Windows Controller update

  • 28 October 2017
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Is the Windows desktop software going the (tragic) way of the mobile app? Or does the latest upgrade leave the UI alone?
I can't stand the new app, and have postponed updating my Windows Controller to avoid further annoyance.

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The Win/ Mac apps are pretty much the same, but I haven't found a way to get all of my controllers back to a previous version. The mobile app is awful. I got stuck in between versions and started losing functionality within my controllers because of the update. I couldn't update my library, for instance, so when I started doing th update and saw how useless it was, I tried rolling things back and ended up with devices that wouldn't rejoin the network and lost playlists.

This is the biggest mess regarding my Sonos I've had to deal with in five years. I don't have time to clean up my whole system every time I'm forced to do an update I don't want or need, which is why I've been spending so much time in the community, something I rarely do, to see if there is a way back to the friendly, useful environment I enjoyed so much.
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There is no sign the PC or Mac apps will ever change their UI: the front-ends of both are considered legacy codebases. They are also used so much less than the mobile apps, so those get all of the UI effort. However, like pretty much every mobile app, every time the UI changes, people complain. This is not a problem for the PC/Mac versions as their UI is effectively frozen. If you want a different UI for PC/Mac you have to look at 3rd party apps.
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The PC/Mac UI is so frozen that they didn't even add the ability to enable Alexa for the Sonos One through the PC/Mac controller. It has to be done through one of the mobile platforms.
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Thank you all. As a fringe member of the Luddite and Tinfoil Hat societies who has no desire for a voice-activated "assistant" in my home, I'm perfectly happy to keep the legacy-coded UI. At least it doesn't blind me the way the new mobile app -- and this page! -- does. :)

Then again, I work deep enough in tech to wonder at the safety of legacy code.

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I understand how much the Windows desktop app is used compared to the mobile apps. I personally hate the new mobile apps.

That said, I believe Sonos is making a mistake not updating the win desktop app. I often work from my home office and find it convenient to control the sysem from a Windows PC. It's not exactly touch friendly and I don't like using it. Windows desktop is not exactly a fringe product. I wish Sonos would give it an update.
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It's not exactly touch friendly and I don't like using it.

There are touch-friendly Sonos-compatible apps in the Store. Try them out.
I understand how much the Windows desktop app is used compared to the mobile apps. I personally hate the new mobile apps.

That said, I believe Sonos is making a mistake not updating the win desktop app. I often work from my home office and find it convenient to control the sysem from a Windows PC. It's not exactly touch friendly and I don't like using it. Windows desktop is not exactly a fringe product. I wish Sonos would give it an update.

I use the Windows programme all the time, and I'm very happy for it to stay exactly as it is. It works perfectly, is easy to use and is very easy on the eyes, particularly in dimly lit rooms. I even bought a Windows tablet so that i could continue to use it in tablet form, rather than use the android version.
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+1 to amrun. It's not perfect but even on my surface 3 touchscreen it works well and the best tool for creating and amending playlists.