Your feedback on the new Sonos App

Designed by "genius" guided by ceo "with track record"

Can Sonos give an ETA of when they consider this new iOS app will be fully operational?  If not, let us rollback to the previous version.

Utter shambles of an update🤬

Well it finally happened. I had auto update turned off but the sneaky sonos app version 80.01.11 got around this defense after 2 weeks. 

In any case, it only took 2 hardware update cycles for everything to reconnect. The app appears functional and I could find what I need to reassure myself will be okay.

I'm not a power sonos user, they're just voice activated speakers to me. I didn't have to re-trueplay my main room. So missing features that I don't use aren't a big deal. Unless getting to basic music streaming services is effed up.

I still don't like that Sonos somehow forced the app update onto my iPhone. Shame on you.

But of a cross post from the Dutch language forum, but maybe I can also post this here:

The CEO has now also spoken out about it, see https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/22/24162168/sonos-ceo-patrick-spence-new-app-design-interview A not very critical interview, by the way.

What strikes me is that he does not address the serious problems that people seem to have with the app:

• missing speakers;
• slow app for some users;
• if you have different systems in multiple locations you cannot reach both systems;
• is a web app without additional verification safe?

He does give  a small apology for the lack of advance warning. But Sonos could now have shown that they have learned from the S1/S2 history by telling the honest story. “Guys, it's a bit difficult, but we're going to change something. More web access, which, however, is completely safe for the following reason. In the first period there are some missing functionalities, but they will return on such and such a date. Just bite the bullet." Why does Sonos fall back into PR blurb about how good it all is and deny the problems first? Even saying how “courageous” this all was.

If, because you are not a very large company, you cannot work on two apps, the new app has to be removed because the new headphones will not work otherwise and on the morning of the rollout it turns out that you have to disable the alarm function due to an error, mention this. Explicitly appeal to your users' loyalty instead of giving them the idea that you don't care. Being vulnerable can be a very good option.

I updated yesterday anyway. I am using a Boost and there seemed to be problems with it, but they have probably been resolved now. Everything seems to have gone well. The only thing that stands out is that switching between music services seems to take a little longer than before.

There are a few points where Sonos deviates from the regular UI of (in my case) iOS, which is very annoying:

• the app has “buttons” that are not recognizable as such, see for example “manage”. You can/should click on that, but because it doesn't look like a button, people miss it;
• the floating bar containing the active speaker is rounded at the bottom and corners, which normally indicates that it is a button. However, if you tap it, it appears that it is not a button, but a menu, in which you can also choose your other speakers.

Switching between speakers does not work very well. The first speaker, alphabetically speaking, is always on top, not the most or last used one. So you always have to click. In my case Bathroom speaker off-Kitchen on. If you don't turn off the Bathroom, it will group with the Kitchen. This is very inconvenient. I could of course rename my speakers, but in an app that is advertised as customizable that is of course nonsense.

In addition, I would like to put all my music services in a self-chosen order and not just be able to choose one most important one. The personalization doesn't seem to go far enough here.

My points after an hour of use. Surely someone should have noticed that before? Or do I use my system differently than others do?

1 STAR RATING PLEASE

They've not exactly been honest and upfront that the update will wreck systems and will take a lot of time to re-configure to how it was, if this is at all possible.

Not impressed it will take a month to fix all the glitches either.

Bad company. Untrustworthy

The original idea. NOT HEADPHONE

GIVE 1 STAR. LET THEM SUFFER

Agree .. but the original (from memory) was a subscrption service so I avoided it despite the apparent benefits .. back to the future so the big question for me is what are the options?

Hi  @Corry P 

My feedback… from reading all about this, rather than actually using it. So take it with whatever pinch of salt you like.

I have a (large) S1 system and was close to “modernising” it - buying 2 pairs of Fives and an Arc theatre system. After hearing all the problems and the occasional whimper of “it’s not that bad”  - not anymore.

Now, I just don’t want the hassle of going anywhere near this new app. S1 is good because Sonos won’t mess with it. S1 kit is cheap and works and won’t get broken on a whim. I know where all the bodies are buried with it. Ironically, the mishandling of S1 vs S2 _the last time it happened_ has now paid a pretty good dividend. So, thanks for that. You’re not all bad and it shows good decisions can be made when people try.

But - fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me.

One of your competitors got my sale on the theatre system. I wouldn’t have an S2 system now if it was free. Because life’s too short for me to waste my time fixing all the mess Sonos made with it. Or worrying that tomorrow when I try to use it, something that worked yesterday doesn’t today. A new system, potentially having hours of hair pulling, forum posts, resets, router changes, prayers etc. etc. Why bother? Who wants that hassle? Plug in another soundbar and it works. Plug an old S1 Connect into it and - hey presto. Plus it won’t get hosed later with a firmware update.

Yes, I’m overly sensitive perhaps compared to other people but I’d rather be listening to my kit than fiddling with it trying to make it work. Especially when it worked just fine yesterday.

Or - worse - explaining to a 4 year old why she cannot listen to Frozen for bedtime. Or woke up to it still playing in the morning… at 4am. Please try that.

I am truly sad for Sonos. I loved your kit (past tense). It’s like a form of organisational self-harm going on.

Sonos competing in home theatre was great - but unlike multi-room audio where Sonos completely dominated, there are a lot of other very good (dare I say, better?) products out there. Consumers have a choice.

I work in technology and despite others moaning here that “it’ll take a month to fix queues!” or something, I know the reality is that the “most important” features (via the telemetry collected) get prioritised and done (usually slower than the promises management make vs reality) while the rest of the shrapnel falls by the wayside once the stink has died down in a few months and is forgotten. That’s just how it works. So I am 100% confident that many broken things on the new app will never be fixed or addressed. It is what it is here and now today - that’s what I base my decisions on, not promises.

I hope Sonos keeps selling products - I really do. They’ve got great hardware (when it works). But Sonos are not going to be selling them to me. Sonos was the peak of good and convenient audio - there isn’t anyone else really the same or like them (I don’t count Bluesound, sorry). Now there is just, well, nobody and I have to make-do with a patchwork quilt of old bits and bobs.

I suspect there were a lot of people (e.g. me) who got 1-2 Sonos speakers, liked them and then went on to build out a full-home system over time. Sonos was really attractive for that. Now, not only are those users abandoned/screwed over but maybe Sonos hopes their new app will attract new users who will start buying 1-2 Sonos speakers/headphones, like them and…

Thanks and good luck to you all - it’s the end of an era and relationship for me.

Me too. Wont buy sonos again

Two more bad signs.
 

 

 

Yep.  This is CEO code for "my strategy was right .. but the timing was wrong.. I (superhero) will be proved right in the end" .. 

Yeah, Sonos management has a problem here.  Putting out an app update that turns out to be defective?  That happens.  Knowingly putting out a defective product, intentionally failing to disclose the known defects, all the while rabidly encouraging customers to implement the defective product--that sounds like bad faith, deceptive business practices, maybe even fraud.  It’s not the bad product that gets you, it’s the cover-up.  The legal expenses may well eat up any profit they hoped for from the new headphones.  But a CEO met a deadline and kept his job--for now...

After 2 updates that claim to fix the issues, I cannot add my 3 new Roams to replace the ones that Bricked! Waiting….patience is withering