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rosswells127
Prodigy I
May 7, 2024
Answered

My list of issues with new Sonos App on IOS

  • May 7, 2024
  • 183 replies
  • 12888 views

​​​​​​I have updated the Sonos IOS app on just ONE of my IOS devices (thankfully).
My overall impression of the new Sonos IOS app is that it is missing quite a bit of functionality that was available in the old app. I therefore suspect there will be quite a backlash from existing users until Sonos address some of these issues.

For what it is worth, here is my initial list of issues/questions…

1 - There are issues with the Rova service on the new app. When you click on Rova via the “Your Services” rail nothing shows.
My other IOS devices that are still using the old Sonos app correctly show the list of Rova Station selections as expected.

2 - Related to the above point, when searching for a radio station. e.g. “The Sound” the Rova stations do not show in the results and the Rova service icon in the search rail shows with a “!” icon next to the service name. Doing the same search using the old app correctly returns the Rova stations in the search results.

3 - The “Sonos Favorites” rail list only shows 18 items and nothing happens when you click the “>” icon at the top right of the “Sonos Faborites” rail. This should expand the list to show all of my favorites. The old app and the new Web app BOTH allow you to see all of your favorites (I have 30 favorites in my list).

4 - The Music Library no longer allows you to position into your list of Artists or Albums by selecting a letter to position into. This is a pain if you have a large list of albums.
e.g. To play Album “Zombie” by Fela Kuti you have to scroll through your entire list of albums in alphabetical order to be able to select it.
What makes this worse is the fact you can no longer search your Music Library being that the “Classic”  search option which supported Music Libraries is no longer supported.
Again what makes this worse is that the Album list within the Music library previously displayed in grid form, now it displays in list form with 1 album per row so it takes forever to scroll through the list.

5 - When you play an album from your Music Library the tracks on the album are not added/visible in the queue. You there cannot edit the queue to reorder tracks etc. You also don’t seem to have the ability to be able to add songs to the end of the queue or select to play next etc.

6 - The “Manage” list within “System Settings” on the old app doesn’t include the ability to setup/maintain your Music Library settings. So currently the only way to maintain these settings is by using the old Desktop Controller, which I understand is soon to be retired.
So my question here is, moving forward how are we going to do tasks like adding a new Shared Music Folder?

Ross.

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Best answer by rosswells127

I really like my Sonos gear, but the new app not so much! 
Here is what I have decided to do until Sonos add the missing features and fix their bugs with the new app.

I have installed a 3rd party Sonos controller on my iPad - which I had updated to the new Sonos app.
The 3rd party app has excellent Music Library support and also allows me to listen to my radio stations via Rova. It also allows me to see all of my Favorites.
I have turned off updates on my iPhone to keep the old S2 app in place.

It would be good if Sonos could add the old S2 app to the Apple Store so users could revert back to that version while they work on their new app to bring it up to standard. I do hope that Sonos listen to their user base and get the new app up to speed ASAP.

Ross.

183 replies

Enthusiast II
May 14, 2024

Now that I FINALLY have my system set up in the new app, I’m finding that TruePlay Tuning isn’t working.  It takes me through the setup steps but when I click with my phone upside down, nothing happens and I can’t exit the screen, so I have to close the app and come back.  I hope they fire or at least reprimand some people on this project and whom were behind the decision to create a second app.

Lyricist III
May 14, 2024

I concur with all comments from others. I wished I’d never “upgraded” to this new app. A big mistake on my part. And from what I’ve read, many, many other users feel the same way too. The previous version was absolutely fine; worked and did pretty much all I wanted it to do. If it isn’t broke, why fix it ? This version, May 7th 2024, has taken everything away from what was good about Sonos to make it absolutely awful. Items missing such as changing the network channel, say if there’s any interference (for example) from a microwave oven on the WiFi. Before I could change the WiFi network channel. Now I can’t. All my playlists from Spotify are now longer available. Well, they are, but only if I swop over to the Spotify app, and use that, which is an inconvenience and a pain to be honest, then having to switch back to Sonos to control the room output. I can’t add songs to a Q anymore or use the play next function as both are not there anymore. These were essential. So can’t build a playlist on the “fly” anymore. These are just some of the things I’ve noticed that were there but are no longer, due to this very poor “upgrade” which is now, as it turns out, a big “downgrade”. Thanks Sonos for nothing. I’m seriously now considering moving to Bose. Either that, or I delete the Sonos app, never to be used again, and just use the Spotify app instead. I have no idea what on earth Sonos are up to in launching such an awful “upgrade” which, in my view, hasn’t been thoroughly tested and merely, in my opinion, puts Sonos back ten years. Sonos was a pleasure to use, alas no more. This so called “upgrade” is an absolute downgrade of the largest proportions and makes Sonos almost unusable, in my opinion. Hopefully, Sonos will read and act upon all user comments and fix this app, reinstating all the lost functionality, as a matter of urgency, or at the very least, give us the option of reinstalling the old S2 Sonos app (especially on IoS) until, maybe, they fix things. It’s all very well having a nice new design of the front end of the app, but then giving users poor functionality in return, and also taking away functionality, what is that all about, Sonos ? At the moment my Sonos investment has been rendered pretty useless by this very, very, poor, to say the least, “upgrade”. I’m sure others feel the same way as I do. Extremely  annoyed with Sonos for breaking what was a great system with a needless and poorly designed replacement for S2 app and then adding insult to injury of not (at least in IoS) being able to roll back to the old version which worked and was absolute fine. For me, this is a classic textbook example, by Sonos, of how to alienate a loyal customer base and ruin a flagship product all at the same time. Unbelievable !

Enthusiast II
May 14, 2024

Hey everyone! We have some exciting news to share with you all.

Today is when the new app update with the new design is released, and will be rolled out to all of you during the next few days. But some of you might have questions when you have had a week to get to know the new Sonos App interface. Because of that, we want to give you all a chance to ask some of the people who were integral in its creation and design, the questions that have come to mind while you have used the app.

We are therefore happy to announce our first live Community AMA!

Our panelists will be:

  • Diane Roberts, Senior Director of Software Development
  • Kate Wojogbe, Senior Director of User Experience
  • Tucker Severson, Director of Product Management

It will be hosted on the 14th of May from 11:00 until 14:00 GMT -07.

If you look at the right side of this page, you can see the when the AMA happens, in your local time.

You can also use the “Add to Calendar” button, to ensure you get a reminder in your own calendar, before the event starts!

Lyricist II
May 14, 2024

These people shouldn’t be holding a “community AMA” they should be spending thier time fixing the APP they broke….or better yet reprimanded or looking for new jobs!!   They broke something that wasn’t broken and screwed up everyones perfectly fine systems. 

Lyricist III
May 14, 2024

They really want to hear from the folks who they forced to use a broken app?  Now that does take courage… or stupidity.

Trending Lyricist II
May 14, 2024

Can someone please DM the name of the suggested 3rd party Sonos app? Thank you.

Trending Lyricist II
May 14, 2024

There is a Sonos app update. I just downloaded it. No idea how well it works in comparison.

Lyricist III
May 14, 2024

Before I download the upgrade, can someone summarizes what it does?  And does it make things better?

 

rosswells127
Prodigy I
May 14, 2024

@Dr Wade. Re V80.0.8 on IOS update.

Quick summary from my experience of updating to 80.0.8...
It also updated my speaker firmware from 16.1 to 16.2. The update went fine for me on my 10 speaker system.
80.0.8 seems to have re-added the ability to set alarms. I don’t use alarms myself so haven’t tested this.
No change re Music library missing features.
Still has bugs to do with Favorites. e.g. only shows 18 items.
Still displays “Something went wrong” when I try to pin items.

I also notice that Sonos has also updated their release notes page to 80.0.8 which confirms that they added alarms support in this version.

Ross.
 

Lyricist III
May 14, 2024

Since my major beef is with the Music Library features, I will forgo this upgrade.  I don;t us the alarm feature.  Thanks!