Loss of Calm Integration in January 2025

Thank you, writing an email to them right now. 

I wrote an email to them a few days back, and was actually met with snark and resistance. And a tinge of good old-fashioned gaslighting. I don't think they give a flying s*** about us. 

I’d assume they ‘know’ how many users connect to them through Sonos, although I’d be surprised if they share that data with their CS folks.

I don’t know how much is involved with maintaining the connection with Sonos is, but I’d think it isn’t all that much. which makes the choice more inexplicable, and perhaps terrifying for their long term survival, but that is pure speculation on my part. 

This is the end of the road with Sonos for me. First the disgusting new app and all its complications, then this. Calm is the service I use most, mainly to play their wonderful selection of sleep sounds and “white noise” overnight in my very noisy environment. I am a paying Calm subscriber. I had even invested in several Lutron Caseta controllers specifically for easy one-button selection of Calm Radio stations with Sonos in our main bedroom. It doesn't matter to me which company instigated this decision. I'm certain that if it was Calm, it was the result of unnecessary API work created by the annoying changes Sonos has made recently and by the fact that Sonos’ reputation is now a shadow of what it once was.

Like others, I have expressed my disappointment in a email to Calm Radio.

Ignore my rant. (I think) I have since happily discovered that this discussion is reference to Calm, not Calm Radio. Although I subscribe to both, it's Calm Radio that's far more important to me. Hence, the end of the Sonos road may now be more distant 😄

I didn't realise that Calm has limited integration with Spotify. I've just emailed them asking if they plan to increase the content available there given the removal of the direct Sonos integration. 

I escalated my complaint about the loss of Sonos integration, and got a full refund of my lifetime subscription. 

Hopefully this will help change their minds when they start losing real money. 

Did you request cancellation or did they simply respond in that measure? 
I just sent them this note:

Dear Calm Support Team,

I hope this email finds you well. I'm writing to express my disappointment regarding the recent discontinuation of Calm's integration with Sonos systems. As an early lifetime member of Calm, I've greatly valued the convenience and ease of accessing Calm content directly through my Sonos app.

While I understand that business decisions are often complex, I wanted to share my perspective on this change:

1. **Potential benefits for Calm**: I recognise that the previous setup may have had disadvantages for Calm that I'm not aware of. Without knowing the details, I can imagine scenarios where direct integration might not have aligned with Calm's long-term strategy or financial interests.

2. **User experience impact**: For long-time users like myself, the Sonos integration provided a seamless way to manage in-home internet traffic and avoid congestion issues that can arise with AirPlay or Bluetooth streaming. This convenience was a significant factor in my daily Calm usage.

3. **Customer engagement opportunity**: I strongly urge Calm to engage with customers who are affected by this change. I will note here that I am not at this point considering cancelling my membership, as there is little value in that option for either of us, and in fact, a net erosion of value for me, which be detrimental to me at the stage of life I am currently enduring. Instead, and staying true to my collaborative nature, I just feel robbed of the opportunity to save on an opportunity that was valuable to many customers like myself. Thus, for what it’s worth to your management team, might I recommend that you consider creating a forum or feedback channel where we can:

   - Share our concerns and experiences

   - Hear Calm's perspective on the decision

   - Collaboratively explore solutions that protect Calm's interests while keeping customers calm. [Every pun intended there, pardon me.]

As a dedicated user, I'm invested in Calm's success and would welcome the opportunity to contribute to discussions about future integrations or alternative solutions. Your commitment to customer-centricity has always been evident, and I believe this situation presents an excellent opportunity to reinforce that commitment.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter and hope that Calm will consider re-engaging with the Sonos user community to find a mutually beneficial path forward.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

James

Note: this email was modified from its original version that was generated via a prompt into Perplexity. 

We have a Sonos One in each of our children’s bedrooms and use Calm for their betimes stories etc. I’ve just tried casting the story to the speaker but I it only picks up the Google nest that we have in the kitchen. Does anyone know if this should work - we both have a Google Pixel Phone.

Thanks

You can use Bluetooth on your Sonos speakers.