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colinbowern
colinbowern
Contributor I
August 16, 2015
Answered

Windows 10 Controller

  • August 16, 2015
  • 368 replies
  • 109984 views
Do you have plans to ship a Windows 10 Store app which can be used from multiple Windows devices (PC, Phone, Xbox) to control the Sonos experience?

We are a Windows household and the desktop controller that exists for PC today is heavy and not very touch friendly. The third party Windows Phone app, Phonos, is fills a void, but not nearly as feature rich as the Android or iOS app. This has been requested for several years (https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/support-windows-8-rt-for-surface-tablet-and-windows-phone-8-for-mobile-devices-4593709) and the product management team does not address this gap beyond a blanket we have no news statement. I understand that choices have to be made. If you do not plan to address this in the net 12 months then can you at least make your API public with your apps being first and best examples of how to use that API so others can fill the gap for you?

Instead of a lot of "+1" and "me too" threads please show your support by voting on the poll below so we can get a count of the number of people who are interested in a Windows 10 app.

Would you use a Windows 10 Sonos controller app?

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    Best answer by Kenneth R
    Some of you have been asking about a native Windows Phone controller app for Sonos, and we’ve been slow to provide a clear answer. We’re sorry about that. The truth of the matter is that up until now we’ve been unclear internally on this very question. In fact, it’s been the source of many passionate debates because we recognize that some Sonos owners are also Windows Phone users.

    In the end, however, we’ve made a decision that Sonos is not going to build a Windows Phone 8 app nor are we planning to build a Windows 10 “universal” app. We’ll of course continue to support the Windows desktop controller. We’re big fans of the work Microsoft is doing across many areas, including mobile, voice control, AI, VR and of course the Groove music service, available on Sonos.

    We know this is super frustrating for Windows Phone owners anxious for more native apps on the platform, but like other companies we've had to place our bets. Our focus right now is on Voice and Paid Streaming Services, and we’re exploring quite a few innovative ways to experience and control your music – on your device and off.

    We’ll be sure to keep this group informed of our progress.

    Thanks,
    Kenneth

    368 replies

    Chris
    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    August 16, 2015
    There have been many requests for a Windows Metro controller. There is a very long thread here on the subject.

    Everyone was expecting a Windows10 controller around the launch (there were some screenshots of developer version). I guess still expected although Sonos won't confirm. I believe there are several 3rd party ones.
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
      Julio
      Lyricist II
      September 5, 2015
      28 Votes? Sonos is not going to write an app for 28 votes. Come on people if you really want the app then you have to do something about it.
      VOTE!!!!
        Thunderbyte
        Thunderbyte
        Prominent Collaborator I
        September 5, 2015
        Windows Mobile has a market share of 2-3 %, according to http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp . It is not very economical to create a Sonos client for such a small minority. As Windows Mobile user, you should be aware of that and should have been aware before you purchased such a device.

        Improving the Android and iOS client will reach way more people than a Windows client.

        On your desktop you can use the desktop controller. Touchscreen Windows devices are still a minority as well, albeit possibly rising in number.

        Maybe the whole situation will change with Windows 10, I would not yet count on it.

        28 Votes? Sonos is not going to write an app for 28 votes. Come on people if you really want the app then you have to do something about it.
        VOTE!!!!

        Oh! Seems you found all the 28 people using Windows mobile! Congrats! 😉
        1 Playbar | 1 Sub | 2x Play:5 | 1x Play:3 | 2x Play:1 | 1x Sonos One
          monkeyking123
          Lyricist II
          September 5, 2015
          Market share has already surpassed Mac OS users actually (I also have a Mac in addition to multiple Windows 10 devices). It has also surpassed Vista and Windows 8 users as well I believe.
            Thunderbyte
            Thunderbyte
            Prominent Collaborator I
            September 6, 2015
            That market share numbers may be the case for Windows 10 on the desktop (most of them without touch screen). And for those there is a quite acceptable desktop client (and has always been).
            1 Playbar | 1 Sub | 2x Play:5 | 1x Play:3 | 2x Play:1 | 1x Sonos One
              Leo_10
              Lyricist III
              September 6, 2015
              Windows Mobile has a market share of 2-3 %, according to http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp . It is not very economical to create a Sonos client for such a small minority. As Windows Mobile user, you should be aware of that and should have been aware before you purchased such a device.
              Always these market share discussions. These are statistics. Nothing more. Are they really relevant for Sonos?
              First of all your statistics show only the worldwide average. In Europe for example you can find a market share above 10% for windows phones:
              http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/smartphone-os-market-share/

              Second. The potential clients for Sonos. The high market share of Android phones is mainly due to low budget phones. I think we can say that the potential Sonos clients would invest in a high-end or at least mid-range phone.
              Just a calculation example with stats from the play store. Comparing one of most used apps (whatsapp) against the Sonos app.
              Whatsapp: 1-5 billion downloads
              Sonos: 1-5 million downloads
              Assuming that all android users use whatsapp (which is surely not the case), results in 0.1 % sonos customers over all Android users.
              As no download stats are available from the appstore i cannot do the same comparison, but i guess the sonos customers % over all ios users is higher.
              Market share stats might be interesting, but they do not mean much for a specific app.

              Sonos wants to sell a product. And if they do only offer to control it via an app, it is up to them to assure that every potential customer is able to use their products. You cannot expect, that the customer is adapting to fit into Sonos requirements. This is not customer friendly. This would be different if they would still offer the Sonos control. But they don't.
              The 2000 votes from the former ask sonos topic for a windows phone app show already that there was a big interest in this app. It was the most requested feature since 3 years, followed by the request for an windows 8 app.

              Anyhow we've seen that they had an app in pipeline for windows phone 8.1. But for whatever reason it has not been released.

              The constant ignoring of this topic from sonos side shows only one thing. They give a sh** on their customers.

              In this context i would like to quote from the Sonos website:
              At Sonos we're committed to providing a ridiculously high level of service to all of our customers [...]


              I do not want to know what it would look like if they would invest less in their customers...
                EvilScot
                Lyricist III
                September 6, 2015
                It is about time that a universal app is developed. It is time to drop the old windows app and move across. As the original post stated write once and run in multiple places. This would even give the 10 ft UI other threads have asked for.
                  Tom_46
                  Enthusiast I
                  September 8, 2015
                  Well said Leo. It can be difficult to move this conversation beyond that maddeningly misleading 2-3% figure. The shear volume of low-end Androids distorts all the figures in the smartphone space. Some of the Android phones I've seen sent to clueless relatives and friends could barely be considered "smart" at all and that's in the UK. I dread to think of what's being pushed on people in their hundreds of millions in the developing world. The truth is that probably 90% of the Android market does not, and for the conceivable future will not, overlap Sonos' market. Fair enough WP is still small but many of it's strongest markets are well developed rich ones much as Sonos' are so the risk/reward in developing a WP app is a far more nuanced question than worldwide market share stats.
                    Thunderbyte
                    Thunderbyte
                    Prominent Collaborator I
                    September 9, 2015
                    Believe what you want, as long as you do not show facts, nothing is proven.

                    So your whole argument is around the assumption, that WP overlaps with the Sonos market - maybe even more than the Android market?

                    I don't believe so.

                    Did you have a look into Microsoft's own mobile phone store? http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mobile/phones/all/

                    Given the Lumia series is the better one and the Asha series (not even on sale in the US) the one for other countries, I can hardly find a "top notch Windows mobile" phone. (As there are almost no other serious companies selling WP, the MS store is enough for a comparison) The most expensive devices are 389$, hardly flagship contenders. If you think that Sonos buyers are "rich" (which is no necessarily true), they clearly might get better phones than that (e.g. iPhone, Samsung S6 Edge, etc.), which cost considerably more.

                    As MS seems to not want (or not be able) to fight the "flagship fight" on US / European / Asian markets it seems to target emerging countries more - with Asha amongst others.

                    The market share numbers again really tell the story: India (a favorable market for Nokia) had a market share of 11% (2014, http://www.medianama.com/2014/12/223-indian-smartphone-shipments-q3-2014-idc/ ) for Nokia, which does not sound too bad. BUT: all those 11% (more or less) were cheap feature phones. As you can see, MS/Nokia is not even amongst the five top smartphone manufacturers in that country.

                    So no: Windows Phone is not at all overlapping with the Sonos market. If one OS needed to be picked, I would think iOS is the OS with the most overlap. And if - in addition to it's teeny tiny market share - the overlap is that small, no support for WP can be understood all the better.
                    1 Playbar | 1 Sub | 2x Play:5 | 1x Play:3 | 2x Play:1 | 1x Sonos One
                    LocoMortis
                    LocoMortis
                    Lyricist I
                    September 15, 2015

                    Maybe the whole situation will change with Windows 10, I would not yet count on it.


                    It would make perfect sense for Sonos to make an Universal App for Windows. They could reach Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Phone and Xbox with a single app.
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