Version 8 for IOS is terrible

  • 9 October 2017
  • 28 replies
  • 1044 views

Userlevel 3
I love my Sonos kit but I have to say the new release of controller is awful. Switching content and rooms just seems so much more clunky now, I’m never 100% which room or group i’m changing music for. Switching rooms is horrible too, the place I got to intuitively gives me the option only to group not switch.

If this was the app available when I bought my first Sonos 1 I would have exactly one Sonos speaker in a cupboard, rather than over ten around the house.

Favourites is a waste of space too, who lists content like that alphabetically??? Allow customisation or at least list the ones used most often on the home screen.

The old controller was intuitive and worked so well, this one is a disaster. Needs sorting soon, do I continue to invest in the Sonos brand or jump ship now?

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28 replies

So if Favourites weren't listed alphabetically in the previous app, can you remind me what the order was? And what customisations were available?

I agree that it is harder to know which room you are controlling and I hope that improves. But I just swipe down the Now Playing screen, (touch 'Rooms' if that doesn't appear immediately), and double tap the room I want. It only takes a second.
Couldn't agree more - the latest update Version 8 for IOS is by the far the worst yet. I have been a Sonos user since it first came to Australia and have always loved it. But for some reason there seems to be an irresistible urge to change things where no change is necessary. If there is an identifiable improvement then I have no issue, but this version is more clunky and more difficult to manage than previous versions, and not at all intuitive. Please change it back!!!!
Userlevel 3
So if Favourites weren't listed alphabetically in the previous app, can you remind me what the order was? And what customisations were available?

I agree that it is harder to know which room you are controlling and I hope that improves. But I just swipe down the Now Playing screen, (touch 'Rooms' if that doesn't appear immediately), and double tap the room I want. It only takes a second.


I'm talking about the 'My Sonos' screen. If I can't customise it, it isn't 'mine'.

My biggest gripe is to have to switch screens all the time. For example, I'm on my Kitchen Room, I now have to go to rooms, select Study, now go to browse and select the content. Before it was much quicker.
So if Favourites weren't listed alphabetically in the previous app, can you remind me what the order was? And what customisations were available?

I agree that it is harder to know which room you are controlling and I hope that improves. But I just swipe down the Now Playing screen, (touch 'Rooms' if that doesn't appear immediately), and double tap the room I want. It only takes a second.


I'm talking about the 'My Sonos' screen. If I can't customise it, it isn't 'mine'.

My biggest gripe is to have to switch screens all the time. For example, I'm on my Kitchen Room, I now have to go to rooms, select Study, now go to browse and select the content. Before it was much quicker.
'My Sonos' has replaced Favourites. Some customisation is possible using 'Edit'. Not as much as I would like, but I think a bit more than the previous version. As far as I recall, Favourites were in alphabetical order so nothing has changed there, and you couldn't customise anything.

And to do what you wanted before, you would have had to open a new screen by tapping the room name at the top, then select room, then gone to the main menu to select a new source. How was that quicker?

I should say that I am talking about phone app here. It may be different for tablets
Userlevel 3
So if Favourites weren't listed alphabetically in the previous app, can you remind me what the order was? And what customisations were available?

I agree that it is harder to know which room you are controlling and I hope that improves. But I just swipe down the Now Playing screen, (touch 'Rooms' if that doesn't appear immediately), and double tap the room I want. It only takes a second.


I'm talking about the 'My Sonos' screen. If I can't customise it, it isn't 'mine'.

My biggest gripe is to have to switch screens all the time. For example, I'm on my Kitchen Room, I now have to go to rooms, select Study, now go to browse and select the content. Before it was much quicker.
'My Sonos' has replaced Favourites. Some customisation is possible using 'Edit'. Not as much as I would like, but I think a bit more than the previous version. As far as I recall, Favourites were in alphabetical order so nothing has changed there, and you couldn't customise anything.

And to do what you wanted before, you would have had to open a new screen by tapping the room name at the top, then select room, then gone to the main menu to select a new source. How was that quicker?


The room buttons are massive so now I have to scroll (I have 5 rooms set-up). The simple list was much quicker to use.

If they brought back the Search button to the individual room screen (not the room list) it would make a massive difference to the usability of the app.
I think perhaps a bigger improvement would be to have the new Sonos 'bar', which includes the Search button, visible on the Now Playing screen.
Userlevel 3
Dear Sonos what a big mess you have made!! I get sick of companies changing things and making the experience worse. Do you guys not test updates with real people before implementing, doesn't look like it.
I am currently in my living room watching tv through my playbar. I want to line up music to play later in my den. How da hell can I select another room that I am not in ??!!!!
This is a shambles and if there isn't a fix I am taking this crap back to the shops as I only bought recently!!
Userlevel 3
The earlier reply says select "rooms", where is that !!!!!!!!!!!
Userlevel 3
And I've figured it out, only took me 30 minutes!!!!!
Why bring in a new app just so you can try and sell the voice activated Sonos one. I'm not interested, I'm Scottish and no electronic device will ever understand me
Test your app on normal people next time and issue better instructions, not impressed at all
Userlevel 1
This update should be consigned to the bin. It's Sonos version of Windows 8, the biggest failure of an 'update' you could imagine. How do I view folders on an external NAS drive, it used to be in libraries,Folders. Favourites are a joke, four radio icons showing on an iPad screen, there used to be 10 at least. The layout has gone from being intuitive to damn hard to navigate. Had this been the first time I purchased a Sonos speaker, there wouldn't have been a second. I have 5 spread through the house and find it really difficult to navigate this piece of carp. there is no way I am updating my wife's iPad to this dross. Really disappointed.
Userlevel 1
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I love my Sonos kit but I have to say the new release of controller is awful. Switching content and rooms just seems so much more clunky now, I’m never 100% which room or group i’m changing music for. Switching rooms is horrible too, the place I got to intuitively gives me the option only to group not switch.

If this was the app available when I bought my first Sonos 1 I would have exactly one Sonos speaker in a cupboard, rather than over ten around the house.

Favourites is a waste of space too, who lists content like that alphabetically??? Allow customisation or at least list the ones used most often on the home screen.

The old controller was intuitive and worked so well, this one is a disaster. Needs sorting soon, do I continue to invest in the Sonos brand or jump ship now?


Sonos - PLEASE don't go backwards! I LOVE the new app. Take some time to get used to it perhaps?
Userlevel 1
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The earlier reply says select "rooms", where is that !!!!!!!!!!!

In the bottom black menu bar! There is:

"My Sonos, Browse, Rooms, Search, More"
Userlevel 1
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I think perhaps a bigger improvement would be to have the new Sonos 'bar', which includes the Search button, visible on the Now Playing screen.

Yeh, I can see the confusion - good point.

People, just press the little 'v' in the top left if you're on the now playing screen, you'll see the black nav bar at the bottom of the screen.
Userlevel 1
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[quote=sgrinnall]
I'm talking about the 'My Sonos' screen. If I can't customise it, it isn't 'mine'.


Try clicking 'edit' top right hand corner...
I too hate the new layout of the Sonos app. I install Sonos all the time as part of my job, it’s way more complicated to explain to people now and I find myself fumbling around often trying to find what I’m looking for. The previous layout of the app was significantly easier to navigate and if nothing else, it was as it has been. Sonos has done sort of the same thing that Microsoft did with windows 8 where they changed an interface that has worked in basically the same way since windows was first invented and everyone hated it. Different isn’t necessarily good (often it isn’t at all) and I really would rather they keep the app working the way it did before myself.

As far as editing the Sonos favorites list, I couldn’t find a way to change the order, only delete stations I put in there. I did tap edit, but it just gives me the red minuses to remove them and no way to move them up or down.
Userlevel 1
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I love my Sonos kit but I have to say the new release of controller is awful. Switching content and rooms just seems so much more clunky now, I’m never 100% which room or group i’m changing music for. Switching rooms is horrible too, the place I got to intuitively gives me the option only to group not switch.

If this was the app available when I bought my first Sonos 1 I would have exactly one Sonos speaker in a cupboard, rather than over ten around the house.

Favourites is a waste of space too, who lists content like that alphabetically??? Allow customisation or at least list the ones used most often on the home screen.

The old controller was intuitive and worked so well, this one is a disaster. Needs sorting soon, do I continue to invest in the Sonos brand or jump ship now?


Probably best you jump ship
Userlevel 4
Badge +3
No extra features, it's just less intuitive and looks AWFUL! Bring back the black.
Userlevel 5
Badge +10
'My Sonos' has replaced Favourites. Some customisation is possible using 'Edit'. Not as much as I would like, but I think a bit more than the previous version. As far as I recall, Favourites were in alphabetical order so nothing has changed there, and you couldn't customise anything.

Actually, that's not the whole story. "My Sonos" replaces the simple favourites view with "favourites split into categories" which helps. Favourites are still a thing (as up to 32 tagged things that you can add to on navigation pages, and displayed all together on the desktop controller"). Unfortunately, the "edit" option on "My Sonos" actually:
1. Edits favourites, not the "My Sonos" layout (obviously)
2. Edits the "My Sonos" layout if you delete a favourite and bump the next one alphabetically onto the "favourite favourites" list
3. Doesn't let you edit the "My Sonos" layout (other than deleting favourites)
4. Lets you rename favourites, eg. so you can play the "rename your friend's Slayer collection 'One Direction'" game (other use-cases may be found)

So basically, there's no real customisation, and no way to usefully control layout, but you can click "My Sonos->Others->See All" to view your favourite artists.
Userlevel 7
Badge +16
I love my Sonos kit but I have to say the new release of controller is awful. Switching content and rooms just seems so much more clunky now, I’m never 100% which room or group i’m changing music for. Switching rooms is horrible too, the place I got to intuitively gives me the option only to group not switch.

If this was the app available when I bought my first Sonos 1 I would have exactly one Sonos speaker in a cupboard, rather than over ten around the house.

Favourites is a waste of space too, who lists content like that alphabetically??? Allow customisation or at least list the ones used most often on the home screen.

The old controller was intuitive and worked so well, this one is a disaster. Needs sorting soon, do I continue to invest in the Sonos brand or jump ship now?


Most of us can't afford to jump ship, I've got nearly £2k invested now so will just have to suck it up..

Worste bit was it was a forced update after buying another Sonos speaker.
Userlevel 5
Badge +10
Another quick point about favourites - the 32-item limit makes sense not just because "1000 favourites is an oxymoron" but because there was a limit to how many you could usefully fit on one or two screens without excessive scrolling. The old iPad screen-and-a-bit full of 32 tiles just worked. My current "My Sonos" two-screens of "one album, first-eight-alphabetically artists, two favourite playlists, first-eight-alphabetically non-favourite playlists" is really poor use of space. But I guess most people split their 32 favourites more evenly between three groups of eight...
@Keithmac. Was it a forced update? Sonos itself can be srt not to update automatically and the app update will depend on your general app update preferences, will it not?
@Keithmac. Was it a forced update? Sonos itself can be srt not to update automatically and the app update will depend on your general app update preferences, will it not?

It is forced if you wish to add new a newly purchased unit, as the OP stated.
@Alan6. There is no question that the icons are way too big for the space available. Hopefully that will change
@Keithmac. Was it a forced update? Sonos itself can be srt not to update automatically and the app update will depend on your general app update preferences, will it not?

It is forced if you wish to add new a newly purchased unit, as the OP stated.
Fair point and apologies. On my phone and clearly didn't read carefully enough.
Userlevel 7
Badge +16
@Keithmac. Was it a forced update? Sonos itself can be srt not to update automatically and the app update will depend on your general app update preferences, will it not?

I was adding a new Play1 for upstairs, I had no option to decline the update if I wanted to use my new speaker.

All my controllers were set not to automatically update but adding hardware circumvented that..