPhone. You can downgrade using the following process. Not straightforward I am afraid but that’s one of the downsides of the way Apple runs the iPhone.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cyfqh8/simplified_iphone_downgrade_option/

     

    On Android, it’s straightforward.

    Download 16.1 from here:

    https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos-for-android/sonos-for-android-16-1-release/

     

    Then disable Auto update via the Playstore. Click on Your Account Icon (top right) then click Manage Apps and Device. Click Manage Tab. Find Sonos and click on it. (Sort by App name to make the search easier!) Then click the 3 vertical dots in the top RH side and uncheck “Enable Auto Update”

     

    I wanted to download what I think is the newest Sonos app, but it’s taking me to APKMirror. I don’t know this site and it has a little box in the bottom right that says something about a primium version of this app for $10. I never had to pay for a Sonos app before. I don’t know if I want to click on this. It says it’s for the Sonos 80.01.08 version of the IOS app. It does indicate by Sonos, Inc. and has the Sonos logo. So looks okay. 

    The old app was crappy but usable at best and I could trick it to work despite being laggy and buggy…can we go back to the old app? The new one is horrendous - there is a weird constant scrolling on the Home Screen of the category titles, I have to hit “apply” after adjusting the volume? No add to queue? On an iPhone 13…

     

    Looks like you are on iPhone. You can downgrade using the following process. Not straightforward I am afraid but that’s one of the downsides of the way Apple runs the iPhone.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cyfqh8/simplified_iphone_downgrade_option/

     

    On Android, it’s straightforward.

    Download 16.1 from here:

    https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos-for-android/sonos-for-android-16-1-release/

     

    Then disable Auto update via the Playstore. Click on Your Account Icon (top right) then click Manage Apps and Device. Click Manage Tab. Find Sonos and click on it. (Sort by App name to make the search easier!) Then click the 3 vertical dots in the top RH side and uncheck “Enable Auto Update”

     

    I wanted to download what I think is the newest Sonos app, but it’s taking me to APKMirror. I don’t know this site and it has a little box in the bottom right that says something about a premium version of this app for $10. I never had to pay for a Sonos app before. I don’t know if I want to click on this. It says it’s for the Sonos 80.01.08 version of the IOS app. It does indicate by Sonos, Inc. and has the Sonos logo. So looks okay. 

     

    Paul575757
    Lyricist II
    May 30, 2024

    The old app was crappy but usable at best and I could trick it to work despite being laggy and buggy…can we go back to the old app? The new one is horrendous - there is a weird constant scrolling on the Home Screen of the category titles, I have to hit “apply” after adjusting the volume? No add to queue? On an iPhone 13…

     

    Looks like you are on iPhone. You can downgrade using the following process. Not straightforward I am afraid but that’s one of the downsides of the way Apple runs the iPhone.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cyfqh8/simplified_iphone_downgrade_option/

     

    On Android, it’s straightforward.

    Download 16.1 from here:

    https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos-for-android/sonos-for-android-16-1-release/

     

    Then disable Auto update via the Playstore. Click on Your Account Icon (top right) then click Manage Apps and Device. Click Manage Tab. Find Sonos and click on it. (Sort by App name to make the search easier!) Then click the 3 vertical dots in the top RH side and uncheck “Enable Auto Update”

     

    I wanted to download what I think is the newest Sonos app, but it’s taking me to APKMirror. I don’t know this site and it has a little box in the bottom right that says something about a primium version of this app for $10. I never had to pay for a Sonos app before. I don’t know if I want to click on this. It says it’s for the Sonos 80.01.08 version of the IOS app. It does indicate by Sonos, Inc. and has the Sonos logo. So looks okay. 

    The old app was crappy but usable at best and I could trick it to work despite being laggy and buggy…can we go back to the old app? The new one is horrendous - there is a weird constant scrolling on the Home Screen of the category titles, I have to hit “apply” after adjusting the volume? No add to queue? On an iPhone 13…

     

    Looks like you are on iPhone. You can downgrade using the following process. Not straightforward I am afraid but that’s one of the downsides of the way Apple runs the iPhone.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cyfqh8/simplified_iphone_downgrade_option/

     

    On Android, it’s straightforward.

    Download 16.1 from here:

    https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos-for-android/sonos-for-android-16-1-release/

     

    Then disable Auto update via the Playstore. Click on Your Account Icon (top right) then click Manage Apps and Device. Click Manage Tab. Find Sonos and click on it. (Sort by App name to make the search easier!) Then click the 3 vertical dots in the top RH side and uncheck “Enable Auto Update”

     

    I wanted to download what I think is the newest Sonos app, but it’s taking me to APKMirror. I don’t know this site and it has a little box in the bottom right that says something about a premium version of this app for $10. I never had to pay for a Sonos app before. I don’t know if I want to click on this. It says it’s for the Sonos 80.01.08 version of the IOS app. It does indicate by Sonos, Inc. and has the Sonos logo. So looks okay. 

     

    I had the same concerns and for some reason my phone wont let me download from this site. However, I have successfully downloaded it on my Galaxy Tablet and it seems to work fine there. All the functionality that I appreciated, such as being able to navigate from a song to the artist or album. It’s all there and SOOO much better than the new app, which seem unusable. If it is possible to do this from the 3rd party site, I really don't see why Sonos can’t offer its customer the same facility until the new app has everything the previous one did. It reflects very badly on the company, such a shame.

      danrowland
      Lyricist I
      May 30, 2024

      Wow. I am completely blown away by the incompetence of your software engineering and QA departments. I am a previous embedded firmware developer and I cannot imaging ever releasing anything as trashy as this latest app. How did it pass QA?? Who developed the test cases. Basic things like grouping speakers and changing the volume take seconds to be completed and even then, they sometimes have a mind of their own. Set the volume to 35 and the app reverts to 27?? Try to group a room and it completely drops out of the system.  How - how can anyone claim this was tested?? Is your QA lab that challenged? Did you test it using a single speaker and zone?? I literally have 15 zone in my house and it’s been impossible to use the system since this piece of garbage was released. 

      I concur that Sonos should recall this app, re-release that last stable S2 version, and then make darn sure the next new app release is as rock solid as the base of the Empire State Building. If you don’t you are at serious risk of losing a large portion of your customer base. Not only will you not be selling headphones, you won’t be selling any new products at all. Remember, for every one customer that has a good interaction and professes it, 20 with bad experience will shout from the roof tops on the internet about their negative opinions. You are almost at the point of no return with many on this forum from what I read.  I’m already investigating all of my other options. Much of my house is hardwired so I have to option of going to a Control4 or other audio distribution system. 

      Sad and completely avoidable with just a little common sense on how to manage a software release. SMH.

        John Guarr
        John Guarr
        Enthusiast II
        May 30, 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.
         

         

        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
        • 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 had a lot of Classical music in my stored play lists that took me months to find. Last night I heard one of these Chopin pieces in the background of a show I was watching. If Sonos was working, I would be able to find that song in my Sunroom queue and play it.  While we are all waiting for Sonos to fix their mess and we can all start listening to our music, what is going to happen to our music queues and playlists?  I was told once in the past that they are stored in the speaker/device memories. Is that so?  If so, what happens when I get a power hit?  And I get many. Luckily I haven’t had one since this big mess up. I still haven’t been able to download a working app to any of my iPads and/or PCs. The current app on my PC at least has an option under Manage to add the music path to my NAS drive, but the next screen asks for username and password. There is no username and password on my NAS drive. When I called Sonos tech support they accessed my PC and went to the same screen and argued with me that I have to contact Western Digital to change the settings in this drive to allow me to change the username and password, which isn’t going to happen. Hopefully, Sonos will fix this requirement also. If I could just get the music path entered, I might be able to play one or two songs. 

        eh1524
        Contributor I
        May 30, 2024

        You seriously screwed up when you updated the app and broke everything and then to add insult to injury your support is absolute garbage. I've purchased and/or installed tens of thousands of dollars worth of Sonos equipment in my house and customers houses and I will NEVER recommend another one of your products again. Good luck watching your company fail for letting down your customers. The stunt you pulled a couple years back by sunsetting devices and offering 15% discounts to buy new equipment for very very expensive gear was bad enough but now this? What a joke. 

          eh1524
          Contributor I
          May 30, 2024

          If anyone decides to start a class action please contact me as I’d be happy to contribute to that. Unbelievable how a $1.9B dollar company can screw their customers so bad. I’ll be setting up to short the stock as well, watching it plummet will no doubt be a bit of a light on this otherwise poor excuse of a company you’ve demonstrated you can be. 

            jgatie
            jgatie
            May 30, 2024

            If anyone decides to start a class action please contact me as I’d be happy to contribute to that. Unbelievable how a $1.9B dollar company can screw their customers so bad. I’ll be setting up to short the stock as well, watching it plummet will no doubt be a bit of a light on this otherwise poor excuse of a company you’ve demonstrated you can be. 

             

            There’s about a dozen threads on this, and even one with a (supposed) screencap of a scary letter to the CEO, rife with ultimatums and threats.  Now I know the search sucks around here, but if anybody was actually serious about this, you’d think they could do a nominal search and PM anybody that mentions a suit.  But alas, it appears to be just bluster (probably due to the fact no lawyer in their right mind is taking such a silly case). 

              eh1524
              Contributor I
              May 30, 2024

              I’m surely not going to do the legwork and I did see other posts about class action talks but I’m merely throwing my 2 cents in and offer if someone does eventually do something. This isn’t just about the bugs in a newly released app but more about their efforts to sunset products after such a short period for what has traditionally been a sector that values quality and long term usability. They clearly have a disregard for their existing customers; some of their responses on the AMA on Reddit along with interviews I read make that clear. Future is all they care about but it will hurt them in the end if they don’t keep their base happy.

                O'Hara227
                Listener
                May 31, 2024

                The new app launched about a week ago in May 24 is awful, despite 70mins on a chat and submitting 4 diagnosis I'm worse off than I began. The volume controls either individual or group jumps about, often app shows no music playing but there is, the app isn't easy to navigate and my Alexa (I've disabled and reconnected) doesn't work with them now.

                Totally backwards step. Before the update I ordered a Move2, which I've yet to receive. I'm more nervous than excited, as I suspect it won't connect or work consistently like we are used to. Most disappointing SONOS, please refine the app as we've spent a lot on your products. 

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