Sonos S2 App Update Issues : This May or May Not Help

More constructive thoughts, easy things that will absolutely not make anything worse …

• Try shutting down & restarting your phone/tablet. Just one mis-behaving app with a memory leak can cause hard to diagnose behaviors that a full reboot can (temporarily at least) fix.
• The Sonos app is (relatively speaking) very lightweight; it does not require much processing horsepower. So offhand, I would say upgrading your device is unlikely to make a difference.
• Elsewhere on these forums, folks have documented super-counterintuitive behavior due to the new app interacting with network-based ‘firewall’ functions like DNS privacy filtering: menu items flat-out missing in the app, for example. As an experiment* try disabling such functions to see if you’re experiencing one of these interactions.

* I am NOT suggesting that disabling is a proper fix, merely a diagnostic tool.

what a terrible thread. 
 

Running an iPhone 15 pro max 512gb with 50% free running the latest iOS, using WiFi 6 through a unifi dream machine pro network ( WiFi 6 lite APs approximate 16 feet above my head) install (setup by a professional), with 1.25gb down / 300mb up internet. 
 

got any tips of what I should upgrade? See anything on that list that that I should invest In new gear to use my mass market consumer speakers?

no.     Setting aside that the hitbox for the volume circle is like 4 pixels and incredibly difficult to grab…..it is absolutely far more laggy than it ever has been pre-app facelift.  I use to be able to fade down audio.  Now, I grab the slider at 50, slowly drag it to 25, and 3-4 seconds later, all the speakers snap to 25 (not a smooth fade, but a snap due to the insane lag). 
 

this app may be lightweight for the actual physical install….but the API calls to services and the actual management of hardware is absolutely not lightweight.  It clearly is struggling to manage the hardware. This was designed to push ads on the Home Screen and Sonos specific services (Sonos radio, etc).  With thousands of dollars spent on hardware, it is incredibly disappointing to get software downgrades every couple of years that drive revenue but decrease usability. 
 

don’t blame consumers (telling them it’s their fault for not spending enough on other hardware) for poor compatibility design. 

Hi @Draddy, my comment about the Sonos app being ‘lightweight’ was in the context of how much memory and CPU horsepower it uses … and it does not use much of either. In other words, any phone/tablet that is new enough to install the app is plenty powerful enough to run the app. Hope that clarifies what I was saying.

The new app has a significantly different architecture than the v16 app: both the new mobile app and your Sonos devices now communicate with Sonos servers. Even when you are playing local library music, those Sonos severs are “in the loop” and I am confident this explains a lot of the erratic behavior. That is extremely frustrating and it is not entirely clear to me how much improvement is in store.

I am absolutely not blaming any consumers for these issues. Sonos needs to deliver a solid user experience for Normal Users without particular technical skills. The new app threw one hell of a spanner in the works.

Sorry for misinterpreting your point! That explains why it’s so much worse.  Unfortunate.  When I first bought most of my gear (mid-run to end of S1 era), it use to work so well. 
 

I should have clarified, the blaming consumer comment was specific to OP, not your constructive comment.  I took offense to the original position that it’s our fault for the app functioning like crap and that we should upgrade.  

Well…that’s your opinion. 

I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max 256 Gb. I have absolutely no issues with the app. So I suggest you do some research/trouble shootIng and/or run a diagnostic and call Sonos tech support.

So it works for your use, which means that all other customers that it isn’t working for are doing something wrong and/or need new hardware?

It’s not just an opinion, it’s an actual experience for thousands of customers. 
 

seriously let me know what gear i should upgrade to make this app function.  Should I upgrade to 2gb fiber? 10gb? Let me know!

No worries, my dude! Elsewhere on these forums people have identified super-counter-intuitive interactions between the new architecture and internet plumbing. For example ...

• If your internet connection goes down, playing local library music becomes a crap shoot
• If you use DNS privacy filtering, some basic functions literally do not appear in the app
  (odd enough that the app shows ads and gathers tracking data … some functions simply do not work if the ads and tracking data are blocked)

… and then we have the “it’s snappy enough for me” versus “it’s herkey-jerkey and driving me nuts.” Diagnosing and fixing these issues across a global customer base with wildly varying internet connectivity is not a challenge I envy.

Yes, the app works for me. As far as what other customers should do that’s up to them. I gave possible causes and options. For the record sometimes new hardware is needed that’s just a fact of life with electronics and/or networking. Furthermore, I never once indicated that a customer was doing something wrong. Those are your words…not mine. However, I don’t intend to continue justifying what I originally wrote. 

Honestly I think the hitbox is the thing that annoys me the most.   I’m swiping the screen 3-4 times every time trying to get ahold of the slider with the first 3 swipes missing. 
 

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

I am curious, you’ve got a ton of Sonos gear like I do (based on your profile), but it all looks like it’s new / the latest generation.  
 

looking at the video I posted above, does your app do the same? Or can you actually fade audio up and down smoothly?    Is it a old hardware versus new hardware situation?  Should they have made this an s3 system and sunset old soundbars and play 3s that us OG Sonos consumers use?