Your feedback on the new Sonos App

@Allen J Goldberg
My NAS is a Netgear OS-6 mirrored NAS (Raid 1) - It uses SMB2 to SMB3, although it can goto a higher SMB version.

Library size currently is 25,697 tracks. I did previously use it with S2 App, aswell as with the latest Sonos App.

I have another NAS (again OS-6 mirrored (Raid 1)) - which uses a SMBv1 shared library for use with my S1 system but, I leave that powered off until it’s needed… it just has a backup copy of the same library.

Both NAS boxes are Linux GNU and each one also runs the latest version of Plex Server for use with Sonos and Emby Server. Both boxes are used locally and remotely with Sonos etc. at other locations.

I have got an iPhone XR, iPad 10, iPad Pro (3rd gen) and a 64 bit Android tablet - Android screen-capture attached, just one I made previously to demonstrate something to another forum user.

One thing I do, is try to get my devices where practical (not Home Theatre products) connected to the local/faster 5Ghz band and get my device SNR levels set at 45dB, or higher, as mentioned in this link:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/understanding-the-network-details-section-in-the-sonos-app

I use the older WiFi 6AX mesh system at Home (in router mode) with 6 Hubs and a wired gigabit Ethernet backbone. There are 3 x16 port switches on the LAN and a couple of PoE switches for security cameras and a few other things.

Before switching one’s Sonos system to 5GHz, I suggest trying a different 2.4 GHz channel. 

The 2.4GHz band almost always has better range than the 5GHz band, as the latter suffers much greater attenuation from walls. And the greater speed of the 5GHz band doesn’t buy anything at audio rates, even playing high-res FLAC. That said, the 5GHz is compelling if all three of the non-overlapping 2.4GHz channels (1, 6, and 11) are suffering from interference.

If a user can get an SNR reading of 45dB or higher on the 5Ghz band I would personally go with that but yes changing the ‘non-overlapping’ channel on the 2.4Ghz band is fine if they can’t.. I would also add to that by suggesting they switch that bands channel-width too, to 20MHz only.

All of sudden could not play music out of my Amp. Just in time for hosting people on July 4th. Thankfully SonoPhone could make an app that handles streaming and surprise surprise… my Amp worked.

Hopefully the board of Sonos does away with the CEO for endorsing this whole update.

I love how folk join the forum and make first posts like this - I’m sorry but I just don’t believe a word of it and yet there will be some that do. There are other first time posts that mention the July 4th - I guess that’s perhaps just a coincidence🤔?

You’re not sorry. Just omit that in the future. And good for not trusting some random person on the internet!

Perhaps the likelihood of a coincidence is amplified by the fact that the 4th was only 2 days ago and it is a national holiday in the USA - the country where Sonos was founded. Additionally the holiday is generally known in the USA for being one where people gather to party - for which a sound system is probably going to be used if available.

Now to this being my first post. If this was a true community of like-minded individuals unaffiliated with a large corporation I may have created an intro post, got to know some people, built some credibility, and then down the line gave some feedback like this. However, this isn’t that place.

I came to throw my feedback in the pile so that maybe if someone at Sonos creates a word cloud from the replies then at least mine are in it. After all I did this within an official Sonos staff post and not by creating my own.

Fair comment, but there are likely ‘trolls’ that join a community and post such similar comments too and those posts clearly carry little or no weight. You would perhaps have been much better off using your time to first reproduce the issue, then immediately submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App, note it’s reference and then contact/chat with Sonos Support via this LINK to discuss the matter in detail and see what the Staff can perhaps then suggest to resolve the matter.

Even if your matter was not resolved there and then - it might have helped to get things fixed for you eventually and maybe helped other users too. At this point in time no one knows where the issue may lie. It might have even been a temporary local outage for all that can gleaned now from your post.

Hi, Ken… Have you disengaged the Window File Sharing (SMB) in the host Mac’s File Sharing preferences? Someone on this thread had suggested that to see if the Libraries would mystically appear afterwards.  I’ve done about all I can think of short of updating the firmware to 16.2 (paranoid? yes.) and still don’t see my Music LIbrary under Your Sources.

I’ll do a bit more experimenting and testing, and I’ll wait longer (as if there’s a choice).  But, frankly, the idea that a (wired/wireless) system worked just fine — not a hint of weak signals or non-optimum bands — should go belly up due to a SOFTWARE update strongly suggests the problem isn’t me, my hardware or my system backbone.

Just to emphasize: At present, I can’t SEE My Library on the new app.  No problem with the desktop apps, no problem with my BluOS gear — sorry, but I’m in serious doubt it’s a wifi or bandwidth problem. 

AND we’re still not out of the woods toward recovering My Library searching.

Pardon me while I hold my nose. It stinks. 

I use Netgear OS-6 NAS Box shared library - it’s a Linux/GNU box with the library shared as SMBv2 (minimum) to SMBv3 (maximum).  I use the lower SMBv2 simply because I find many iOS Apps like FileBrowser, MusicStreamer and others still use that version of SMB.

Didn’t make it through all 100 pages.

Any talk of a class action here for consumers spending thousands and not being able to use as advertised features? 
 

I cannot believe what a colossal failure this new APP rollout has been and still nothing in the way of light at the end of the tunnel.

The light you’re perhaps looking for leads to this support page…

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/the-new-sonos-app-and-future-feature-updates

My TV with home theater set up isnt working with new app. Looks like Sonos is least bothered to update the app forthis issue as its impacting me for past 2-3 months. Called technical support they gave a foolish solution to free up all HDMI ports to use Sonos Arc. As said foolish solution, it worked for 5mins and goes back to TV sound. I see Sonos Logo in the HDMI Arc input on TV screen but Tv to sonos connection isnt working. Tried disconnecting all devices and TV, reconnect dint work either. 

Sounds initially like something is awry with the CEC protocol between your TV and Sonos Arc. I would definitely switch off CEC on any connected peripherals and reboot those. I would also try a different HDMi cable between the TV and Sonos Arc. Note the cable needs to have HEAC support (often referred to as HDMI 1.4+)

Hi Ken, thank you for replying. 

1. To check CEC issue, I disconnected all other HDMI connections and devices except Sonos.  Still it doesn't work. 

2. Tried with A different HDMI cable and still doesn't work

Hi Ken, thank you for replying. 

1. To check CEC issue, I disconnected all other HDMI connections and devices except Sonos.  Still it doesn't work. 

2. Tried with A different HDMI cable and still doesn't work

What TV are you using and is CEC enabled within the TV settings?

Hi @koilada, one fairly easy thing to try if you’ve not already done so ...​​

• Power down your television
• Power down your Arc
• Wait 30 seconds
• Power up your television, wait for it to completely boot up
• Power up your Arc

… that will ensure a proper HDMI/CEC/eArc negotiation.

Happened to me to but not on the fourth.

Same as I commented earlier in that case and that is, if you are easily able to reproduce the issue, then go onto submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App, note it’s reference and then contact/chat with Sonos Support via this LINK to discuss the matter in detail and see what the Staff can perhaps then suggest to resolve the matter.

I hope you can get the matter sorted too. 👍

Thanks

It’s usually not the App if the music stops playing part-way through a track - the Sonos App is not a player, but merely a ‘remote’ that directs the speaker to get/play  the selected audio direct from the source. So sometimes the issue can be resolved by a simple reboot of the local router and Sonos products - maybe give that a try first. 👍

When I read your statement, “Feedback is coming in fast and thick, however - for understandable reasons - and to be frank, we are having trouble just keeping up with it all.”, I have to ask:

1. Are you surprised by the volume of complaints?
   1. If so, what is your QA process for new software to prevent this sort of disaster?
   2. If not, how did a release so full of bugs become GA?
2. What is being done at the Corporate/Board of Directors level to address this disaster because, it is a disaster - technically, PR-wise, and customer-wise?

Coming from a software development background, I sympathize with your predicament but thoroughly testing an app before publishing it is basic blocking and tackling.  I can’t keep investing in a technology company that doesn’t understand the basic tenants of software development and customer care and I didn’t spend $1000 on a system to allowing me the opportunity to debug it on the weekend through a community discussion board. 

I look forward to your responses.

It has now been weeks and the new app is a disaster. I can’t edit or add to the queue. I play primarily from Tidal and previously I could just play all the tracks in my tracks collection but now I can only play one track at a time. Basically the new app has made my Sonos hardware useless.  Unbelievable.