SONOS are you reading this? Please put the controller queue function back how it was!

  • 12 September 2016
  • 353 replies
  • 15981 views

Userlevel 4
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I've downloaded version 6.4 of the app. What a mistake. To anyone who is about to do it, DON'T DO IT IF YOU LIKE YOUR QUEUE.

Sonos please put it back how it was. This new app is so awful I am considering selling my entire Sonos rig (6 pieces!) and walking away from you, after what was until this week, many happy years.

Touching on a track because I want to play it, or add it to the queue (the queue that I DID WANT), does not mean I want to delete the whole queue and replace it with the entire album (which I DON'T WANT) which the newly added track comes from.

If I wanted to delete my queue, I would delete it. If I wanted to add the whole album, I would add it using the play all function.

You've just taken something intuitive and user friendly which worked so well and turned it into a worse than hateful mess.

PLEASE UNDO THIS AWFUL, HORRIBLE CHANGE.

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353 replies

Userlevel 7
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There's a poll now to maybe collate votes in one thread.
Userlevel 3
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Greetings, all. Hope your weekend is going grandly. Here's a link to the running total of the above-mentioned pollmaker poll:

https://goo.gl/rhAnSk

Cheers!
Userlevel 1
I disagree with every single solution BoredofBedlam gave as "problem solved". Jgatie is correct I have never had to teach anyone how to use my Sonos. Saving the queue doesn't keep myself or my guest from stopping what is currently playing. It is not feasible either to be saving the queue all night long as friends and guests add dozens of songs to the queue.

BoredofBedlam - you obviously use your Sonos in a much different manner. That doesn't mean that changes should be made to the controller that don't allow users who use it in a multiuser, multiroom environment should not have protections to keep the music going.

If you were at a bar and the touchtunes jukebox at the bar allowed anyone to walk up and tap on a song and all of a sudden interrupt what everyone was listening to how would you like it. Even if there was a big honking sign on top the touchtunes saying "don't click on a song" people would click on songs all the time.


I agree and I think this speaks to the main point. Clearly there are two camps here that use Sonos in different ways. For me, the social "jukebox" capability provided through the queue was the killer feature that Sonos provided that made it magical, more than any other. It's why I went with Sonos and why I recommend it.
Userlevel 1
I am trying to recall all of the options that the participants have offered. I might miss one here or there, but I have noted this many:

1. Allow users to roll back the revision

2. Provide a switch for the UI to handle parallel functionality

3. Create separate apps

4. Disable queue clearing from the top level of the apps

5. Obliterate 6.4 and send it to Hades

Add any I missed. As it stands, I'd vote for #2...


I agree, go with 2. It respects both groups and should be a simple change to implement. I'd even be willing to go with setting "instant play" as the default as long as it could be turned off.
I agree. Provide a switch for the UI to handle parallel functionality.
The social jukebox functionality is the magical bit of Sonos and for me and this update has destroyed it.
Everyone I know who has gone on to buy a system has done so after listening the Sonos in this mode and enjoying the party experience.
There is little chance of further sales to my friends if things stay as they are.
Other alternative systems are available ...
I signed on to the Sonos community for the first time today just to make this point… Please undo the new Play Now feature in 6.4 which kills the great functionality of the original queue. That flexible and social queue was what made Sonos stand out as a music system.
A terrible update. Have been completely satisfied with Sonos until now. If I want 10 songs in my queue or 1000: that's my choice! Give our freedom back!
Good to see people signing up to share their views on this ridiculous update - don't forget to add your reviews to the iOS App Store.

Come on Sonos, it is about time we had a response to see if you are listening to us.
Userlevel 3
Badge +1
Amazing you have to go outside of Sonos for this:

http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/sonos-inc/sonos/

(No doubt there are other sites..)


Bless you. I was about to restore my ROM from a Nandroid backup. This is so much easier!


Bless you. I was about to restore my ROM from a Nandroid backup. This is so much easier!


Not going to be much use. You will probably lose much of your settings menu and it will eventually not work if you upgrade the hardware.
Userlevel 5
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Bless you. I was about to restore my ROM from a Nandroid backup. This is so much easier!


Not going to be much use. You will probably lose much of your settings menu and it will eventually not work if you upgrade the hardware.


Works at the moment.
Userlevel 2
I'm still actively resisting 6.4 on all my devices except the one I accidentally updated (Keeping this device away from guests as even I am nervous to accidentally mess up the queue). Having tried out the 6.4 functionality on the updated devices since the update I'm more convinced than ever that this move has created a fundamental flaw in the app. The Sonos queue should be held sacred - trying to emulate the queue systems of music apps like Spotify and Apple Music is a misdirected effort based on false analogy. I echo previous sentiments and hope the good people at Sonos have the humility to rectify this mistake.
The 1 thing I have always wanted in the app is an option to play an album starting with the track I have just selected. This update absolutely works for me. Love it !
Userlevel 3
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The 1 thing I have always wanted in the app is an option to play an album starting with the track I have just selected. This update absolutely works for me. Love it !

This functionality could have easily been added without ruining existing behaviour.
Userlevel 5
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The 1 thing I have always wanted in the app is an option to play an album starting with the track I have just selected. This update absolutely works for me. Love it !

Funny enough I had no problem doing this before this lovely update :o)

I know what you mean so just playing around but still makes no sense to me to have that happen from a one tap on a song. You could easily add an album to the queue and start listening wherever you wanted. I would not incur the cost of this update to achieve that outcome from one tap.

I for one was skeptical about a switch because I think these things may actually cause more complexity but I am now tending to the inclusion of some sort of "Enable One Tap" somewhere in options. For me that will then be left firmly off.
Userlevel 5
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You COULD do it. It wasn't easy to do.
They could have easily put a "Play from here" into the menu and everyone would have been satisfied. Instead it deletes the queue, adds the entire album, and is the default. Nobody, but NOBODY asked for that. Every thread about mimicking the iTunes style wanted a "Play from here" option, not a wholesale change to the entire interface, and of those wanting it, a good many were newbies who had queue-shock, some of whom came back later to praise the queue.
Userlevel 7
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Yep. I think some play from now people even said a slider back and forth on the pop up menu for play now (track or from here slider) and adding to end of queue would have been fine. Why to play from here does the queue have to be deleted anyhow (vs. just add from there to end of queue). I could see adding all tracks in album to end of queue actually having a use.
Userlevel 7
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One tap play REALLY needs to be option to enable or disable. If an option to disable tapping song playing song were there this update wouldn't have been a major issue. With one touch disabled making clicking song perform the same action as the ... is all that is needed.
Userlevel 5
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You COULD do it. It wasn't easy to do.

You call that difficult to do! LOL!!!
Userlevel 5
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Why to play from here does the queue have to be deleted anyhow (vs. just add from there to end of queue).

I have asked this myself and I am STILL waiting on the answer!!! Would be happy for anyone to give me a sensible answer - preferably from a Sonos rep.
Userlevel 1
When nothing is playing, why does a new album (Play Now) get added to the queue after (rather than before) the first song in the queue or (as it did in 6.3) at the end of the queue? The new software makes it much harder to recommend SONOS. Respect the queue!
Userlevel 5
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You won't get an acceptable answer to your question. That was a "rush job" to return "Play Now" back in the options when ppl complained it was not in the Beta. Ppl pointed out that strange outcome of adding songs after the 1st song but it seems they couldn't be bothered to fix something that was obviously ridiculous. It seems like they were schedule rather than quality driven.
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Why to play from here does the queue have to be deleted anyhow (vs. just add from there to end of queue).

I have asked this myself and I am STILL waiting on the answer!!! Would be happy for anyone to give me a sensible answer - preferably from a Sonos rep.


I was sure I had answered this somewhere but I can't find it. What happens is that the end of playing a queue, no matter where those tracks came from, the focus of the player rotates back to the first song so that you can restart what was playing with just the push if a button. The downside, is that if you then go to add an album/track/playlist using Play Now, the focus is still at track 1, so these get added at track 2 and beyond.

We've been sure to pass on the feedback that this can be a negative experience to the team so they know to take a look into.
Userlevel 1
Why to play from here does the queue have to be deleted anyhow (vs. just add from there to end of queue).

I have asked this myself and I am STILL waiting on the answer!!! Would be happy for anyone to give me a sensible answer - preferably from a Sonos rep.


I was sure I had answered this somewhere but I can't find it. What happens is that the end of playing a queue, no matter where those tracks came from, the focus of the player rotates back to the first song so that you can restart what was playing with just the push if a button. The downside, is that if you then go to add an album/track/playlist using Play Now, the focus is still at track 1, so these get added at track 2 and beyond.

We've been sure to pass on the feedback that this can be a negative experience to the team so they know to take a look into.


It seems to me that the team believes adding tracks within the queue by default is preferred. Many don't believe that is the case, since 72% of folks willing to vote prefer the 6.3 approach which defaulted additions to the end of the queue. Obviously, as others have stated, having a setting for the default behavior would accomodate everyone and improve functionality for both preferences. Alternatively/Additionally, a "Play now at end of queue" and/or "Play now at top of queue" option from the three dots would at least provide a fast way to have the 6.3 functionality plus more control without abandoning the 6.4 one-touch approach that I assume was based on user feedback.. Adding an album to the end of the queue and then having to scroll through the queue to play the album is cumbersome and not user friendly. As you know, there's also no button to take us to the end of the queue, so we have to scroll thru the queue to then play the added tracks. I think if SONOS added these options with a default preference option for the one-touch functionality (i.e., replace queue, play now, play next, play now at top of queue, play now at end of queue, add/play after current album?) everyone would love SONOS even more than the 6.3 version because all options would be available. Thanks much.