Android app constantly freezes / crashes with update 9.0.1 update.


I updated to the most recent release for Android, v9.0.1. At first, it was laggy, then would freeze up and crash. When I say "at first", I mean after the first 5 minutes of use. Now it crashes immediately on opening and I can't even submit a diagnostic report because it just keeps crashing! Tried reinstalling but to no avail.

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48 replies

After resetting all of my speakers, and moving my music library to a new Windows 10 VM, and still experiencing issues with the app, I'm preparing to factory reset my Galaxy Note 8, just to say I've tried everything. I shouldn't have to do this of course, but at this point, I'd change religions to get my Sonos system back on track.
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Delete the controller app, reboot the Android device and re-download and install it, if that isn't what you did in your first post.

Since you have Windows grab a copy of the Windows desktop controller and see what it does. At least it might allow a diagnostic to be sent.

You might want to set static/reserved IP addresses for your Sonos gear in your router's DHCP page, it has been known to solve issues during updates. Reboot the router then power down all Sonos gear, power back up starting with any wired device or the closest wireless, waiting a minute between each.
Thanks, Stan. I actually did that already from an earlier post you made so thank you two times! 😉 The app is working properly now but unfortunately, I shotgunned a bunch of changes at once so I can't tell you if making the necessary DHCP reservations is what ultimately fixed this particular issue. I also removed my SD card encryption, reset the entire system, relocated the Sonos Bridge, switched all hardwired connections over to SonosNet, reinstalled the Android app one more time (lucky number 9?), removed all power-saving functions on my Android for the Sonos app, and a couple more things I can't recall. I was going to factory reset my phone, but I have so many finely tuned apps that I didn't want to redownload & reconfigure, so I'm glad I didn't have to do that. All of the above steps I took were unprovoked save for updating the app. Every update this year has reduced functionality and/or has prompted several posts or tech support calls. My neighbor has agreed to buy my entire system off me for a meager discount despite my full disclosure of recent issues. His interest is only in its home theater capabilities, not streaming music or mobile app control. Suits me. Thanks for your friendly suggestions, but I'm going to look into a more conventional solution here forward. Take care and may all your future upgrades be hassle-free!
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I can understand your feelings.

Do be nice to your neighbor and tell him to keep an eye on the Bridge power supply, they are known to cause frustrating issues.
PlayDoh72,

At this point your neighbor should assume that the BRIDGE power supply is defective — until proven otherwise. The best way to diagnose the power supply is to measure its voltage output. A healthy supply will measure about 5.1 volts. Also, the link lights associated with each network jack should be dark unless the network connection is active. If you can’t measure voltage, remove power from BRIDGE, set it aside, wire another SONOS unit to your network if necessary, and run the system for a while as a test. A defective BRIDGE power supply can cause the hard to describe issues that you are experiencing and more.

As you have discovered, adding units to the system again and again, does not fix anything, but it may temporarily work around a networking issue. A BRIDGE with a defective power supply can cause network issues.

Early in my SONOS life, I had a few issues until I straightened out my network. This is when I learned that adding units again and again, along with endless factory resets is not productive. That was in 2005. The system has been stable (and grown) since then.



That said, I recommend factory resetting every SONOS unit prior to delivery to your neighbor. Otherwise, your neighbor will inherit your music service registrations and there could be some interaction with your WiFi.
Neighbor changed his mind, LOL. I tested the power supply on my bridge with a multimeter and it showed a consistent and solid 5.2 VDC. I can't stress this enough, nothing in my house has changed including my network topology. System was running fine for years right up until this last patch, then the app started crashing. The patch before that, songs in my playlists started cutting off the last 10-15 settings, just like a lot of people have been reporting.
As suggested, I ran a diagnostic report, #2091087964, however I don't think this will show the Android app crashes. I will delve into my phone & find the syslog (if there is one).
I'm working with support now. I even have my controllers hard with brand new Cat6 cables to take the WiFi out of the picture and I've also factory reset my phone (doesn't matter, my wife's app locks up and/or crashes too). I think I've finally gotten through to support that there's definitely a problem with the app.
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Can you also point them in the direction of the posts about the iOS app freezing and selecting the wrong zone while you’re at it? There’s serious problems with both versions of the app, my Android app selects the wrong zone and so does my ios app. They also get in a muddle about the state of the zone - it doesn’t stop playback when you tell it to and then the stop/play buttons are in the wrong state.

I’ve spoken to support on the phone for an hour and submitted emails and diagnostics but they just won’t reply.
Yeah, they're in a state of denial. I finally shut them up about my network being the issue (instead of the Android app) when I put my home PC on the WiFi and successfully controlled the system for hours without the app crashing. Sonos = effing stumped, LOL!
Yeah, they're in a state of denial. I finally shut them up about my network being the issue (instead of the Android app) when I put my home PC on the WiFi and successfully controlled the system for hours without the app crashing. Sonos = effing stumped, LOL!
Your network IS the issue, the Sonos app is just a remote control - no more, no less.
Yeah, all of a sudden, after this update, lots of people's network is the problem (check their community page on Facebook). Explain to me then how my Win10 PC, using a WiFi dongle, has no issue whatsoever controlling my system. It's on the same network. No more, no less.
I forgot to mention that all of my controllers are hardwired.
To all those who do not have an issue with your system: Do you utilize the media library function within the app, that is, do you have a file server on your network where you store your personal collection of MP3s? If you're just taking advantage of the streaming service, then that may be why you're not experiencing the same issue I am. My signal strength is a steady -55dBm (+/-5dBm), which is excellent if you aren't aware. I have a Linux server in my basement that hosts a Plex Media Server service and serves music and videos throughout my cat6-wired home (professionally installed during its construction). I can successfully, without errors, stream video and music to all Smart TVs, cell phones, tablets, etc... throughout my home whether wired or via WiFi. I often have neighbors over and we hang a white sheet on the side of my house and i stream movies from my laptop to my projector without buffering pauses, or so much as a frame jitter. In the evening, it is not uncommon for 2-4 simultaneous unicast streams to myself and family members. T-Mobile is my cell carrier and I utilize my wifi network for all calls while I'm in range as well. So, when I say my problems with Sonos started after the last Android app update, I'm very confident in my assessment. Thank you.
I forgot to mention that all of my controllers are hardwired.
Not your PC as it seems. Your mobile devices do have ethernet ports?


To all those who do not have an issue with your system: Do you utilize the media library function within the app, that is, do you have a file server on your network where you store your personal collection of MP3s? If you're just taking advantage of the streaming service, then that may be why you're not experiencing the same issue I am. My signal strength is a steady -55dBm (+/-5dBm), which is excellent if you aren't aware. I have a Linux server in my basement that hosts a Plex Media Server service and serves music and videos throughout my cat6-wired home (professionally installed during its construction). I can successfully, without errors, stream video and music to all Smart TVs, cell phones, tablets, etc... throughout my home whether wired or via WiFi. I often have neighbors over and we hang a white sheet on the side of my house and i stream movies from my laptop to my projector without buffering pauses, or so much as a frame jitter. [...]
Not relevant, none of those devices is capable of multi-rooming.
You're either not reading my posts closely, or you're just trolling. Either way, you're a waste of energy. I don't even know wtf, you mean by "multi-rooming". I've been an IT professional for over 20 years now and have never heard that moniker. Go waste someone else's time, would you, cuz I'm done talking to a box of rocks, LOL!
You're either not reading my posts closely, or you're just trolling. Either way, you're a waste of energy. I don't even know wtf, you mean by "multi-rooming". I've been an IT professional for over 20 years now and have never heard that moniker. Go waste someone else's time, would you, cuz I'm done talking to a box of rocks, LOL!
Basically, that means you don't have a clue what Sonos is, muss less how it works.
my Android app selects the wrong zone and so does my ios app. They also get in a muddle about the state of the zone - it doesn’t stop playback when you tell it to and then the stop/play buttons are in the wrong state.

I’ve spoken to support on the phone for an hour and submitted emails and diagnostics but they just won’t reply.

This doesn't just apply to the latest version - I'm on 8.6 and am having the same problems. I tried support but my setup is unsupported (hard wired + EoP + wireless disabled) so they're back into their usual 'network issues' claims. I don't believe it, as my PC controller works flawlessly. As far as I'm aware, the other android devices are OK, too - it's just the phone.
Not relevant, none of those devices is capable of multi-rooming.
True, but mine is failing in a similar way even though I am only playing to a single device... It is comparatively rare that I have more than one device playing at a time.
True, but mine is failing in a similar way even though I am only playing to a single device... It is comparatively rare that I have more than one device playing at a time.
I'd try and restore the system to its supported state; enable at least the wireless cards again, this might solve the issue.
True, but mine is failing in a similar way even though I am only playing to a single device... It is comparatively rare that I have more than one device playing at a time.
I'd try and restore the system to its supported state; enable at least the wireless cards again, this might solve the issue.

Over the last 7 years I've tried all of the setups, and none comes close to wired+EoP - so I've no intention of changing it - particularly as those similarly affected seem to be using standard setups and it makes no difference.
A wired setup is okay, and I don't have experience with EoP (it may affect the system similar to Repeaters/Wireless Extenders), but disabling the wireless card(s) can cause strange happenings. Enable the wireless cards again, temporarily, just to exclude the disabled wireless as the cause of the issue.
A wired setup is okay, and I don't have experience with EoP (it may affect the system similar to Repeaters/Wireless Extenders), but disabling the wireless card(s) can cause strange happenings. Enable the wireless cards again, temporarily, just to exclude the disabled wireless as the cause of the issue.
When I still had the wireless enabled, the Sonos devices seemed very flaky over which connection method to use. Even though they were wired, sometimes they still chose to use Sonosnet. It drove me mad when trying to pin down the intermittent problem that I had, so I disabled the wireless - and the system has been considerably more reliable than at any time in it's seven year use. Consequently, although this particular controller issue is a bit irritating, I put a higher importance on reliable streaming :-)
I do, of course, accept that the majority of issues raised here may well be networking related, which is why most of my permanent devices (particularly anything Sonos related) has reserved addresses. However, I'm really not convinced that every problem encountered with the software is network related.
[...] However, I'm really not convinced that every problem encountered with the software is network related.
There isn't a known bug related to the Controller app either.
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[...] However, I'm really not convinced that every problem encountered with the software is network related.
There isn't a known bug related to the Controller app either.


Are you part of the development team for Sonos? If not then I don’t see how you can confidently say that. If so then I apologise and accept your word 🙂 It still doesn’t mean there isn’t a bug though!