I finally solved my missing music and Music Libary problem

Hi ​@mvosloo 

Thanks for sharing your findings!

I have had one experience with OneDrive, and I did not like it. After adding some folders to it, I realised that instead of providing a backup copy, OneDrive was in fact removing all my files from my computer and storing them online instead. This was not at all what I wanted or expected, and I removed it soon after. You likely could not play your music because OneDrive had entirely removed it from your computer.

DLNA/UPnP Servers have been removed from the app (I presume the number of people using it was tiny), but Sonos speakers will still act as endpoints - if you can browse your servers using another app, you should still be able to play to the speakers. I remember an app called “Bubble UPnP” was good at playing tracks stored on another device to a third device, though this was long before I had Sonos, and I think the app needed a rooted Android phone to work. This is my own recollection/recommendation, and Sonos cannot accept responsibility for any damage caused by a third-party app.

Adding the share from the iPhone app should have worked (but not when OneDrive was in use).

I have converted this thread to a conversation.

Hi ​@Corry P 

You can select to store your OneDrive folders locally as well as remotely and that is how I have my PC set up - so I don’t believe it’s the remote storage that was the issue.

Unfortunately as it is now working I’m reluctant to do more testing in case I break it again (although I may create a new Music folder under OneDrive and copy an album to it that is not currently in my music library to see if it is a OneDrive problem for me.

Hi ​@mvosloo 

Understood. In that case, it may have just been a folder permissions issue - if your music is stored in the My Music folder, that is a user-owned folder specific to your particular account on the PC. Folders on D: drive are more likely to be non-user specific (belong to Everyone, basically).

I hope this helps.

I don’t believe it’s a folder’s permision issue as the OneDrive, Music and Music Libary folders are all shared to everyone as well as the SONOS local account that I set up. I didn’t have a problem with selecting the Music Library through the desktop app (albeit it was ‘empty’), I only had a problem with selecting it from the iPhone app.

I’m wondering whether my mesh network might be the reason that I couldn’t set up the Music Library from my iPhone? I use a BT router and Deco units set up as access points and have had other iot devices and their apps occassionally state that they are not on the same network even though they are.

But to be honest, the new app is a nightmare and the music library is only one of many other problems that still exist. Personally, I will not be buying any more SONOS devices - for the price level, I would expect everything to work out of the box seamlessly and that is not the case. And if they did, what happens when the next major app ‘upgrade’ appears…...

Hi ​@mvosloo 

It is possible, yes. If the Deco mesh system or BT router has not been told not to act as a router, then you will have two routers on your network, and that is less than desirable. It’s generally best practice to keep the most-upstream device as the router, so I recommend that you ensure that the Deco system is in AP/Bridge mode: https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1842/

Reboot all network devices afterwards.

If you have two routers on your network, it is possible that this is responsible for all the issues you are having. Please follow the above instructions and reserve judgement; the new app is not perfect, but it is getting much better, is already better than the old app for most users, and will continue to improve.

I hope this helps.

Hi ​@Corry P 

No, the Deco system is set up as an access point so there is only one router on the system. Also the Deco system precedes the new app and everything was working prior to the update, so I think that most of the problems are down to the new app not my network.

I’m afraid that I disagree with you about the new app. Even without all the issues (which are not trivial and still mostly unresolved), the UI is neither inuitive nor user friendly - even after 6 months I still don’t find it easy to use. It is also very slow to load and basic requirements such as playing music (even from SONOS radio) and volume control are hit and miss (which for a music system is just crazy). A few bugs can be forgiven, but a broken system for 6 months is unacceptable.

Hi ​@mvosloo

I am pretty sure the Deco suggestion was your idea:

I was just saying that it was possible.

Yes, everyone who is negatively affected by the new app disagrees with the assertion that it is mostly better now - and who can blame them? Not I. The fact remains, however - and we have metrics to show it - that it is now better for most users.

The User Interface is a matter of opinion - we received a lot of criticism over the layout of the old app, and some - many, even - are happy for the change. You can’t please everyone, as the saying goes, so there will always be those who disagree. We are paying attention to the feedback, and some UI points have already been changed, and there will be more changes on the way, I am sure.

While you may not want to hear it, the only major issue I have had on my own system since the release of the new app was that it occasionally would not connect on first opening. It was a matter of 2 seconds to close and reopen the app. Well, that and Album art being missing. Both of these issues have been fixed. Such was the experience for many - I recognise that this does not help you in particular, but it is the case for many of our users. Some users did not even notice the change back in May, as they primarily use Alexa, for example. 

Note that at no point in the last 6 years that I have worked with Sonos has there been a time when there were no issues whatsoever - the speaker firmware and apps are in a constant state of improvement, and always have been. They will never be finished - just improved. Many issues come as a result of the particular network configuration or devices used - the number of available routers is huge, they are all different to an extent, and they can not all be tested. Anyone who thinks their network is not a factor is kidding themselves, frankly, though it is not always the main factor - we definitely make mistakes. Throw a few hundred music services into the mix, and a few more models of phones, and matters only get more complicated.

I hope this helps.

Thanks so much!  After 9 months of screwing this -- and no help from Sonos -- simply copying over my music files to my D: drive, allowing sharing of this file, and then setting it up in Sonos -- fixed it.

Thank you! I was ready to give up, but one more search led me to your post. Makes sense, but was easy to get caught up in the frustration. Sonos should add this note to their Windows 11 sharing article.

Honesty, true kindness and the valuable help I’ve seen you give in a few threads don’t get applauded enough.  I haven’t worked in IT in decades to put that in perspective I remember when companies didn’t automatically give email addresses and certainly didn’t allow access to the Internet.

The bewildering array of networking equipment, protocols and software must be a nightmare to lab test and achieve anything like a comprehensive picture of the how various devices interact with each other perfectly.  Having said that, SONOS do an admiral job from my perspective as everything has always worked for me (with a bit of minor tweaking usually because I made a common sense error at some point in the past when I was playing around with something.)

The one thing I would add is that I do tend to buy into complete systems, and roll upgrades across the whole property without removing the redundancy until I’m sure everything works.  By that I mean, I live with the provided router (at 1.3Gbps I’m not changing till someone can offer faster at my location) purely set into modem mode to provide the gateway to my Firewall > Wired Network > Mesh > … Once I’m happy with a particular brand of equipment I will try to use the same brand (and tech generation) throughout the whole system other than for the physical Firewall.

So thank you Corry your helpfulness is really appreciated, and lets people know that help is always available when needed.

”IQ and Common Sense have an inverse proportional relationship, quite possibly at log10” - My own sarcasm. 🙃