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Class Action Lawsuit re New USELESS App Class Action Lawsuit


Whomever is interested in joining a class action lawsuit

 

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Userlevel 5
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Adding to the pile – $3,500 invested in Sonos hardware, all rendered unusable by the new app. I work in IT and spent the last 4 days troubleshooting my devices and network to no avail. Furthest I got was connecting the Sonos Arc via ethernet after factory reset, but the “Manage Networks” settings page of the new app is blank, so no way to switch to WiFi. All my hardware is now useless.

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I’m a Sonos user for over a decade with thousands of dollars invested. If you are among the many users like me whose hardware has been rendered inoperable by the new app, despite hours of troubleshooting and factory resets, please contact me directly. Your experience is not unique and we are gathering a list of people to potentially add to a class action lawsuit for hardware-breaking changes to the Sonos app.

Userlevel 3
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I understand and support the sentiment, but I think class action is a bit strong.

The real issue here, as I see it, is that the new app has just been released prematurely.

We are told that the features we all miss are to be released in 6-8 weeks.

So, why didn’t Sonos just wait?

The best thing they could do now, the thing that would show us they are actually listening and care would be to make the previous app available again.

Yes, there’d be some bruised egos within Sonos, embarrassment & egg on face all round, but it is, perhaps, the adult and professional thing to do.

It might even undo some of the reputation damage Sonos have suffered.

 

 

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Why are some folks such p******. Patience my a**. They should have never released this before it was sorted out. This was a blatant attempt to rub out everyone with a music library. We are the very people that have supported our generation of artists for 50+ yrs unlike the current generation of freeloaders that want all their music for free. They are trying to capture streaming revenue at the expense of those of us that have already contributed. Saddest part is the market will be flooded with Sonos equipment which will make it worthless. Thank God I have S1 gear in 2 locations still!! That is the only solution at present

 

If this goes CA, I am all in!! Keep us informed!

I’m never gonna get bored of reporting abusive or derogatory language.  If you need to resort to that, you’ve lost the argument already.  Try to keep a civil tongue.

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We are mad because OUR music is how we relax. When you can't access YOUR music, you get madd….quickly. The simple fact is Sonos has failed miserably. Like mentioned elsewhere, no where in that timeliness is restoration of music library access mentioned. This stinks. Reinstalling my old S1 bridge and connect. Until they get their * together or I learn about new options

*Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.*

Userlevel 2

Whomever is interested in joining a class action lawsuit, kindly leave your name and email address.

For goodness sake, how ridiculous.  

Just for context, I have the new app and here is the what I can and can’t do:

Yes:  play music by voice (Sonos, Alexa)

Yes: access my locally stored music with the app

Yes: access my music services (inc Amazon) with the app

coming soon: alarms

coming soon: queue management.

Bug fixes will come along with the already promised (with dates given) updates.  The only grey area is when local library search will return.

For the most part I can use the app to do what I want albeit it being glitchy. 

You want to sue because you can’t wait a few weeks for parity with the old app??   What are your material losses, or have you suffered emotional trauma ?  Jeez you sound like the kind of person who would sue if your breakfast milk was sour.   The whole idea is ridiculous, but go ahead and waste your money.  

 

 

 

 

@Andrew-s please understand that you’re one of the lucky ones.  I went from being a happy Sonos consumer enjoying whole home audio.  Now I can’t use the 14 Sonos devices I own without large jumps in volume, speaker groups randomly stopping and starting whether they were selected or not.  

I’m not looking to sue at all.  However a lot of folks are sitting on bricks.  The idea is not unreasonable. 

If you are at all curious, I have a video of my experience.  It might help you understand what your system isn’t doing - but others are dealing with.

 

We are mad because OUR music is how we relax. When you can't access YOUR music….

Your argument is premised on the argument that local library access has been removed.  Categorically it hasn’t.  I have access to my local library with the new app.  Not coincidently, so does everyone I know.  What is current missing is the quick access A-Z scrolling (no comment yet from Sonos) and the local library search and setup (to be restored in June).

it’s ok for you to get angry, but at least be focused on what your angry at.  If you’ve lost local library access there is a reason, and maybe your first port of call maybe should be help from the community here or from Sonos support, and not from a lawyer.  It’s possible that your library uses SMB1 protocol for instance, in which case Sonos (along with everyone else) has removed this due to security weaknesses.  There will be a solution whatever the cause is.  Litigation isn’t the answer to all life’s problems.  

I understand and support the sentiment, but I think class action is a bit strong.

The real issue here, as I see it, is that the new app has just been released prematurely.

We are told that the features we all miss are to be released in 6-8 weeks.

So, why didn’t Sonos just wait?

The best thing they could do now, the thing that would show us they are actually listening and care would be to make the previous app available again.

Yes, there’d be some bruised egos within Sonos, embarrassment & egg on face all round, but it is, perhaps, the adult and professional thing to do.

It might even undo some of the reputation damage Sonos have suffered.

 

 

It stands to reason that the reason they didn’t just wait to release the new app till all features were presented and better tested is the same reason they are not just rolling back to the older version of the app.  

@Andrew-s please understand that you’re one of the lucky ones.  I went from being a happy Sonos consumer enjoying whole home audio.  Now I can’t use the 14 Sonos devices I own without large jumps in volume, speaker groups randomly stopping and starting whether they were selected or not.  

I’m not looking to sue at all.  However a lot of folks are sitting on bricks.  The idea is not unreasonable. 

If you are at all curious, I have a video of my experience.  It might help you understand what your system isn’t doing - but others are dealing with.

 

Hi Keith thanks for your post.  Sorry I’m not able to look at your video at the moment — I’m supposed to be working and these forums are too distracting 😋

I have said that I am completely sympathetic for those people who have lost all or part of their systems due to this upgrade.  I can only imagine how I’d feel and yes of course Sonos needs to communicate what the issue here is and when the fix will come. Of course it can’t come soon enough.  

 

But right from the get-go I’ve lost all sympathy for those decrying the loss of the volume numbers, or the alarms and other such things, when it is clear that these didn’t make the cut in the initial release.  Their cry’s of despair lack any sense of proportionality.  Even now people are posting (often in block caps) how Sonos have ‘removed’ the mute button, or the local library (see above) often using foul or derogatory / abusive language.  This is partly (largely?) Spnos’s fault in not communicating the changes made and the changes coming.  
  I hope a fix is coming your way soon.
 

 

 

Userlevel 4
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Sign me up.  Glad to be the named plaintiff.  Have thousands invested in SONOS speakers, which are now useless to me.  I’m 76 years old and bought SPEAKERS, MANY SPEAKERS!.  I didn’t sign up for a monopolistic new music service that not functionally blocks access to many decades of private music libraries, Pandora, LineIn, etc.  They are speakers for God’s sake.  This new “update” is like Ford or General Motors issuing a software update that effectively blocks me from driving my 8 year old non electric vehicle.  Contact me!

And yet another guy who has had so many years (such that you have a Play:3) of faultless operation that you haven’t needed any support or any need to sign up until this week.  The new app doesn’t do any of these things you said.  You could at least look at the official line from sonos as to the upcoming upgrades that will restore parity with the old app.  I have the new app have access to my own local library and I have access to my subscribe service (Amazon music).    It’s interesting that, having joined, you haven’t reached out for any assistance either from the long established community here or from the mods, no details or specifics about your particular issues or setup?  Instead your VERY first post is to demand litigation.   There must be something very off with your worldview.

I am new on ‘the community’ forum, but only because of the new app. I have used and loved SONO’s for many many years. Love their speakers, and even though I always thought updates to the app would be nice, I've not had any complaints about the app and how the system works, I have recommended and helped friends, families and businesses set up their SONO’s systems. My main complaint about the new app is that they released it way before it was ready and instead of improving anything, they got rid of some of the cool features that already worked. I’m using the app and speakers are working but unlike the previous version, I cannot edit my playlists. Cannot add or delete songs from the SONO’s play lists that i have built over the many years I have been using. Now I have to create a playlist on another app, then import it, so now I must start over. I’ve seen MANY other comments about this and everyone I know that uses the Sono’s system is complaining about the same thing. I have not seen an update scheduled to fix this. I will not jump ship and have faith that they will fix, i just wish I knew when. The world has not stopped spinning and it’s not going to kill me to wait, but this new app is horrible and not planned correctly. For a ‘tech’ company, I would have thought more planning and maybe a beta version released before they forced the update. 

Hi Klrmlr

 

here are the scheduled updates

 

Available now
 

To access these changes, check for updates in the iOS / Android app store to download the latest version of the Sonos app. Make sure your Sonos products are also up to date.

  • Adding and editing alarms
  • VoiceOver on iOS now properly interacts with individual elements of the Sonos app's home screen.


Coming soon

  • Additional improvements to screen reader for visually impaired customers: May 21
  • Adding to queue and playing next: early June
  • Sleep timer: mid-June
  • Snooze alarms: mid-June
  • Local music library search and playback: mid-June
  • Update WiFi settings: mid-June

Andrew you should add an asterisk to the alarms entry as there is a bug causing the alarms to go off at the wrong time . Wouldn’t want to create the false impression that they work imo  

 

 

Andrew you should add an asterisk to the alarms entry as there is a bug causing the alarms to go off at the wrong time . Wouldn’t want to create the false impression that they work imo  

 

 

I wouldn’t know, I don’t use ‘em and I’m *way* past caring 😁😁😁

Userlevel 4
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Hi Klrmlr

 

here are the scheduled updates

 

Available now
 

To access these changes, check for updates in the iOS / Android app store to download the latest version of the Sonos app. Make sure your Sonos products are also up to date.

  • Adding and editing alarms
  • VoiceOver on iOS now properly interacts with individual elements of the Sonos app's home screen.


Coming soon

  • Additional improvements to screen reader for visually impaired customers: May 21
  • Adding to queue and playing next: early June
  • Sleep timer: mid-June
  • Snooze alarms: mid-June
  • Local music library search and playback: mid-June
  • Update WiFi settings: mid-June

So I did see this and thank you for adding this to this thread but it does not, unless I’m reading it incorrectly, say anything about being able to edit the playlists. Nothing about bringing back adding music to SONO’s playlists, removing music from SONO’s playlists or editing them at all. That’s my concern. The little things, but important to some, seeing the album artwork has been removed and it would be nice to see that again, but it’s not on this list. Again, unless I am reading these wrong. 

Userlevel 3
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Many customers slowly built/expanded their Sonos home stereo systems SOLELY because of a set of PARTICULAR features that Sonos delivered (I have 13 speakers incl an Arc and the sub, for instance). I've been using Sonos for 10 years and, after year 4 or 5 years, I abandoned my old, expensive high-fidelity sound system because of the "flexibility features" Sonos offers, and the sound quality of Sonos is very good (with constant EQ adjustments).

If, say, that when Sonos first hit the market it had 20 features and 10 of them were important to me, which compelled me to purchase their product (note that there were 10 other features that were NOT important to me). Let's call this the S1 era.

Over time, Sonos adds another 15 features and I use/enjoy 5 of the new features, but the other 10 are NOT important to me. So now we have 35 features of which 15 are important to me and 20 that are NOT important. Let's call this S2 era.

For the latest app revision, Sonos adds 5 more features and NONE of them are needed or important to me. So, in this scenario there are now 40 features, and 15 are important to me. However, in this last release Sonos suddenly REMOVES 10 of the 15 important/favorite features from my 13-speaker music and audio ecosystem!!! Adding INSULT to INJURY, Sonos says they were courageous in their radical changes to the Sonos system features!!!

It's like buying a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home w a 2-car garage and, overnight, the home you bought with hard-earned money became a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home w no garage, but it's got lots of bells and whistles on it that you don't need!!! 

As the saying goes, it's like someone peeing on my leg and telling me it's raining. Just disgusting.

The ARROGANCE of Sonos management, and DISMISSIVENESS of it's long term, loyal customers and evangelists is appalling. Sonos was successful early because of customers like me. It's growth now seems dependent on appealing to a broader market of mainstream users who want easy and flashy, verses a feature-rich product that requires a learning-curve and intelligence to enjoy. I see a market opportunity for the latter products, unless Sonos works hard to maintain its power-user customers.

Userlevel 4
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Many customers slowly built/expanded their Sonos home stereo systems SOLELY because of a set of PARTICULAR features that Sonos delivered (I have 13 speakers incl an Arc and the sub, for instance). I've been using Sonos for 10 years and, after year 4 or 5 years, I abandoned my old, expensive high-fidelity sound system because of the "flexibility features" Sonos offers, and the sound quality of Sonos is very good (with constant EQ adjustments).

If, say, that when Sonos first hit the market it had 20 features and 10 of them were important to me, which compelled me to purchase their product (note that there were 10 other features that were NOT important to me). Let's call this the S1 era.

Over time, Sonos adds another 15 features and I use/enjoy 5 of the new features, but the other 10 are NOT important to me. So now we have 35 features of which 15 are important to me and 20 that are NOT important. Let's call this S2 era.

For the latest app revision, Sonos adds 5 more features and NONE of them are needed or important to me. So, in this scenario there are now 40 features, and 15 are important to me. However, in this last release Sonos suddenly REMOVES 10 of the 15 important/favorite features from my 13-speaker music and audio ecosystem!!! Adding INSULT to INJURY, Sonos says they were courageous in their radical changes to the Sonos system features!!!

It's like buying a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home w a 2-car garage and, overnight, the home you bought with hard-earned money became a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home w no garage, but it's got lots of bells and whistles on it that you don't need!!! 

As the saying goes, it's like someone peeing on my leg and telling me it's raining. Just disgusting.

The ARROGANCE of Sonos management, and DISMISSIVENESS of it's long term, loyal customers and evangelists is appalling. Sonos was successful early because of customers like me. It's growth now seems dependent on appealing to a broader market of mainstream users who want easy and flashy, verses a feature-rich product that requires a learning-curve and intelligence to enjoy. I see a market opportunity for the latter products, unless Sonos works hard to maintain its power-user customers.

Well said! Thank you! 

Userlevel 1

Man, Andrew-s is in defense of Sonos big-time. I came on here just to say to you Andrew-s that with the new app update Sonos removed many everyday features that people were used to. A feature being gone is not a bug bro. 

It would be like lutron updating their app and removing the feature to dim the lights, create scenes, set timers etc but then saying well the lights still turn on, and will bring all that stuff back slowly but surely but at least you can turn your rooms on and off easier!

I think we can all agree that they removed a ton of features from the new app and with the exception of Andrew (who apparently it hasn't affected him at all)  many of us are very frustrated.

Andrew bud, just relax for a little bit and try and let everyone vent and stop calling features that they removed bugs!

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

Man, Andrew-s is in defense of Sonos big-time. I came on here just to say to you Andrew-s that with the new app update Sonos removed many everyday features that people were used to. A feature being gone is not a bug bro. You seem like the real troll here my friend!

It would be like lutron updating their app and removing the feature to dim the lights, create scenes, set timers etc but then saying well the lights still turn on, and will bring all that stuff back slowly but surely but at least you can turn your rooms on and off easier!

I think we can all agree that they removed a ton of features from the new app and with the exception of Andrew (who apparently it hasn't affected him at all)  many of us are very frustrated.

Andrew bud, just relax for a little bit and try and let everyone vent and stop calling features that they removed bugs!

 

Andrew has every right to feel the way he feels and every right to express it here.  Him opining that some are making a bigger deal than needs to be made doesn’t cancel out or censure your opinion/venting in any way.  So let him express what he wants, everybody’s opinion is welcome.

Userlevel 1

Man, Andrew-s is in defense of Sonos big-time. I came on here just to say to you Andrew-s that with the new app update Sonos removed many everyday features that people were used to. A feature being gone is not a bug bro. You seem like the real troll here my friend!

It would be like lutron updating their app and removing the feature to dim the lights, create scenes, set timers etc but then saying well the lights still turn on, and will bring all that stuff back slowly but surely but at least you can turn your rooms on and off easier!

I think we can all agree that they removed a ton of features from the new app and with the exception of Andrew (who apparently it hasn't affected him at all)  many of us are very frustrated.

Andrew bud, just relax for a little bit and try and let everyone vent and stop calling features that they removed bugs!

 

Andrew has every right to feel the way he feels and every right to express it here.  Him opining that some are making a bigger deal than needs to be made doesn’t cancel out or censure your opinion/venting in any way.  So let him express what he wants, everybody’s opinion is welcome.

I agree he can express what he wants and that we all should be able to express what we want and how we feel. It just didn't seem like he was being very fair to the people raising valid concerns.

I like many of you have been with Sonos for many years and slowly invested more and more money in them over time.

This update is far and above one of the worst things that they have ever done in my mind. And I've experienced the highs and the lows. 

It does not seem fathomable that you release and app and remove over a dozen features that many people use everyday. Hopefully we can all at least agree on that!

I agree he can express what he wants and that we all should be able to express what we want and how we feel. It just didn't seem like he was being very fair to the people raising valid concerns.

I like many of you have been with Sonos for many years and slowly invested more and more money in them over time.

This update is far and above one of the worst things that they have ever done in my mind. And I've experienced the highs and the lows. 

It does not seem fathomable that you release and app and remove over a dozen features that many people use everyday. Hopefully we can all at least agree on that!

 

I agree.  Andrew sees it differently.  I’ve been on his side in the past, and I would be remiss if I didn’t defend his right to express that side.  I just think too much effort is wasted trying to stifle dissent, as if one person saying “Meh, it ain’t that bad to me” is some sort of crushing blow to the opposition, or anything else other than one person’s opinion.  Stop fighting other posters, and concentrate on something that will facilitate the quickest and easiest solution for you, be it selling your gear or just posting your specific complaints (or even just venting).

Userlevel 1

I agree he can express what he wants and that we all should be able to express what we want and how we feel. It just didn't seem like he was being very fair to the people raising valid concerns.

I like many of you have been with Sonos for many years and slowly invested more and more money in them over time.

This update is far and above one of the worst things that they have ever done in my mind. And I've experienced the highs and the lows. 

It does not seem fathomable that you release and app and remove over a dozen features that many people use everyday. Hopefully we can all at least agree on that!

 

I agree.  Andrew sees it differently.  I’ve been on his side in the past, and I would be remiss if I didn’t defend his right to express that side.  I just think too much effort is wasted trying to stifle dissent, as if one person saying “Meh, it ain’t that bad to me” is some sort of crushing blow to the opposition, or anything else other than one person’s opinion.  Stop fighting other posters, and concentrate on something that will facilitate the quickest and easiest solution for you, be it selling your gear or just posting your specific complaints (or even just venting).

In all seriousness then what would be a good workaround for the current situation? I'm not proposing a class action lawsuit because as nice as that sounds it's not going to help us get where we want to get. 

For me personally I'm not in the camp of wanting to destroy my stuff office space style. 

I probably will look into assistant like savant for our next home mainly because you can use one app to control a lot more stuff. It's not perfect either obviously.

Sonos equipment does hold It's value very nicely even in times like this so the good thing is when the time comes whether it be in a year or 5 years it should still be worth some good money.

Either way you and Andrew both know that they messed up whether you are willing to admit it or not. I think an easier solution would have been for them to just wait until a lot of the core features were intact. 

I personally don't use Spotify or other apps to control Sonos. I've only always used the app exclusively. 

I'm wondering if some of you guys are big time shareholders in the company and that's why you're defending them so much? Seems a little bit like the TSLA crowd around here and how they can get at times. 

I do hope that Sonos will get their act together quickly especially since they will not let us roll back to the old version in the meantime.

In the meantime I do respect all opinions, it just seems a little bit fishy that some of y'all can't admit that they made the wrong move.

In all seriousness then what would be a good workaround for the current situation? I'm not proposing a class action lawsuit because as nice as that sounds it's not going to help us get where we want to get. 

For me personally I'm not in the camp of wanting to destroy my stuff office space style. 

I probably will look into assistant like savant for our next home mainly because you can use one app to control a lot more stuff. It's not perfect either obviously.

Sonos equipment does hold It's value very nicely even in times like this so the good thing is when the time comes whether it be in a year or 5 years it should still be worth some good money.

Either way you and Andrew both know that they messed up whether you are willing to admit it or not. I think an easier solution would have been for them to just wait until a lot of the core features were intact. 

I personally don't use Spotify or other apps to control Sonos. I've only always used the app exclusively. 

I'm wondering if some of you guys are big time shareholders in the company and that's why you're defending them so much? Seems a little bit like the TSLA crowd around here and how they can get at times. 

I do hope that Sonos will get their act together quickly especially since they will not let us roll back to the old version in the meantime.

In the meantime I do respect all opinions, it just seems a little bit fishy that some of y'all can't admit that they made the wrong move.

 

Uhh, did you miss it when I said “I agree” with you and not Andrew?  I 100% say they got it wrong.  I don’t care what the reason was; end of fiscal year performance goals, shareholder promises of new hardware, Marketing vs IT vs executives in-fighting, nothing is an excuse for this screwup.   

But I recognize that others feel differently, or aren’t as bothered by what are really first world problems in a world that has a hell of a lot more important, not to mention horrible, things going on.   If I expect world leaders to keep an even keel when dealing with those, who am I to rebuke Andrew when all he’s doing is asking Sonos users to do the same?  Otherwise, this thread and all the others go to pot, with Holocaust comparisons, or people stating  what Sonos did is akin to taking their loved one off life-support (and other unbelievably disgusting, yet very real comparisons made on this very forum in the past).  

And PS - Accusing others of being shareholders or shills or something sneaky and nefarious just because they disagree is weak sauce.  You seem like a pretty reasonable person, don’t fall down that conspiracy hole.  Trust me, Andrew has ripped Sonos a new one in the past.  He just did it in a way that doesn’t try to make it seem like Armageddon is on the horizon because Sonos got the app release wrong. 

Userlevel 5
Badge +6

Whomever is interested in joining a class action lawsuit, kindly leave your name and email address.

For goodness sake, how ridiculous.  

Just for context, I have the new app and here is the what I can and can’t do:

Yes:  play music by voice (Sonos, Alexa)

Yes: access my locally stored music with the app

Yes: access my music services (inc Amazon) with the app

coming soon: alarms

coming soon: queue management.

Bug fixes will come along with the already promised (with dates given) updates.  The only grey area is when local library search will return.

For the most part I can use the app to do what I want albeit it being glitchy. 

You want to sue because you can’t wait a few weeks for parity with the old app??   What are your material losses, or have you suffered emotional trauma ?  Jeez you sound like the kind of person who would sue if your breakfast milk was sour.   The whole idea is ridiculous, but go ahead and waste your money.  

 

 

 

 

I have thousands of dollars of speakers that now barely work, can't change volume, play then don't then can't group then do but then won't. 

I'm not at the class action stage yet but it's not out of the question.   I'm not going to just go get some other new system so at some point they either fix this or buy back their useless speakers and sound bar from me. 

My music libary has gone from ios old app and new app?

Userlevel 7
Badge +19

The update schedule is here:

Music Library is coming back next month.