Contributor I

New SONOS app: many features no longer available!

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
May 7, 2024
192 replies
18345 views

Think twice before you install the new SONOS app as at least the following features are no longer available (temporarily or permanently):

Sleeptimer has disappeared completely. Either you sleep the entire night with music on or you wake up to switch off the music… Quite defeats the purpose.
Alarms: creating and editing an alarm is no longer possible. You can only toggle an existing alarm on and off.
Local music library: make sure you don’t remove it as it is no longer possible to add a local music library stored on a NAS or shared device. Also the search doesn’t work on the local library any longer; it only searches the online music services. Sonos seems to have finally let down its initial user population that made Sonos big before music streaming services existed…

Either this is a deliberate choice by Sonos to reduce the functionality or someone validated a pre-beta release for production to meet some preset deadlines… In any case, don’t upgrade if you need these features.

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M

Moniker

Lyricist III

It’s saying my other speakers are offline. All are online and working.

A

asadrian

Lyricist III

Are there any new improvements to the new app or just a visual and layout? Why the big promo push with emails etc for this?! Makes it even worse when standard features are not included. Leave a perfectly working system alone until you can properly replace with something equal to what your users are used to and why they come to your pricduct. Did many complain about the previous app?

jwedwards

Enthusiast II

In addition, you can't add to the queue or edit the queue or existing Sonos Playlist.

I'd bet there was genuine frustration and anger in the beta community knowing this pile of shit was getting released and nothing was being done about it despite, I'll bet, every single issue being raised here having been raised there.

For complete clarity, no, I was not a part of the beta.

I can’t believe there was a beta programme. This latest release is an unmitigated disaster. Seems like Sonos have forgotten everything that made them good in the first place. There was nothing particularly wrong with the previous app - all that was needed was an iteration. Instead they’ve gone for a totally different UI and left out a load of useful features. And, they’ve got the nerve to tell us it’s “better than ever”. Quite unbelievable really

jwedwards

Enthusiast II

Just spoke to customer service and I believe they kind of acknowledge that these features are missing and frustrating many users. They mention that a future update will revert these features.

“In the coming weeks” isn’t good enough. They need to do it TODAY!

1

12-String

Lyricist I

I really appreciate you sharing your chat text. That’s encouraging. I am glad that after messing up my phone with this update that I did not install on my iPad. So that device is now my safety net to easily set an alarm.

M

Mhm_carp

Lyricist I

Fed up. Perhaps it is time to look at alternatives.

R

RajRabs

Lyricist II

No alarms on Android for me, had to downgrade the app from apkmirror.

Thankfully reconnecting the system was easy.

I think I know what caused this mess: "Agile development".

A scheme for management to do even less and make devs into assembly line workers.

Release a minimum viable product (bare minimum in this case), then improve on it in 1-4 week sprints.

Google did the same with YTM, but they shut down old Play Music completely, hope the old Sonos app stays functional for a while.

Worryingly, I think you are 100% correct. However, the product manager not knowing what is customer base value and would call “minimum / viable” is appalling - someone definitely needs to get fired over this fiasco, especially as the solution is “boot up a PC or Mac to manage your library / set alarms / manage sleep timers”. They need to re-release S2 or offer the option for IOS users at least.

R

Rod L

Lyricist I

Updating an app that actually removes features without advising customers first is unacceptable. My NAS drive based library is of little use with the new Sonos app on my android phone ( though it is fine on Windows). If the problem isn’t sorted promptly, I will ditch Sonos for good - the Play 3 and Port can go to family and the rest of my multi room system need not be Sonos based. Will need to replace the Port but there are plenty of alternatives costing less money.

I don’t know whether it is arrogance or incompetence but, as market leaders, Sonos should have greater regard for its customer base.

R

RajRabs

Lyricist II

Literally got my era 100’s a week ago, partly for the alarm feature. Quite disappointed in the whole experience so far, mainly due to the app. This update makes things markedly worse. Don’t release these updates with core functionality missing.

It’s far from ideal but you can still set sleep timers using the voice assistant.

How? please give a step by step guide on how to set a sleep timer ….. us turtles use Spotify for the music - piano lullabies - to get to sleep but don’t want them waking us up by not switching off….

First you should set up the voice assistant through the app, you can do that through the settings; hit the cogwheel in the top right, select your device, scroll down to voice assistant. Follow the steps. Once it’s set up you can say “hey Sonos, set a sleep timer for thirty minutes” for example.

This works but I don’t like using the voice assistant all the time. And with the loss of alarms… I’m very displeased. Just spent a whopping amount of money just to get core functionality taken away a week in. Please just restore the missing functionalities to the app, Sonos.

Unfortunately this only works for speakers that have a microphone. I have Amps and Ports and a couple of old Play:3’s that can no longer accept new alarms, unless I go to my study and boot up my PC...and I’m now worried that the next update to the Windows app will also scr*w the pooch!

J

JRB5692

Lyricist II

This article from The Verge today was a slap in the face. How about adding the features and thoroughly beta testing to verify that all existing features are present and working in the new versions prior to pushing out this app? Why not delay for a few months and get it right instead of pushing out crap that will enrage you user-base and create yet another PR disaster for this company?

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/9/24152675/sonos-new-app-bad-reviews-response-statement

“Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that represents just how seriously we are committed to invention and re-invention,” said chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin. “It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing it may require taking a few steps back to ultimately leap into the future.”

According to Bouvat-Merlin, the new app lays the groundwork for “exciting innovations to come from Sonos in the years ahead.” As for all the missing features, Bouvat-Merlin says the company is “working diligently to reintroduce them in the coming months, alongside additional enhancements that will make for an even better app experience.”

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