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Contributor I
May 18, 2023

Sonos S1 hangs when attempting to add any music service

  • May 18, 2023
  • 59 replies
  • 2874 views

Hi. I’ve had an S1 system for over a decade (3x S5 gen1, Amp and Connect) and it generally worked fine. Over the years I’ve subscribed to (legit) Napster, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Deezer. Plus BBC Sounds and a few other services without issue. 

Last night, we purchased our first S2 product, a Move. I removed all existing devices, reset them and, after setting up the S2 with Move, created a new clean S1 system.

All of the devices are there, but the only thing I can connect to is Sonos Radio. If I click to add a music service I just get a spinning ball type icon (happy to share a screen grab if needed) and the app hangs. It responds fine if I select to add a voice system.

I’ve obviously rebooted everything multiple times. I’ve reset the S1 app. I’ve deleted and reinstalled it. On two iOS phones. Nothing works. There are no issues using the Move on the S2 app. All services are visible and available to add.

I spent over an hour on Sonos chat and was ultimately told to call the UK freephone number quoting a case reference. When calling the number a voice recording informs that lines are closed. At 10am when they’re supposedly open?

I’m at a dead end and we’ve gone from ‘let’s trade all of the S1 kit up to a new S2 setup and add a sound bar and sub for the lounge’ to ‘the S2 is going straight back to the shop and the S1s in a skip because we can’t listen to anything.’

Before I literally take the S1 stuff to the recycling centre, does anybody have any tips or ideas that might save the day? To say we’re fed up is an understatement.

Thanks.

 

 

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Pinned Reply By Corry P

Hi @popguru et al

To confirm what @doctorbee just reported, we now consider this issue resolved. If you continue to experience this issue, please get in touch with our technical support team for assistance.

59 replies

Airgetlam
June 1, 2023

I’m curious as to what Sonos Support said, when you called in?

Bruce
Virtuoso
June 1, 2023

Anyone with Spotify it may be worth trying to connect to your S1 system with the Spotify App to get at least some use out of it.

 

RichardLondon
Lyricist II
June 1, 2023

Same issue. I have an old S1 system. I haven’t added a music service for a while. I just subscribed to Apple Music.  Apple will not permit adding the service on the Sonos PC controller.  When I use the Android controller I get the same spinning icon on a blank screen. I do hope Sonos/Apple get this sorted soon. I was going to replace my two existing music streaming services with Apple Music and Apple Classical, but if this is not sorted I will have to cancel Apple when my free 30 days runs out.

Contributor I
June 1, 2023

Hi, 

Update my finding to solve the issue. I installed Windows/Mac Sonos software and I can add music services from PC. Then I can see the music service displayed on my iphone/Android Sonos S1. 

Corry P
Sonos Staff
June 2, 2023

Hi All

I’ve looked into all your account details and locations trying to find a solid pattern here, but there really isn’t enough information to go on as of yet. I recommend that you all get in touch with our technical support team who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos systems and what they report. Hopefully, they will find solutions for you, but if not, we may at least be a step closer to identifying an issue that needs fixed.

I hope this helps.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
Lyricist I
June 2, 2023

Well, yesterday was a fun day with this issue. I spent just shy of 3 hours text chatting and on the phone with Sonos support.  I started the chat at 9:03AM.  During the course of the chat I explained several times that the list of music services was empty and the spinner kept spinning forever.  At 10:03AM (an hour after I initiated the chat) the rep is telling me to click on Add a Service and select the one I want.  Total failure to communicate.  By 10:16AM the chat rep finally told me I would need to call by phone and have someone help me.  A total waste of an hour.

The phone call was also frustrating.  The rep didn’t seem to believe me that the list of music services never populated with any choices, so he wanted to start a screen sharing.  After seeing it himself he started having me try different things.  He had me unplug 18 of my Connect:Amps and leave just the one remaining one powered on.  No change.  He had me reboot the one remaining Connect:Amp (again).  No change.  He had me add manual DNS entries on my iPad.  No change.  He had me add manual DNS entries on my router (UniFi Dream Machine Pro).  No change.  We rebooted the router.  No change.

While I was on the call with him, Joy Lin posted on this forum thread about adding the music service on a PC, so when I told the rep about that he had me go into the Sonos S1 app on my iMac.  Unfortunately there was no “add service” entry in the MacOS S1 app, and the built-in Update function that’s supposed to update to the latest version of the app kept failing with a useless generic error message, so eventually (after more system reboots) we uninstalled the S1 app on the Mac and downloaded and installed the latest version.  After that the “add service” entry was visible, so we ended the call there.

Aside from the fact that I spent almost 3 hours dealing with this, the other MAJOR irritant was the background noise on the phone call.  There was LOUD music blaring for much of the call, and at times the voices of other people on his end made it difficult to understand him.  I realize that Sonos is a music company, but there’s simply no excuse for making your customers listen to extremely loud music in the background during a support call.  I mentioned the excessive background noise to him a couple of times and he mumbled something about someone playing music near him.  I really don’t understand how he could work in that kind of environment all of the time, and it sure doesn’t convey any sense of professionalism to your customers.  At first I thought he might be working from home, but I think he was in the office while all of this background chaos was going on.  In the end we arrived at an alternate solution, so I have to give credit to them for sticking with me until a solution was found, but we still don’t know why the Add a Service function is broken in S1 on iOS.

Corry P
Sonos Staff
June 5, 2023

Hi @ArubaWalk 

Thank you - while I can’t add anything regarding the issue you are experiencing, we take all feedback seriously and someone will look at the interaction you had with our technical support team and how it could have been improved.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
RichardLondon
Lyricist II
June 5, 2023

Still no solution to this? Unhappily the workaround of using the Sonos Controller on PC does not work for Apple Music, because Apple does not allow you to add their service from the PC Controller.  This must be affecting a lot of people.  Sonos, is there any hope of fixing this?

Corry P
Sonos Staff
June 5, 2023

Hi @RichardLondon 

Sonos, is there any hope of fixing this?

Absolutely - the ability to add music services to your Sonos system is fundamental to it’s operation.

Please do not rely on other people contacting us, however - if you are affected by this issue, please get in touch.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
Lyricist I
June 7, 2023

Hi. I’ve had an S1 system for over a decade (3x S5 gen1, Amp and Connect) and it generally worked fine. Over the years I’ve subscribed to (legit) Napster, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Deezer. Plus BBC Sounds and a few other services without issue. 

Last night, we purchased our first S2 product, a Move. I removed all existing devices, reset them and, after setting up the S2 with Move, created a new clean S1 system.

All of the devices are there, but the only thing I can connect to is Sonos Radio. If I click to add a music service I just get a spinning ball type icon (happy to share a screen grab if needed) and the app hangs. It responds fine if I select to add a voice system.

I’ve obviously rebooted everything multiple times. I’ve reset the S1 app. I’ve deleted and reinstalled it. On two iOS phones. Nothing works. There are no issues using the Move on the S2 app. All services are visible and available to add.

I spent over an hour on Sonos chat and was ultimately told to call the UK freephone number quoting a case reference. When calling the number a voice recording informs that lines are closed. At 10am when they’re supposedly open?

I’m at a dead end and we’ve gone from ‘let’s trade all of the S1 kit up to a new S2 setup and add a sound bar and sub for the lounge’ to ‘the S2 is going straight back to the shop and the S1s in a skip because we can’t listen to anything.’

Before I literally take the S1 stuff to the recycling centre, does anybody have any tips or ideas that might save the day? To say we’re fed up is an understatement.

Thanks.

 

 

I have the same issue. I have just got added a Play 5 to my collection, but this one is not S2 compatible. Therefore, I’ve set up so that everything else, including Boost, works using existing S2 app. Was hoping to at least use the Play 5 independently using S1 app, but like you all I can access is SONOS Radio! I get exactly the same buffering circle as you when I try to add a music service. Had live chat with SONOS who seemed not to be paying much attention, and like you they’re now telling me to call up. Soooooooooo frustrating. In the seven years that I’ve been building my collection, I’ve got a little more disappointed each year! Did you ever resolve?