SONOS...don't be silent about V8 backlash

The backlash is pretty minor compared to some prior updates. Some navigation changes but nothing taken away that I know of. Version 6 was way worse in making the Queue even more unprotected then the past. That one I vocally had issue with. This one ... really just some getting used to.

And really I think it is a little more like the previous version before Version 5 ... and people really complained about Version 5 (I think that was the one where they switched the layout completely).

The backlash is pretty minor compared to some prior updates.
IMO, it is more, but there is the simultaneous Alexa release that muddies the waters for a good comparison. But the point remains that every app change results in a barrage of complaints and that those that either like the change or are neutral about it, very rarely post to say so. It therefore gets to be bit like saying that hospitals contain a very large majority of sick people.

What exactly do you find unusable or unstable about the app??

Maybe you could have a read of the 100's of angry posts from others here about how terrible the new version is.

Doesn't answer what exactly is "unusable" in the app? Colour schemes and change of layouts don't render things unusable..

Change can be good

I, for one, find the white theme unusable. Literally, I cannot look at it without my eyes hurting and in my use, it ruins the displays of my tablets that I use 7/24 as Sonos controllers.

If you read the barrage of complaints, people complain that their services don't work anymore, they've lost room control, etc.

You're right, change can be good. And it can be bad. And if people don't generally post about good things, then there shouldn't be threads of 100's of posts of people that, literally, say they hate the new update and want to roll back.

What exactly do you find unusable or unstable about the app??

Maybe you could have a read of the 100's of angry posts from others here about how terrible the new version is.

Doesn't answer what exactly is "unusable" in the app? Colour schemes and change of layouts don't render things unusable..

Change can be good

I, for one, find the white theme unusable. Literally, I cannot look at it without my eyes hurting and in my use, it ruins the displays of my tablets that I use 7/24 as Sonos controllers.

If you read the barrage of complaints, people complain that their services don't work anymore, they've lost room control, etc.

You're right, change can be good. And it can be bad. And if people don't generally post about good things, then there shouldn't be threads of 100's of posts of people that, literally, say they hate the new update and want to roll back.

I agree I prefer the black theme.. hopefully there will be an option added to switch colours, but i currently work for Sonos as a promoter and when asking them about this they said it's not something they plan to include yet unfortunately - hopefully this may change. They could add an option called "night mode".

And there are 1000's of happy customers with this update - everything is subjective; although it's not good to see people having issues whatever they may be

... an update on everyone, an update that the large majority find unusable, unstable, and overall just BAD, we need to hear from you on what your intentions are.

I don't know how you can conclude that a large majority feel the same as you. Yes, there are a lot of complaints in this forum, but typically people don't sign up and post messages to say that things are great. I'm borrowing someone elses phrase here, but this place is like a hospital, where all you see is the sick. if you only look at hospitals to guage the health of a population, your results are going to be obviusly skewed.

That said, I'm not crazy about the new interface. I prefer the old one better. That said, people complained about that interface as well. As well, I should say that I haven't spent too much time exploring the interface. Much of the time, I have alarms, schedules and autoplay that kick off music, or I utilize the Alexa interface.

It is true that few people go online to complain about good things. However for a lot of people things have to get pretty bad before they will go online to complain.

I have never complained in the last 8 yrs if ownership until now, but not because I haven’t seen things I don’t like. I just haven’t seen anything I dislike as much as v8. And I have seen people actually creating user accounts just to say how much they don’t like v8.

We are not trying to persuade those of you who are ‘pro’ v8 that you are wrong. Just stop trying to persuade us that you are right.

Andrew

SONOS, now is not the time to be silent. People have spent SIGNIFICANT money on your products, and for you to FORCE an update on everyone, an update that the large majority find unusable, unstable, and overall just BAD, we need to hear from you on what your intentions are. Transparency is important. Do not just sit back and be silent. Don't make us sort through hundreds of posts to find whatever information you are giving. Put information clearly on your support page.

In the future, remember that your software is tied to very expensive hardware that we, your customers, have purchased. Before you go making huge changes to the software, how about putting it out as a trial, or send users emails with images of the UI, demo site, so we can give feedback BEFORE you ruin everyone's systems? Or better yet, give us a ROLLBACK option that works.

I second this very eloquent plea for reasonableness (especially ROLLBACK - you had some pretty great software back in the day, and for the most part it just got worse and worse), and wish to add my own related suggestion:
One of the things I find simply horrendous is the partitioning of Sonos Favorites into the very arbitrary, one-size-fits-all categories tied to item type (playlist, podcast, station, albums, etc.) Since EVERY function that applies to actions performed on these things is consistent across-the-board regardless of their placement, why not let users define their own hierarchy of "buckets" for faves? I couldn't care less WHERE my stuff is sourced, so I would, as an example, create three folders for music labeled "Bedtime", "Relaxing", "Lively" and a fourth called "Spoken" for podcasts, news, and sports. Other people might divide them as "Jazz" and "Classical"; and some might even just rock it old school and leave the items in the Sonos Favorites root folder (always worked for me - I only ever had about 20 favorites.) My one parting remark (question, really) is this: on what planet does ANYONE care to sort their favorites by whether they're a list, an album, or a podcast? (Did you hire the same person who designed the method of programming Japanese VCR's in the 70's???)

That is all. Great hardware and concept, but I REFUSE to buy one more piece until this software sh*t-show is resolved. (And may just sell my four Connect units on Ebay, as there's a pretty vigorous market for them and I won't lose much at all.)

Peace, out.

Yes how ridiculous to have organised Favourites by type when they could have left everything mixed up with no customisation. Outrageous.

Yes how ridiculous to have organised Favourites by type when they could have left everything mixed up with no customisation. Outrageous.

I will engage you once (and never again, since your 5700+ replies indicate this is your hobby, if not your obsession), and state flatly that you clearly don't understand the point of what I posted if you interpret it as not wanting customization. Read it over once again. I merely see no point in the customization (it's not customization by the way, it's categorization - and fixed, at that - customization would imply that the user can control it) that Sonos provided. It is useless to me, and I suspect, many others.

Always amusing how changes trigger these visceral responses, with often the same people who complained bitterly about the previous update now claim it was beautiful. It never ends, lol.

Might want to tone down that condescending tone a bit. It's quite obvious the positive comments are all from the above 3 accounts, and 1 or 2 others.

Yes how ridiculous to have organised Favourites by type when they could have left everything mixed up with no customisation. Outrageous.

I will engage you once (and never again, since your 5700+ replies indicate this is your hobby, if not your obsession), and state flatly that you clearly don't understand the point of what I posted if you interpret it as not wanting customization. Read it over once again. I merely see no point in the customization (it's not customization by the way, it's categorization - and fixed, at that - customization would imply that the user can control it) that Sonos provided. It is useless to me, and I suspect, many others.BTW, if you thought I misunderstood then you clearly don't get irony. The original post called for the ability to roll back to v7, then you start asking for more customisability, when v7 was even less customisable than v8.