Here's the deal, invest in your software development because it blows

It’s odd, I’ve been using Sonos since the late 2000s, and don’t have any issues across 20 plus devices. Is there a possibility that there is something wrong in your system? Perhaps a network issue, an older BRIDGE, or even some sort of hardware failure in your devices?

Have you tried to call Sonos Support directly to discuss it, or is your only attempt to resolve the issues you are experiencing this post?

Hey everyone!

I totally feel the frustration expressed here. As a fellow software user, reliability and ease of use are crucial factors for me too. It's disappointing when a once-reliable software starts breaking all the time.

I agree that investing in software development is essential for any company, especially when it's a core aspect of their business like Sonos. Software development should be a continuous process, aiming to improve and address issues that arise.

Sonos, you've set the bar high with your products, and your customers expect nothing less than software that "just works." It's essential to prioritize the stability and reliability of your software because it directly impacts user experience and satisfaction.

As a CEO, it's crucial to recognize the value of investing in software development capabilities. By doing so, you not only ensure your product's success but also show your commitment to meeting customer expectations. I believe in your potential, Sonos, and I know you can deliver the seamless and dependable experience we all desire. 

As explained before even if the software is fine, things can still go wrong because of external influences. It's very easy to complain about the software, but in my experience other things are usually more to blame (like wifi interference).

There is some truth in your words. 😉

I’ve had Sonos for years. I’ve spent hours on the phone with tech support. The issues are never resolved. Most of the time when I want to play my own music from the computer that the controller is on it says that it can’t find the folder. I’ve never had a music app that couldn’t find the music on the same computer that the app is on. I constantly get errors when I try to add music to the que. The Android app is very slow to load, and it often doesn’t load correctly so it doesn’t show me my play lists. Even when it does load it’s impossible to get it to play one of those playlists because of errors. If by some miracle I get my music to play, one of the speakers will keep dropping in and out. I have to press pause and play a few times on that speaker to get it to play continuously. Many times I’ve had it start playing one song, and then skip to the next one before that song finishes. These are not network issues. They are software issues. I’ve been doing quality assurance testing for the last 13 years in new product design and development. I would be ashamed to let any of our products go out the door with even one issue that is this severe. The Android play store review section is full of users having the same issues, so I know it’s not just me. I do not recommend Sonos to anyone. In fact, when the topic comes up I actively recommend that they buy something else. The speakers are great, but the constant unresolved issues make them almost unusable. I would expect better from a cheap system. With the price of Sonos speakers this is completely unacceptable.

What changes are happening in the software, to make your system work one day and not the next? My suspicion: nothing. You download the latest version of app, and update the speakers. Then (unless Sonos is pushing updates to selected users) nothing changes in the software or firmware.

If your system then behaves differently from day to day, the cause must surely be outside of the software? That suggests it’s a user environment issue - and the usual suspects I’ve seen on these threads are wifi interference, duplicate ip addresses, wifi channel hopping etc  But that’s not anything to do with software.

When in troubleshooting mode, once you’ve decided that the issue must be [ … ] or cannot be [ … ], you are likely to be blindsided. Play the percentages. Don’t chase the 0.5% possibilities before checking the 99% probability.

SONOS requires more robust network support than many home devices. We’ve helped hundreds of people with “perfect” networks resolve issues by suggesting some network reconfigurations. Note that there are a few routers and access points will not support a SONOS system. 

Isn’t it a definition of stupidity: repeatedly doing the same thing, hoping for a different/better result? 

A fly bashing into a window comes to mind…..

It’s not changing from one day to the next. It’s consistently bad. Also, intermittent bugs can happen because of timing issues and things like that in the software. Just because an issue doesn’t happen 100% of the time, doesn’t mean it’s not a bug. Like I said, I do this for a living. I’ve seen my share of intermittent issues that were 100% a software issue. Also, if you read the issues I listed, most of them have absolutely nothing to do with my network. The controller not being able to find my music on the same computer that the controller is on doesn’t involve my network at all, and I’ve seen it happen now on two different computers. The app not loading correctly has nothing to do with my network. Getting errors when I try to add things to the que has nothing to do with my network. As for my network, I have the most basic network you could possibly ask for. It consists of a modem and an off the shelf router. The only changes I’ve made to the router settings are the ones that Sonos tech support told me to make. I would also like to reiterate that I’ve spent a lot of time talking to Sonos tech support and have followed every instruction they’ve given me to try to resolve these issues. Nothing has worked, and the problems persisted even after I bought a new router. No other devices on my network are having problems. Constantly denying that the problems exist does not solve them. As an end user, I have done everything in my power to fix this. Sonos needs to step up and make software that works reliably.