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Windows 10 Controller


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Do you have plans to ship a Windows 10 Store app which can be used from multiple Windows devices (PC, Phone, Xbox) to control the Sonos experience?

We are a Windows household and the desktop controller that exists for PC today is heavy and not very touch friendly. The third party Windows Phone app, Phonos, is fills a void, but not nearly as feature rich as the Android or iOS app. This has been requested for several years (https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/support-windows-8-rt-for-surface-tablet-and-windows-phone-8-for-mobile-devices-4593709) and the product management team does not address this gap beyond a blanket we have no news statement. I understand that choices have to be made. If you do not plan to address this in the net 12 months then can you at least make your API public with your apps being first and best examples of how to use that API so others can fill the gap for you?

Instead of a lot of "+1" and "me too" threads please show your support by voting on the poll below so we can get a count of the number of people who are interested in a Windows 10 app.
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Best answer by Kenneth R 15 April 2016, 19:05

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Would you use a Windows 10 Sonos controller app?


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411 replies

Can I add my voice to those requesting a controller app to use on Windows Mobile. It's a real pain having to borrow an Android device from my wife or kids or use one of the well intentioned but clanky "home made" apps from the Windows Store.

Please!!!
Windows Mobile has a market share of 2-3 %, according to http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp . It is not very economical to create a Sonos client for such a small minority. As Windows Mobile user, you should be aware of that and should have been aware before you purchased such a device.

Improving the Android and iOS client will reach way more people than a Windows client.

On your desktop you can use the desktop controller. Touchscreen Windows devices are still a minority as well, albeit possibly rising in number.

Maybe the whole situation will change with Windows 10, I would not yet count on it.

28 Votes? Sonos is not going to write an app for 28 votes. Come on people if you really want the app then you have to do something about it.
VOTE!!!!


Oh! Seems you found all the 28 people using Windows mobile! Congrats! ;)
Surface tablets are growing at double digit rates. All this talk about Windows not having a large enough base (particularly in the touch screen tablet/phone market) is just short-sighted. I want to hang out on my couch with my Surface Tablet and use a touch Sonos App. When is that going to be available????
I have now converted every computer, tablet and phone in my house to Windows 10 or Windows mobile 10. While my Surface Pro and HP Windows tablet use the Sonos Windows controller software, I don't have a really good phone controller. I would add my voice to others that would REALLY, REALLY like to have an app on my Windows 10 phone. My wife's old version 1 Sonos controllers are on their last legs and my wife would like something familiar to replace them. I really don't would to resort to an Android solution. Thanks.
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This is getting absolutely ridiculous, Sonos customer support is abysmal, they are treating us Windows users with contempt by not supporting a request to have a modern, functional app for Windows 10. I'm trying to add content to my playlists from my Groove service and getting an error "Unable to Browse Music", I'm seriously frustrated.

Sonos, engage your custmers, your lack of response to requests is ignorant and demeaning !
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Come on guys 10,920 views on this, with no answer!
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Hello everyone,

Thanks for sharing your voice and suggestions here with us. We're always around, reading and monitoring every conversation here. We make sure to pass on the interest to our project management teams too.

As a rule, Sonos doesn't publish a roadmap, and we don't talk about what's coming in the future. On the topic of a native Windows 10 app using their universal app platform or designed for mobile we don't have any news right now. There aren't any plans to be made public regarding a controller for the platform. If there's anything new, we'll update you all.

There are some controllers developed by other companies that might work for you, and of course, we offer our own free controllers for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows PCs. There isn't a universal Sonos app available for Windows 10, but the Sonos controller for Windows will run on Windows 10 computers.
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Ryan, your response is the typical canned gibberish that I have learnt to expect from Sonos, it's ineffective and shows the lack of commitment your organization has to a loyal customer base. Your windows desktop client is archaic and in my case non functional. This response "We make sure to pass on the interest to our project management teams too" is infuriating, for years its a canned response to an obviously ineffective program management team who have chose to ignore Windows. The fact that you offer an iOS or Android App is of no interest to me, I use Windows.

Sonos wake up, listen to your customers.
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Hi guys. It's all the more frustrating because it's so easy to port the app from iOS! Tell you what Sonos. You give me the source code and I'll have it ported in a few days.
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There are some controllers developed by other companies that might work for you, and of course, we offer our own free controllers for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows PCs. There isn't a universal Sonos app available for Windows 10, but the Sonos controller for Windows will run on Windows 10 computers.

Ryan, for those of us who need to make purchasing decisions, it would be very useful to understand how (or if) Windows will be a supported platform going forward.

In addition, If the current Win32 app is going to lose support, can you please tell us so we can make plans accordingly.
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There are some controllers developed by other companies that might work for you, and of course, we offer our own free controllers for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows PCs. There isn't a universal Sonos app available for Windows 10, but the Sonos controller for Windows will run on Windows 10 computers.

Ryan, for those of us who need to make purchasing decisions, it would be very useful to understand how (or if) Windows will be a supported platform going forward.

In addition, If the current Win32 app is going to lose support, can you please tell us so we can make plans accordingly.


Right behind on that one scoob101! Before I expand my Sonos system, I need to know that I'm not going to be left in the lurch! I recently moved from iPhone to Windows (mostly due to boredum with iOS). This really is the last piece in the moving from Mac to PC jigsaw puzzle for me :)

So to know that something is on the way would be very useful. Also I'm up for any Beta testing to move the project forward, as I think the rest of us are!
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Seem Sonos can't take a little criticism so here are the edited highlights.

You know I think I could actually have written this drivel. It is the same response that Sonos have peddled for 10% of my life so far. That is over three years of what we shall charitably call non-commitment. In that time you have shamelessly redesigned this website to bury the old thread to avoid the inconvenience of it being your top request, as well as removing the metric which let the world now that is was your top request. You've poured time, resources and money into untested, and unsuccessful ventures such as Tidal and gimmicks like Trueplay all while neglecting the WP user base.

This refusal to commit is frankly disgusting, it is tantamount to lying to your customers in order to keep their sales. It has turned me off massively to the point where I haven't got rid of my components (gone to far for that having 2 Play 5s, 2 Play 3s, 4 Play1s, Playbar & Sub) but I will never recommend your equipment to my friends, family or customers again.

I hope this meets with the censor's approval, if not please let me know which parts are offensive and I will edit them...
So, instead of Sonos, I guess you will be recommending all the other multi-room wireless streaming systems who don't "lie to their customers in order to keep their sales" and fully support a Windows mobile app? Care to name them?
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Lieing to a customer would be saying they would support windows mobile and not. Sonos has never implored they were in anything I have seen. If such a think we're important to me I would not have purchased a product that had no support for something that was so critical to my enjoyment of. My opinion.
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Lieing to a customer would be saying they would support windows mobile and not. Sonos has never implored they were in anything I have seen. If such a think we're important to me I would not have purchased a product that had no support for something that was so critical to my enjoyment of. My opinion.

I said tantamount to lying. But perhaps deceiving would have been a better word.
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Hi Chris. Totally true. I took the risk on going down the Windows route. Sonos never lied. I think it's just Been an assumption. We all saw that it makes so much sense for Sonos to do it, due to the x86 retiring. They're gonna have to do it sooner or later. Just get it done or put us out of our misery!
I said tantamount to lying. But perhaps deceiving would have been a better word.

They have repeatedly stated there are no plans at this time to support a Windows app. The fact that some people read "at this time" and interpret it as "Oh goody, goody gumdrops!!! It must be coming soon!" is not Sonos' fault, nor is it "tantamount to lying" or "deceiving".
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So, instead of Sonos, I guess you will be recommending all the other multi-room wireless streaming systems who don't "lie to their customers in order to keep their sales" and fully support a Windows mobile app? Care to name them?

It's a fair point. The main reason I would not recommend Sonos however is not that its rivals are better at WP support, but they are far more open and honest about their intentions. All in all I would recommend the Jongo line, they have at least made an effort with the Bluetooth functionality to accommodate those outside the duopoly and here's the thing, they actually ruled a WP app out to me on the phone some time ago. That is the thing that has infuriated me with Sonos, this lack of communication that they try and dress up as an asset, like it increases the mystic or some other corporate lunacy. It doesn't increase mystic, it winds people up.
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I said tantamount to lying. But perhaps deceiving would have been a better word.

They have repeatedly stated there are no plans at this time to support a Windows app. The fact that some people read "at this time" and interpret it as "Oh goody, goody gumdrops!!! It must be coming soon!" is not Sonos' fault, nor is it "tantamount to lying" or "deceiving".


Try rereading, they say "No news" not "No plans". If they were to say there were no plans that would actually make me happier than this constant evasion.
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Hi Chris. Totally true. I took the risk on going down the Windows route. Sonos never lied. I think it's just Been an assumption. We all saw that it makes so much sense for Sonos to do it, due to the x86 retiring. They're gonna have to do it sooner or later. Just get it done or put us out of our misery!
Again, tantamount to lying, I never said they have straight out lied. Constantly giving non-committal answers because you know that a negative will hurt sales is disingenuous, even if it is not an outright falsehood.
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Hi jgatie. Agreed. I think frustration comes from Sonos developing support for so many services, but not Windows 10, despite it always being at the top of requests.
Hi jgatie. Agreed. I think frustration comes from Sonos developing support for so many services, but not Windows 10, despite it always being at the top of requests.

It's at the top of requests, but this site and the last are a decidedly unscientific poll which is easily gamed. I'm sure Sonos has more accurate market data upon which it based its development decisions. As an Android owner, I know I had to wait years for Android support, and no amount of informal polls or pleading posts changed the fact that Android was ignored until the market share it claimed made it unable to ignore.
Hi Chris. Totally true. I took the risk on going down the Windows route. Sonos never lied. I think it's just Been an assumption. We all saw that it makes so much sense for Sonos to do it, due to the x86 retiring. They're gonna have to do it sooner or later. Just get it done or put us out of our misery!
Again, tantamount to lying, I never said they have straight out lied. Constantly giving non-committal answers because you know that a negative will hurt sales is disingenuous, even if it is not an outright falsehood.


If a negative hurt sales, you'd see them supporting Windows mobile. The fact is, all companies speak corporate speak, and in corporate speak, "at this time" is not tantamount to lying or deceit, it is tantamount to saying "NO!". And again,the fact you interpret it as the former and not the latter is on you, not Sonos.
I said tantamount to lying. But perhaps deceiving would have been a better word.

They have repeatedly stated there are no plans at this time to support a Windows app. The fact that some people read "at this time" and interpret it as "Oh goody, goody gumdrops!!! It must be coming soon!" is not Sonos' fault, nor is it "tantamount to lying" or "deceiving".


Try rereading, they say "No news" not "No plans". If they were to say there were no plans that would actually make me happier than this constant evasion.


Sonos has repeatedly stated they are not currently developing a Windows app. The "no news" statement is a continuation of that position. Unless they actually said there was an app coming and then gave you "no news", your case for deceit is quite lacking. The fact is, they never said an app was coming and you allowed yourself to interpret differently, and you now feel betrayed by your own interpretation. Period.
So, instead of Sonos, I guess you will be recommending all the other multi-room wireless streaming systems who don't "lie to their customers in order to keep their sales" and fully support a Windows mobile app? Care to name them?

It's a fair point. The main reason I would not recommend Sonos however is not that its rivals are better at WP support, but they are far more open and honest about their intentions. All in all I would recommend the Jongo line, they have at least made an effort with the Bluetooth functionality to accommodate those outside the duopoly and here's the thing, they actually ruled a WP app out to me on the phone some time ago. That is the thing that has infuriated me with Sonos, this lack of communication that they try and dress up as an asset, like it increases the mystic or some other corporate lunacy. It doesn't increase mystic, it winds people up.


Sorry, but I have to call BS. As evidence I give the long running hires music thread. Sonos declared in large, bold type that Hires music was "Not Planned". Not one hires enthusiast took this at face value, instead they doubled down on speculation, accusation, threats, derision, insults, demands for explanations and outright denial that Sonos had given the final answer. Two thing they didn't do? Thank Sonos for being honest, and sell their gear (outside of a couple that claimed to sell it, yet continued to make post after post). Now granted these were hardcore hires fans, but forgive me if I possibly misinterpret your previously deleted post as an indication of you being anything but a hardcore Windows fan.