Security/Privacy with Era 300/100 Series Voice Enabled Speakers: Are SL Models Really Needed/Required?

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Hi

With the introduction of the Era 300 and Era 100 models Sonos gave the user two options to protect their privacy regarding voice assistants:

  • Privacy Tap: Deactivates the voice assistant by tapping the speech bubble on top of the speaker. The light will turn off. You’ll still have access to other mic-enabled features, like Trueplay. *
  • Security Switch: Prevents accidental activation of the voice assistant by toggling off a switch on the back of the speaker. This method disconnects all power to the microphone for added privacy/security.

Most likely the above privacy/security options will be introduced on whatever the replacements/upgrades will be for the Arc, Beam, Move and Roam. As well as any new models Sonos decides to release.

As the title implies some are still hoping Sonos will introduce Era 300/100 SL models with no voice assistant capability a’la the Sonos One; and briefly the Arc. IMO hardware isn’t the answer. 

If you recall (upon initial introduction) the price difference between the Sonos One and Sonos One SL was a mere $20 ($179 vs $199 respectively). The price difference between the Arc and Arc SL was $50 ($799 vs $749 respectively). The Roam has a similar pricing strategy.

As the Sonos One, Arc and Roam were already on the market incorporating the Security Switch would have necessitated the release of new models too soon. FYI, the Privacy Tap feature was already incorporated in the design of those products...it’s just being marketed differently with the Era series.

So at the EOD; Sonos had two hardware SKU’s for each of the aforementioned products which; IMO, had negligible price point differences. Multiple SKU’s for the same product (with only a minor difference) causes manufacturing and logistical bottlenecks. 

If people want more Security/Privacy with the Era series (and subsequent Sonos voice assistant enabled product releases) IMO is should be Software based. I may be wrong; but it shouldn’t be too difficult for Sonos to incorporate an option (for the account owner) to override the Security Switch with a password in the Controller App. Said option would affect all speakers globally. Think of it in the same vein as a “parental control”. 

I can’t wait to read your opinion(s) on this 😅 

 

 * Privacy Tap feature is just being marketed differently with the Era series; as all voice enable speakers allow for this option.

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.

15 replies

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

I’d buy the SL versions if available cheaper as I will never be using the voice options.

With the switch added I have no objections to the non SL speakers.

I do not trust any software based privacy solution.

SarahN
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

My guess is that with the new hardware switch, to turn off the voice assistant, they won’t need to introduce an SL version of the new Era speakers.

I could be wrong of course 🙂

Can you have too many Sonos speakers? 🤔 😆
S
Userlevel 7
Badge +15

It's exactly as @Stanley_4 says, many people don't trust software solutions to these sorts of issues.

Sonos clearly feel the issues you perceive are outweighed by the advantages in confidence customers feel and the interest Sonos take in their privacy.  They even went so far as to make a light physically part of the circuitry so you know when it says the microphone is off it's really off.

melvimbe

I don’t really blame people for wanting an SL version of speakers.  On the privacy matter, I think Sonos is trustworthy, but I understand why people just don’t want any microphone in their home based on feeling of privacy alone...whether it’s really factually true or not. The cost, though small, is also valid and can add up with additional speakers.   There is also the group of consumers who don’t want a mic, regardless of cost and privacy, they aren’t going to use for environmental reasons.

I don’t think the group of consumers are large enough, but we have seen consumers who do not want wifi radios, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see people asking to have a version without aux input removed on the Era speakers as well.

Danny
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

The fear of mics in the home is weird to me, especially as almost everyone already has a mic in their home, multiple ones in fact: on their phones. No phone has a physical switch for its mic, seems nonsense to me to require one on your speakers. Phones have been proven to be hacked by this method, Sonos gear never.

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
Airgetlam

Agreed, but no one ever said this concern was driven by logic…. ;) 

Bruce
jgatie

The fear of mics in the home is weird to me, especially as almost everyone already has a mic in their home, multiple ones in fact: on their phones. No phone has a physical switch for its mic, seems nonsense to me to require one on your speakers. Phones have been proven to be hacked by this method, Sonos gear never.

 

The mental gymnastics used to justify the phone usage while banning all other mics within a 2 mile radius is boggling to me.  Especially in the case of Sonos, which takes great lengths to allow one to turn off the mics, verses a phone which has been proven countless times to be spying on the user 24/7.  

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

It appears (as expected) there are different viewpoints expressed regarding Security/Privacy implementation; as well as releasing of an SL model for the Era 300/100 series. I’m in the minority in the vein that a hardware release is not the direction I would choose. I prefer a software solution if any at all.

It does puzzle me that Sonos would expend the time and resources to design a Security Switch to silence the microphones (not just voice assistants) if they later intended to release SL versions of the Era series? What’s the purpose of a Security Switch…if not the end game to silence the microphones and provide secure privacy thus negating the need for SL models. Riddle me that Batman? 😁

Granted, someone could reverse the switch and activate the microphones. However, that would have to be an intentional/deliberate malice of forethought act perpetrated by someone other than the account owner, which would most likely cause a riff in the household. 

On another note, if people are so concerned about listening devices in their home, then I suggest they stop using cell phones. Cell phones are never off. One might say…I don’t activate Siri or Google Assistant on my phone. It was expressed that some don’t trust software solutions of that nature. So…that means those individuals don’t use a cell phone. That can’t be true because Sonos requires the use of an iOS or Android device; all of which have voice assistants.

I’d also ask how many people use social media such as Facebook or twitter. Those platforms do a heck-of-a-lot of data mining. In a former life a did tech support for a major cell phone manufacturer. To use a cliché “If I had a dollar for every time someone called saying that their Facebook account was hacked and subsequently their cell phone…I’d be rich”. My point being is that most people…and say that bluntly…don’t know how to secure their Facebook account.

Individuals’ data/personal information is being collected every time they use a bank card or converse with an IVR. Individuals who use a computer for on-line shopping (or general web surfing) are being profiled and then bombarded with ads that are personalized to their browsing habits. Sure…they can request that sites not track them…. but here again one has to rely on a software-based algorithm. Hmmm.🤔

Also, what about the music streaming services used in and outside of the Sonos app? Believe it or not individuals listening habits and taste in music are being catalogued by those services.

I won’t broach the subject of the NSA (possibly) monitoring phone calls. I don’t want to start a panic and have people rushing to the kitchen to make “tin foil” hats. 😅

Not to drag this out any further. Suffice it to say that; IMO, a software solution to override the Security Switch is my choice to prevent voice assistants from listening if that’s what’s needed. Again, as I previously stated releasing SL models of the Era series after designing the Security Switch seems redundant if SL models are being considered for release. 

However, regardless of my opinion on the subject…Sonos will make the decision for us all. I’m good either way.😊

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

While the button / LED is nice it is only useful for speakers placed where you can see the LED. Me I’d likely add a drop of hot-glue to the switch so it couldn’t be bumped accidentally.

I agree that there is a disconnect between not wanting microphones on other electronics but wanting them on your phones. Folks that ignore that are a bit silly.

I’d happily buy a new phone and tablet today if I could get ones with a hardware mike off switch. as would the spouse. For now we keep our phones and tablet away from our main living areas, means we miss calls but we accept that. We also just turn them off when we want to be assured of privacy. Having to also turn off a bunch of Sonos would be a pain.

106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Not sure what you mean by SKU and EOD. Could you explain?

To me this seems to me to be a question of trust. People do seem to trust a hardware switch more than a software switch. We do get a level of paranoia here……

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

@106rallye

It was never about replacing the Security Switch. I was suggesting a secondary option to allow the account owner to enter a code that would prevent the Security Switch from being turned off. The end game was to negate the need for SL models of the Era series. Some feel the SL models with no speakers are still needed to eliminate any option of a Voice Assistant listening. Meaning they don’t trust a hardware switch either. So what was your comment about “paranoia” going to be….😂

SKU pronounced “skew” stands for Stock Keeping Unit. It’s used to track product inventory.

EOD stands for “End-Of-Day. Another way of saying “when it’s all over” or “ finished”.

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

Just a thought, for those that are concerned/paranoid about devices listening in, what about exploring the use of communicating via different methods, eg sign language, for those ‘private’ conversations, could be a useful life skill to learn.

 

 

 

jgatie

@106rallye

It was never about replacing the Security Switch. I was suggesting a secondary option to allow the account owner to enter a code that would prevent the Security Switch from being turned off. The end game was to negate the need for SL models of the Era series. Some feel the SL models with no speakers are still needed to eliminate any option of a Voice Assistant listening. Meaning they don’t trust a hardware switch either. So what was your comment about “paranoia” going to be….😂

SKU pronounced “skew” stands for Stock Keeping Unit. It’s used to track product inventory.

EOD stands for “End-Of-Day. A another way of saying “when it’s all over” or “ finished”.

 

I’m not sure that the paranoid are going to trust a hardware switch with some type of software element any more than they trust a hardware switch on its own.  You and I both know the software element is in addition to the hardware switch, with the hardware switch being the final security link, but as soon as you mention software in any capacity, people who are prone to complaining are going to dive deep down the conspiracy hole.  Hell, most of those folks are already so far into that hole, there’s no going back.

Yet they still have their phones taking down every conversation they have and every click they tap.  It’s like the poster who requested to be able to access Sonos via 4G (or was it 3G?) because they don’t want all that harmful “WiFi radiation” in their home.  There’s just no reasoning with them.

melvimbe

I don’t think it’s a matter of whether an SL version of Era speakers is needed, but whether it’s wanted. If SL versions are created, it will not be out if need.  It would cost Sonos more to convince customers that the hardware switch is enough for privacy, and surely won’t convince everyone, than it would be to just make an SL version.

I personally wouldn’t get an SL version, just because I want the flexibility to use the speaker however I may want to in the future.  But I do like having the hardware switch too if I ever want to use the speaker in a guest room, or bathroom, where a guest may want a little more assurance that their... actions... are not being recorded.

Just a thought, for those that are concerned/paranoid about devices listening in, what about exploring the use of communicating via different methods, eg sign language, for those ‘private’ conversations, could be a useful life skill to learn.

 

I used to know a married couple where they both knew sign language and would use it rather frequently to communicate in crowded, loud spaces or where they just wanted to say “this party is boring, I’m going to fake an illness as an excuse to leave”.

Danny
AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Thanks to everyone who participated. It will be interesting to see if Sonos does release SL versions of the Era 300/100 speakers. The decision may hinge upon if there was a significant up-tick in sales when the SL versions of the Sonos One and Roam were released. 🤔

Cheers!

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.

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