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Sonos App Redesign AMA

Sonos App Redesign AMA
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O

Where can I find the answers in the AMA? Is there a video or audio link?

VicentesMustache
Userlevel 4
Badge +1

Why is it taking an hour to get an answer to a question?  Please upvote.  Looks like the metric is 25 upvotes to get an answer.

U
Userlevel 7
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Tucker, you don’t have to roll back the App. You just need to place v16.1 back into the App store and download sites with a different name like S2.16.1

That way both Sonos and it’s Customers can have access to prior and new Apps simultaneously.

I don’t know that they CAN anymore.  They rolled out a firmware update today that limits what the old app can do.  Like, I can’t update my music library anymore with the iPad app.  

 

I think we’re stuck with “in the coming weeks” at this point.  Not great, but I guess AirPlay will work for now.  I’m not HAPPY with that result, but I’m a realist at this point.

G
Userlevel 7
Badge +8

What data did you draw on to justify this new design? Was there any information architecture analysis done? Was there any investigation at all, like user interviews, analytics, usage data, etc?

The marketing materials tout “no more tabs” as a selling point, but for me it’s one of the biggest UX regressions. The new home screen is worse than useless; it’s just a new barrier between me and the favorites screen, which is by far the most common place I’m trying to go in the app besides the now-playing screen.

 

Hello @f8dee28e-f9a0-4157-a141-ce8859 

We did go through multiple phases of assessing the current S2 structure, modified versions of it, and the tabless version that we have today. Our work has engaged existing and new Sonos users throughout, and we have pursued the path that felt the most useful and intuitive to the largest number of users overall. We understand that every user is an individual with unique needs and circumstances. My hope is that your specific needs can be addressed by personalizing your home screen so your Sonos Favorites module shows up front and center on your home screen. Doing so should make this the first thing you see when launching the app. A single tap should take you to the full view of that collection. 

 

Personalisation does not compensate for missing functionality.

V

The two most important items for me. 

  1. I recently got the Port and the functionality of the Line-In has become very limited compared to what was previously available. For example, there’s no EQ available from the volume screen anymore and pass through is missing. Can all of the functionality please be added back?
     
  2. User access creation and control for the Sonos system. My apartment has a single SSID for all tenants so anyone can see and connect to my system. I would like to have it secure and inaccessible by others on the same network. Can this functionality please be added?

Thank you!

R
Userlevel 5
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As an app developer I would really like to know why you decided to release an app that was missing core features from the previous version. This is not Madden where you can introduce features take them away and then reintroduce them at a later date as a new update. You guys really thought you could ignore the accessibility features you had in your app and release them later, whats a few weeks of not being able to use your hundreds/thousands of dollars in sound equipment right? you thought you could take away search on your local library? Alarms and timers? QUEUES, how do you mess up QUEUES in your app, especially since the screenshots released to the public of the app had the same features for queues as the 16.x app prior to its release????? This is basic stuff that a UI refresh should not remove for the sake of it which means you actively chose to ignore these features and I for one want to know WHY???? If you didnt think they were worthy of the 80.x release we want to know why?  what was the reasons this didnt get worked out before release? What is your view on regression testing because clearly either you ignored major issues or did not do any regression testing before you put this out.

O
Userlevel 6
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Probably this has already been asked, but just in case it hasn’t….

Why didn’t you inform users in advance of all the features that would be temporarily missing from the new app? Then they could have made an informed decision about whether to update their app or not. 

I
Userlevel 1
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Will you fix the inability to add collection songs from linked services to the queue?

Particularly, the "top tracks" and "artist radio" for artists from Tidal, which currently have lost the "play" button (which they had before the update) and so now became useless (because they can't be played or added to the queue..)

Congrats to all of you that released this app with so many issues!

P
Userlevel 4
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Tbh, I actually thought this was going to be a livestream, not seeing a lot of courage in taking this approach

A
Userlevel 7
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@tuckerseverson please can you explain why this app put into production before it was finished with so many features removed from the app it replaced?
I work in software development, I understand the concept of an MVP, but your old app had all of those features. By releasing this new app early without all the features your customers are used to and rely on you have managed to damage the trust your most loyal customers had in your brand and company. 
Once someone loses trust it is very difficult to win back. This could have been rolled out in a much less impactful way such as a public beta.

Bring back the old Sonos app. It was clunky, but it actually worked!
Jacob ATX
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Can Sonos answer the top comments/concerns that were posted on X, Sonos Community, and Reddit that @Keith - Sonos said many times that they were monitoring? I upvoted those posts and now cant remember everything that was noted. At this point people are so frustrated with having to post on so many threads that we’re all just sick of it at this point. 

 

When will the EQ be back on the volume bar

Truplay and distance for surround sounds for Android

individual volume option when speakers are grouped on the main volume bar

Fix lag 

Move Speaker doesnt pop up as an option if turned off

There’s other’s Im forgetting

Bumper

Probably this has already been asked, but just in case it hasn’t….

Why didn’t you inform users in advance of all the features that would be missing from the new app. Then they could have made an informed decision about whether to update their app or not. 

This is a really good question. Sonos hyped the new app, said everything would work as before, but better, but obviously this isn’t the case. Why didn’t you warn us Sonos?

S
Userlevel 3
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I just want to say there has been allot of negativity surrounding the new app launch. I just want to say the app is fantastic. I've been using it everyday since it came out last week. I know there is some future additions coming in the next weeks and will just be patient with the future roll out. Thank you Diane, Kate, Tucker, and the rest of the Sonos development team for everything you do. 

This is a joke - correct? We should be patient while we wait to get back to where we were? 

I suppose if you have one speaker and use Sonos Radio alone, it’s probably a great release.  

 

When you have 20 speakers, a NAS, and multiple streaming services, it is...not so much.

First off you obviously have no idea how to click on a persons profile to see how many Sonos products a user has or you would of not made such a ridiculous statement. Also if you had clicked on my profile you would known I DON'T use Sonos Radio. So next time do your homework. 

Second over 20 speakers? Bro you don't have 20 speakers so stop over exaggerating your circumstance. You ain't Peter Pee. 

Third, no this not a joke. I've have multiple Sonos products also multiple streaming services. Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Sirius XM, Home Theater setup, etc. All of them are working great since the 80.0 update. 

Fourth, people are complaining about the missing features like the alarms, personal playlists, etc on the Sonos app. Who uses Sonos speakers for an alarm when we all have cell phones where we can customize what we wake up to in 2024? Many streaming services have personal playlists that you can customize for yourself. Why the heck would anyone want to take up tons of memory on their phone with music when it's available on streaming music services?  Also who the heck buys music anymore?  This isn't 1994 anymore. These features that are missing are for people that don't know it's the 21st century. 

Alarms isn't just about waking up; its the ability to set radio programmes to start automaticity - particularly repetative ones.

Well alarms are back so no more complaining about that useless feature. 

U
Userlevel 3

Hi AMA team!
I almost always use my Sonos devices in groups, and with the new app, handling of group volumes is worse. Not only does it not change in real-time 

@mdpeterman

A key part of this new app was using the newer Sonos APIs, which means we did indeed rewrite the volume experience entirely.  Until this new update, our app was using an older set of technology based on UPnP and SOAP.

 

Can you make those APIs available to the community?

F
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Final nail in the coffin. I will be moving to Roon, so I am not tied down to a single manufacturer.

I will be flogging my equipment on ebay if any of you are interested. This shower of sh!t are a disgrace.

Actually roon (and MediaMonkey, USB Audio Player and others) will play through Sonos speakers. I almost never used the old  Sonos app and have no plans to use this new dog's breakfast. Keep the speakers, ditch the app.

Maybe this is a solution.

I am rather disappointed by the app and also the release process. As others mentioned before, I fail to understand why roll out something on a specific date, when is not finished. Was there any technical or commercial necessity for this date?

And also why did you create the issue with auto update instead of releasing a new app as separate/standalone app (as you did with the last app update for the sonos S2 update). The auto update forces users, which limits there options and increases their grumpiness. Giving people some decision on when to swap would have made things a lot better. And you would have got early adopters and more feedback and the chance to improve things.

Also offering some “staling” option for the old app would have been great - I would have been happy with the features of the old app for the next few decades.

Just to have also said it here, I find the navigation a lot worse. not only the use of space and the layout, but my impression is, that I have to click or slide an additional 1, 2 or 3 times to do the same action on the old app, which is serious downgrade.

B
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What was the thought process behind releasing the app update in an obviously unfinished state, instead of waiting for critical issues to be resolved?

I am stunned that Sonos released what appears to be an early Beta of the new app to such a big lead up with so many assumptions about what users were looking for.

This is Audio New Coke ! There was zero “courage” in releasing this new version…rather it was pure “ atrogance”. If you want to show genuine courage, allow users to roll back to the old version and see how many do it. You would overwhelmed.

It was extreme arrogance to spend so much on the online promotion of the new app…and barely a cent on a New Version User Guide. 
 

I have been using Sonos since it launched. I am a very experienced  user of apps, and previously used Sonos everyday. Five days on I still cannot work our how to do most of what I was able to do in the old version.
 

How did you test this? In a echo chamber, where the app designers were the testers. 
 

So again, if you think this new version is so wonderful, allow users to roll back to the old version. That is courage. You’ll be stunner by the backlash.

btw clever to release this version when you’ve just announced strong quarterlies to the stock market. The bump in share price it caused will be nothing compared to the slump once investors realise the backlash coming from users because of the arrogant manner in which this new version has been released.

D
Userlevel 5
Badge +1

Can Sonos answer the top comments/concerns that were posted on X, Sonos Community, and Reddit that @Keith - Sonos said many times that they were monitoring? At this point people are so frustrated with having to post on so many threads that we’re all just sick of it at this point. 

 

When will the EQ be back on the volume bar

Truplay and distance for surround sounds for Android

individual volume option when speakers are grouped on the main volume bar

Fix lag 

Move Speaker doesnt pop up as an option if turned off

There’s other’s Im forgetting

 

 

Trueplay is also broken on iOS, at least for the arc/home theater setups. Doesn’t get past second phase.

K
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Tucker, you don’t have to roll back the App. You just need to place v16.1 back into the App store and download sites with a different name like S2.16.1

That way both Sonos and it’s Customers can have access to prior and new Apps simultaneously.

I don’t know that they CAN anymore.  They rolled out a firmware update today that limits what the old app can do.  Like, I can’t update my music library anymore with the iPad app.  

 

I think we’re stuck with “in the coming weeks” at this point.  Not great, but I guess AirPlay will work for now.  I’m not HAPPY with that result, but I’m a realist at this point.

This is more Malware than a legit app improvement.  You’ve really screwed the pooch this time! 

C
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

What data did you draw on to justify this new design? Was there any information architecture analysis done? Was there any investigation at all, like user interviews, analytics, usage data, etc?

The marketing materials tout “no more tabs” as a selling point, but for me it’s one of the biggest UX regressions. The new home screen is worse than useless; it’s just a new barrier between me and the favorites screen, which is by far the most common place I’m trying to go in the app besides the now-playing screen.

 

Hello @f8dee28e-f9a0-4157-a141-ce8859 

We did go through multiple phases of assessing the current S2 structure, modified versions of it, and the tabless version that we have today. Our work has engaged existing and new Sonos users throughout, and we have pursued the path that felt the most useful and intuitive to the largest number of users overall. We understand that every user is an individual with unique needs and circumstances. My hope is that your specific needs can be addressed by personalizing your home screen so your Sonos Favorites module shows up front and center on your home screen. Doing so should make this the first thing you see when launching the app. A single tap should take you to the full view of that collection. 

 

Personalisation does not compensate for missing functionality.


There is too much ‘scared corporate lawyer’ in the answers. We know you are not robots, but I do understand this is actually a public relations (PR) and Investor Relations (IR) event that could end up in the Wall St Journal tomorrow. We know you are trying, and would feel better if the Sonos Leadership team were also here -not watching - but helping. 
thank you 

S

I think everybody can appreciate that an app is “never finished” and if anything that there would be continual evolution of the platform.

The disappointment is about the app not being *ready*. It’s not feature equivalent with the old app and removes functionality.

I think there are two issues here:

  1. The attitude that SONOS is exhibiting towards its established customers over this. No choice, no communication ahead of time of what would be removed, just a rolled out release that actually removes some fairly fundamental functionality that many people enjoyed and took for granted as being supported. To respond to this with “an app is never finished” is condescending and fuels frustration. We know. That is not the point. We are your customers and some of us have invested heavily in this platform for several years getting on for decades). We bought in to your platform because we thought you were better than this.
  2. The competency of SONOS going forward. Being a closed ecosystem being entirely dependent on your closed source proprietary software means we’re a hostage to your ability to sustain this software. This app release is just *so* badly implemented that it really undermining to having any faith in your ability to support us in the long term. Again, we though you were better than this.

My question (as this is an AMA) is this: Do you factor in this loss of trust? Has this been costed? Was there a risk benefit analysis of releasing the app in such an unready state? Or did the the response to this app come as a surprise to you?

I don’t know which is worse currently, and I expect you will not respond due to commercial sensitivity. But a bit of genuinely engagement would be helpful to rebuild trust in your platform if you expect us to continue to invest in your system and buy new units going forward.

D
Userlevel 4
Badge +2

I just want to say there has been allot of negativity surrounding the new app launch. I just want to say the app is fantastic. I've been using it everyday since it came out last week. I know there is some future additions coming in the next weeks and will just be patient with the future roll out. Thank you Diane, Kate, Tucker, and the rest of the Sonos development team for everything you do. 

This is a joke - correct? We should be patient while we wait to get back to where we were? 

No Derrick it is not a joke. 

Wow SSL you are an easy one to please.  

C
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

What was the thought process behind releasing the app update in an obviously unfinished state, instead of waiting for critical issues to be resolved?

I am stunned that Sonos released what appears to be an early Beta of the new app to such a big lead up with so many assumptions about what users were looking for.

This is Audio New Coke ! There was zero “courage” in releasing this new version…rather it was pure “ atrogance”. If you want to show genuine courage, allow users to roll back to the old version and see how many do it. You would overwhelmed.

It was extreme arrogance to spend so much on the online promotion of the new app…and barely a cent on a New Version User Guide. 
 

I have been using Sonos since it launched. I am a very experienced  user of apps, and previously used Sonos everyday. Five days on I still cannot work our how to do most of what I was able to do in the old version.
 

How did you test this? In a echo chamber, where the app designers were the testers. 
 

So again, if you think this new version is so wonderful, allow users to roll back to the old version. That is courage. You’ll be stunner by the backlash.

btw clever to release this version when you’ve just announced strong quarterlies to the stock market. The bump in share price it caused will be nothing compared to the slump once investors realise the backlash coming from users because of the arrogant manner in which this new version has been released.

It reminds me of the Xbox game called Redfall which had awesome PR but failed to be a ‘good’ game. 

T
Userlevel 5
Badge +4

I suspect like politicians, they have to tow the company line.  We probably aren’t going to get anything useful out of them.  Let’s see what happens when the press read this.

B
Userlevel 5
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Please upvote this post: Can you please provide an immediate easy way to rollback the mobile app to the prior version for those who can’t make the current version meet their needs.

Thanks @bkk. Also, @nelliott and others had similar questions.

Rolling back to the previous version of the Sonos app is likely to cause issues. As Sonos continues to advance forward with new updates to the firmware, the old apps will fall out of compatibility quickly. Our priority is to release improvements to the Sonos app rapidly to address your needs.

Well, I rolled back to the previous version a couple of hours after the upgrade, and I have had no issues at all. 

Same here.  I rolled back and will stay rolled back.  The issue is that I will keep being told to upgrade.  I would prefer to not have that constant niggle.  However, I’m the same as you - rolled back and staying at 16.1.

 

This post is right on the money..but..pls just tell me..how did you roll back to the previous version? I am desperate to do that?

J
Userlevel 3

What was the thought process behind releasing the app update in an obviously unfinished state, instead of waiting for critical issues to be resolved?

Thank you @veryblocky @YorkSteve @umiami91. Since you all had similar questions, I’d like to answer them together.

An app is never finished! 

It’s probably a good idea to give you some background. This is a new app - we started from an empty project file. As the project progressed, we stopped investing our time in the old app code. Over time we “cross-faded” our engineering attention into the new app. We need to make the new app be the app going forward so we stop splitting our attention.

We decided that now is the moment to bring you the new app. This is the beginning, and we will be continually iterating going forward. As I said - an app is never finished.

I’ve been where you’re at having to make the hard choice to stop investing in an old codebase and bring things forward to align with company strategies for the future. In my 20+ years in product management, I’ve seen quite a lot and I can probably guess with a fair amount of accuracy the challenges you’ve had to deal with leading up to this. We ride the line between business needs and being advocates for the customer. So we make tough choices. Yes, the app isn’t perfect and I can’t see the market pressure to bring this update live right at this moment but here’s a bit of friendly (and frustrated) advice for you going forward.

  • You have unhappy customers. Many of them. Things are broken. Focus now on bringing back core functionality to parity so at the very least your user base can use their systems. I’m not talking about quality of life features. I’m talking about basic connectivity and play functions. This is critical fix time, those should bubble up to the top of your prioritization.
  • I see an update was released today. Bravo. Do this more regularly. Nothing repairs a broken relationship more than quick action that lets others know you’re listening.
  • The timetable for releases is a good start but provide a more finite and longer view of your update schedule. Include bug fixes in that calendar.
  • ALWAYS provide detailed release notes - not something you pulled from a Jira report or whatever you folks use.
  • Communicate and do it often bordering on over communicating! Take off your marketing hat and speak plainly to your user base. Communicate as if you were talking to a friend of yours not a customer. Keith is doing a great job as much as he can but users should be hearing from you. You’re the captain of this ship. 
  • Find a better forum for AMAs. This one did not go well. You’re damaging your market share with these types of missteps.
  • Balance the business with customer needs by leaning heavy on customer issues first and adding strategic features slowly and more often as you work through the backlog of parity issues. 
  • Re-engage your beta test group and invite more users to that group. I know this was done but feedback online reports that beta testers were not heard. Correct this for future rounds. Publicize beta test results.

     
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