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Contributor I
May 7, 2024 8:27 PM UTC

New SONOS app: many features no longer available!

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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192 replies

Lyricist II
May 9, 2024 9:06 PM UTC

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.”

Thanks for this - I read the whole article.  I’m not sure I believe the arrogance on display here.  This appears to translate to “we don’t care about the existing customer base enough to genuinely understand how they use our products, because we are looking to get ready for a new host of products we are launching and want to sell”.  As many of the experienced users / enthusiasts here are looking to change eco-system entirely (myself included), I’d say that attitude really does take courage...

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BennyB0Y
Enthusiast I
May 9, 2024 11:07 PM UTC

Apparently...... Saw this...... No ETA though. Are SONOS going to actually act on this? 

 

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Lyricist III
May 9, 2024 11:15 PM UTC

Can anyone point me to the apk install file for the previous version? 

 

I have all my music on a NAS and this (automatic) app update had as good as bricked all my expensive Sonos speakers.

 

The app has been going downhill for years, but this latest release is Sonos treating its users as alpha testers. Completely unacceptable. 

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Lyricist I
May 9, 2024 11:39 PM UTC

While the substandard app release is a concern, I’m more worried about what the new web based interface (in place of the desktop app) means.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/sonos-new-s2-app-simplifies-audio-control-but-theres-a-catch-or-two/

Part of the reason I chose Sonos was because I could use it with a local music library when the internet was down.  If it needs permanent connectivity to function at all that’s going to be a show stopper at all. 

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BennyB0Y
Enthusiast I
May 9, 2024 11:40 PM UTC

Looks like this app update is to do with now trying to run everything via a browser based system. Try going to https://play.sonos.com and logging in with your Sonos ID and password..... Notice anything familiar about the controls and limitations? Looks just like the new 80.x releease

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BennyB0Y
Enthusiast I
May 10, 2024 6:14 AM UTC

While the substandard app release is a concern, I’m more worried about what the new web based interface (in place of the desktop app) means.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/sonos-new-s2-app-simplifies-audio-control-but-theres-a-catch-or-two/

Part of the reason I chose Sonos was because I could use it with a local music library when the internet was down.  If it needs permanent connectivity to function at all that’s going to be a show stopper at all. 

Thanks for sharing that article. It did try to "glam up" the new app in parts, (I suppose it had to I guess). This possibly explains why each morning you have to completely restart the App, maybe because the web tokens have expired. It's kind of surprising also that SONOS don't have any API methods for the timer and alarms if this is all going "via browser". It still stands that's it's appalling how this new app was unleashed on the masses. They really should've released it as a separate app. Maybe they're covering up a reason why they did this..... A potential vulnerability maybe? We'll see. 

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Trending Lyricist I
May 10, 2024 6:30 AM UTC

What I also miss: when changing the volume there used to be numbers. For the radio I always used the same volume. That's impossible now.

 

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Lyricist I
May 10, 2024 10:44 AM UTC

I can not register my boost to my account anymore!! Tried everything but nothing works.

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Lyricist I
May 10, 2024 12:43 PM UTC

Sinds plaatsen van update werkt gans de App totaal niet meer zoals ervoor. Valt steeds weg en start dan opnieuw volledig op om dan weer van het scherm te verdwijnen. Gelukkig nog geen update gedaan op ander bedieningsapparaat, anders geen controle meer mogelijk.

Ook verschillende keren opnieuw geprobeerd, steeds de zelfde fout. 

Wat nu??

 

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Lyricist I
May 10, 2024 2:41 PM UTC