The newly redesigned app for iOS is GARBAGE. A huge step backwards for what was an efficient way of routing music to specific rooms and speakers. It takes multiple non-intuitive steps to get the content to the place you want it. Talk about a massive screw up by the UI team. Who approved this mess? You have to tap three extra steps to get the music to the right location, and even then, you get caught in loops back and forth just trying to associate a source with a room.
Seriously. Go back to the previous UI. This new one is a disaster.
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I can't agree with you more. I have no idea how this could have past the Beta stage. Sonos is usually pretty good with things like this. No one likes change but I've used this app extensively now and it is extremely frustrating and non-intuitive. I sure hope they are rushing to fix this. It's so bad I think Sonos should go against anything they've ever done and revert to an older version if this thing isn't fixed in the next few weeks. I've become so frustrated that I am using the system significantly less.
I've gotten used to it, but I agree it is less intuitive and took quite some time for me to cool off about it. It also usually takes more steps for basic functions. It really is a complete shift in thinking/executing what you want to do. You need to, in order, make choices about the "Where", then move to the "What" in terms of playing music. This is counter-intuitive since by and large anyone's first thought is about "What" should play before the "Where".
I don't hate it as I did to begin with, but then again, I've found myself using the Sonos controller app on my PC laptop (which is largely unchanged) far more recently.
I don't hate it as I did to begin with, but then again, I've found myself using the Sonos controller app on my PC laptop (which is largely unchanged) far more recently.
We must approach things differently. I rarely have to ask the question 'where?', just ''where am I?'
In fact..... you cannot hit 'Play' on your choice of music until you have decided where you want it to play. The choice of music cannot be assigned anywhere. And what if you want one thing and someone else wants a different track in the room they are in? If it were music first, in a multiroom, muti-user system, you would have to go music - room -music to get it going. Is that intuitive? I'm in the Living Room, so I select Living Room. Then I put some music on. I cannot see what is unintuitive about that..
But if you really prefer your way...
1. Tap Browse or Search (say) on the nav bar, and select an album (say)
2. Tap the Rooms button, and when you have chosen your room, tap it.
3. Tap Browse or Search again
4. Tap Play All
Music - room - music, but it is still pretty quick
1. Tap Browse or Search (say) on the nav bar, and select an album (say)
2. Tap the Rooms button, and when you have chosen your room, tap it.
3. Tap Browse or Search again
4. Tap Play All
Music - room - music, but it is still pretty quick
At the end of the day the new interface is more taps and swipes to achieve the same end-result, and the layout is comparably unintuitive. I'd not really asked about or discussed any of this with my fiance until this evening when I simply asked for the first time "have you updated and been using the new Sonos app on your iPhone?" ... to which she replied "yeah... what the heck did they do to it? It's really confusing."
1. Tap Browse or Search (say) on the nav bar, and select an album (say)
2. Tap the Rooms button, and when you have chosen your room, tap it.
3. Tap Browse or Search again
4. Tap Play All
Music - room - music, but it is still pretty quick
This works for Music Library but not other selections, such as Pandora radio.
But again, the new UI is "fine" to me, just not quite as functional. I can't identify any way that it is actually better, personally.
Previously, in the prior UI, both PC/Mac applications, as well as mobile/tablet apps, the music source, speaker groups, and now-playing/queue sections were all located in very different logical areas of the app and always accessible the same way. Now all of these are access from the same Nav "toolbar" below, which is not always present and returning to it is not always done in the same way. It's simply more swipes and taps, and they're not always the same swipes and taps. It isn't the end of the world, and it isn't inconvenient, but it is lateral step at best as far as I'm concerned, and not a step forward.
It does look nice.
Back to my fiance... I've mentioned elsewhere that the downward swipe gesture to return to the toolbar from the Now playing screen was a huge help once I discovered (from a comment here). I didn't mention it to her until this evening and she hadn't found it either and was glad to know about it. She's 10 years younger than me - phone apps are a part of her DNA and she'd not found it.
May I ask. Do you use a phone or tablet as main controller?
Both, depending on what's nearest. 🙂 We've an older iPad always on the coffee table and our phones (as they are) are usually nearby. But I most often (moreso recently) use the PC controller which I find the best overall still. Why do you ask?
(My fiance has and still does usually use her iPhone).
Both, depending on what's nearest. 🙂 We've an older iPad always on the coffee table and our phones (as they are) are usually nearby. But I most often (moreso recently) use the PC controller which I find the best overall still.
(My fiance has and still does usually use her iPhone).
If you pick room first, then it's easy, which has always seemed more logical to me.
The sequence I gave seems to work for all my music sources though.
As an alternative to swipe down, there is the down arrow top left. In fact this signals swipe down. I used swipe down a lot in the previous app, this is not new.
I still respect your right to prefer the previous app!
Both, depending on what's nearest. 🙂 We've an older iPad always on the coffee table and our phones (as they are) are usually nearby. But I most often (moreso recently) use the PC controller which I find the best overall still.
(My fiance has and still does usually use her iPhone).
If you pick room first, then it's easy, which has always seemed more logical to me.
The sequence I gave seems to work for all my music sources though.
As an alternative to swipe down, there is the down arrow top left. In fact this signals swipe down. I used swipe down a lot in the previous app, this is not new.
I still respect your right to prefer the previous app!
No, you're right, the phone versions have always been "condensed" as it were, but even then the Rooms selection was always displayed and available at top, the sources always available to the left, and search was ever-present in the top-right.
The arrangement was different than the larger versions, but the same logical separation existed. And it still does exist, oddly enough but now from the nav-bar... which disappears. :)
I don't want to bad mouth the devs, but I just genuinely think the UI could have been "massaged" a bit more. I'll live. 🙂
I think we will see some 'massaging', and I think that will probably include the nav bar always being visible, at least I hope so.
Just to make my thoughts public, about the app upgrade it is "GARBAGE" both my wife and I agree the old version was simple and intuitive. The new one puts us off using Sonos because it's become a faff to get music out of the desired speaker. I must qualify that last statement by saying we still use Sonos its the BEST bit of tech we own and upto now I have not had any complaints (not a single one) about the system but this new app is APPALLING
You are mistaken. To play your choice of music in your chosen room.
1 Tap the Rooms button on the tab bar
2 If the room you want is already highlighted, fine. If not, tap the room you want to play music in.
3 Tap Browse if you want to choose a source, such as your Music Library, or Search to search just like before, or My Sonos for playlists and favourites.
4. Tap your choice of music to play it.
Now, tell me that doesn't work. Tell me what is difficult about it. Please.
1 Tap the Rooms button on the tab bar
2 If the room you want is already highlighted, fine. If not, tap the room you want to play music in.
3 Tap Browse if you want to choose a source, such as your Music Library, or Search to search just like before, or My Sonos for playlists and favourites.
4. Tap your choice of music to play it.
Now, tell me that doesn't work. Tell me what is difficult about it. Please.
My wife uses hers for Pandora and I listen solely to the Loft on Sirius. The change takes quite a few additional steps since the upgrade and adjusting the room is cumbersome as the app changes back several times to the initial setting before accepting the change. Needs some tweaking to get back to ease of use. I have recommended SONOS several times to Sirius listeners looking to access at home. Please fix the updates.
Ah well.. works every time for me without fail. I must just be lucky
We own 8 and have had them for 6 year the whole family hate the new app. the old one worked so well. Really unhappy with it. i will be looking around to see what else is on the market
Please could you specify what you are having difficulty doing?
It’s new. It’s different. It requires looking at ALL what is on the screen.
Works exactly the same as the previous version.
Works exactly the same as the previous version.
1 Tap the Rooms button on the tab bar
2 If the room you want is already highlighted, fine. If not, tap the room you want to play music in.
3 Tap Browse if you want to choose a source, such as your Music Library, or Search to search just like before, or My Sonos for playlists and favourites.
4. Tap your choice of music to play it.
Now, tell me that doesn't work. Tell me what is difficult about it. Please.
I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, the issue is you actively have to look at each screen and pay attention to what you are looking for and selecting. On the old app you knew where you were and selecting rooms and music seemed a simpler task.
That isn''t my feeling but we all have our own preferences and I can respect that. But there are people on here claiming it's impossible to get music playing where they want. It isn't. It's easy
May I ask if you mainly use a tablet or phone for control?
May I ask if you mainly use a tablet or phone for control?
I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, the issue is you actively have to look at each screen and pay attention to what you are looking for and selecting. On the old app you knew where you were and selecting rooms and music seemed a simpler task.
So you are more upset over muscle memory and familiarity than any actual deficiencies in the app? Welcome to the club. 😃
FIX THE APP PEOPLE. SOON.....PLEASE. WORST THING YOU"VE EVER DONE. For the last few years, you've been the best thing since sliced bread. I want to totally scrap my system now. You gotta do something fast!
I'll first retort with "What use is a functionless app"? I can't stand using the banner, that I can't see without reading glasses, as my only way of navigating. And I'm not just blind because I am old. I've always been this way. There used to be multiple ways to switch views, now the only way is the banner. I hate to be an ars, but it sucks. You can;t make that drastic of a change without considering your audience. Your whole audience, including people like me, to whom I have sold many of your systems. And if you call me brainless again....you'll lose my business! Gold Dealer!
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