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Hi Everyone

We moderators of the community - @Corry P@Jamie A & @Sotiris C. - wanted to take an opportunity to explain some of what is currently happening on the community.

First of all, we value all the feedback you are providing about the new Sonos App. We hear you. 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. For this reason, some topics that have not yet been replied to will go unanswered. We will, however, do our best to amalgamate some of these separate threads into bigger, related threads (such as one big thread for Alarm complaints and another for Queue Management) to be answered en-mass. The threads that are feedback on other aspects of the new app will be merged with this post.

Threads that describe issues such as missing rooms and app crashes (those that are not just feedback, in other words) will be answered, as will threads not relating to the new app in anyway, but these will take a bit longer than normal.

Please be aware that we are reading every post, we are recording and collating all feedback, and all of it will be passed over to the app software development team. In addition, we are doing our best to identify previously unidentified issues and report them to our technical teams.

We know many of you are concerned about certain features going missing, so let us take this opportunity to say that the following features are coming back:

  • Alarms management
  • Sleep timers
  • Queue management
  • Playlist editing

In addition and contrary to some speculation, local Music Library is not going anywhere, though SMBv1 support has been permanently removed. Local Music Library searching is something that is still being worked on.

We’d also like to thank everyone who has taken it upon themselves to help others here with their questions and concerns - we appreciate you all!

Thanks for listening - take care of yourselves, and each other.

 

Combined threads:

General feedback (not relating specifically to those below):

Queue management: 

Alarms:

Playlists: 

Music Library:

Sleep Timers:

 

Please note that there is an official statement that can be read here.

 

I think it is the new app. I can see that I am not the only one experiencing this. I have had Sonos since day one of the company. I upgraded to S2 and the only different item is the app. Same wifi, same components, same ISP, same phone.

Well I sincerely hope it gets sorted for you, but I can’t see how it could ever be the Sonos App, as it can be closed and the mobile controller powered off and the music should not just stop mid-flow. Therefore my money is still on it being something else local to where you are. Similarly, I’m not the only one who does not experience a Sonos audio interruption issue during playback. 


I’m sorry it’s not reasonable to suggest that we should be performing complicated reworkings of systems and Router settings to make our system work when it was working fine before. If the new App requires a different wireless or wired setup then the Sonos system itself should do this automatically - it should not be down to the user to become an IT expert. 
However - I do agree that any unexpected pauses in auduo once it is playing are likely not app related. This is usually going to be because there is an interruption to whichever service you are getting the music from. 


I’m sorry it’s not reasonable to suggest that we should be performing complicated reworkings of systems and Router settings to make our system work when it was working fine before. If the new App requires a different wireless or wired setup then the Sonos system itself should do this automatically - it should not be down to the user to become an IT expert. 
However - I do agree that any unexpected pauses in auduo once it is playing are likely not app related. This is usually going to be because there is an interruption to whichever service you are getting the music from. 

^^^THIS^^

For millions of users who had a working system early May then a ruined experience mid-May 2024 who may not have the extensive network knowledge so many of the fan base here posses, they are completely right to complain, give negative app reviews, TrustPilot comments, and more! 

Sonos leadership should have been forthright and detailed about the NEW home/business network REQUIREMENTS the very day they foisted this lesser-app on millions of users.  NO instead they lied about features and benefits, hid behind the generally well rated S2 -WHY?  because they full well knew that calling this pile S3 would have produced 1 star ratings across the board - alerting users/buyers NOT to be tricked into downloading an over-hyped pre-alpha level app so they could boost the Ace revenue and get their FAT quarterly bonuses. 

They did NOT level with users and used us as Guinea Pigs to help sort out this horrible excuse for an app that pushes most of the functions (and our use information) out to their servers! 

YES this new junk app requires most of us to dig deep into our networks, placements, ++++ Putting extreme and onerous effort on the user/customer NOT Sonos (who decided a few years back to junk their once great support departments). 

2 households: 1st running orange S2 - all well, stable, solid, mostly happy.  2nd accidentally downloaded S2 junk version and have had nothing but troubles/issues, which the support team finally says are App Related.  1st can’t buy new Sonos gear b/c it would require down-dating to the awful app.  2nd won’t ever spend a penny again with Sonos b/c of their depiction and greed. 

 


“Meet the new boss...same as the old boss...”
P. Townsend 1971

 

It’s been less than a day.  Try not to be too premature on spiking the ball, eh?

True, but you would think he would like to hit the ground running.
If they haven’t fixed any of the issues the OP listed they might have been better delaying this latest update until they had fixed at least one or two?
And Millington has been there all along.

 

The four word release notes issued by Sonos gave us all a fully detailed insight into what they have actually been working on over the last month;  “Reliability and performance updates” - very informative!

It would be helpful to know when / if they plan to re-instate any of the missing functionality rather than just tweaking the internals which seem to have no noticable effect or improvement.


The four word release notes issued by Sonos gave us all a fully detailed insight into what they have actually been working on over the last month;  “Reliability and performance updates” - very informative!

It would be helpful to know when / if they plan to re-instate any of the missing functionality rather than just tweaking the internals which seem to have no noticable effect or improvement.

The proposed ongoing App update info. is posted here each month, at this link:

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

HTH


The four word release notes issued by Sonos gave us all a fully detailed insight into what they have actually been working on over the last month;  “Reliability and performance updates” - very informative!

It would be helpful to know when / if they plan to re-instate any of the missing functionality rather than just tweaking the internals which seem to have no noticable effect or improvement.

The proposed ongoing App update info. is posted here each month, at this link:

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

HTH

Well the last update was posted over a month ago. It contains a lot of generic aims to restore some functions, but no specific timescales other than “We will provide further updates on this as soon as we are able.”


I'd say the fact that Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has “stepped down” and the chief product officer is leaving (and that position is being eliminated) is the ultimate feedback on the app fiasco. They are the authors of their own misfortunes, but their infamy will live on in business school case studies of how to ruin a company's reputation and share value. While most other tech shares have soared, Sonos closed yesterday at $14.23. In April 2021 the stock was valued at $43.41. Since April 2021 the Nasdaq Composite index, considered a barometer of tech stock performance, has risen 41%. Sonos stock was around $18 when the “courageous” app was introduced last May.


I think it is the new app. I can see that I am not the only one experiencing this. I have had Sonos since day one of the company. I upgraded to S2 and the only different item is the app. Same wifi, same components, same ISP, same phone.

Well I sincerely hope it gets sorted for you, but I can’t see how it could ever be the Sonos App, as it can be closed and the mobile controller powered off and the music should not just stop mid-flow. Therefore my money is still on it being something else local to where you are. Similarly, I’m not the only one who does not experience a Sonos audio interruption issue during playback. 

While it may not be the Sonos App causing the issue for reasons Ken mentioned, I believe it easily could be the Sonos firmware on the players, which gets less attention than the app, but which has also been changing apiece with the app.

 

Kierants, I had a similar problem playing from my music library.  I would get a song or two, and then the middle of a song would just stop, and it would go on to the next one.  I started looking at wifi settings, running diagnostics, moving things around, …. nothing.  Then a new firmware update for my Port came out and was installed, and miraculously, the issue stopped.


"...one of the most disastrous software updates in the recent history of consumer technology."

--Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2024


I'd say the fact that Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has “stepped down” and the chief product officer is leaving (and that position is being eliminated) is the ultimate feedback on the app fiasco. They are the authors of their own misfortunes, but their infamy will live on in business school case studies of how to ruin a company's reputation and share value. While most other tech shares have soared, Sonos closed yesterday at $14.23. In April 2021 the stock was valued at $43.41. Since April 2021 the Nasdaq Composite index, considered a barometer of tech stock performance, has risen 41%. Sonos stock was around $18 when the “courageous” app was introduced last May.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 17, 2025

"Sonos has been dealing with the fallout of its botched launch and bungled response ever since. 

It cost the chief executive his job this past week—and the company says it has also cost at least $100 million in revenue. But if you measure the financial hit by the company’s market capitalization, the real cost of this whole debacle was closer to $500 million."


I'd say the fact that Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has “stepped down” and the chief product officer is leaving (and that position is being eliminated) is the ultimate feedback on the app fiasco. They are the authors of their own misfortunes, but their infamy will live on in business school case studies of how to ruin a company's reputation and share value. While most other tech shares have soared, Sonos closed yesterday at $14.23. In April 2021 the stock was valued at $43.41. Since April 2021 the Nasdaq Composite index, considered a barometer of tech stock performance, has risen 41%. Sonos stock was around $18 when the “courageous” app was introduced last May.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 17, 2025

"Sonos has been dealing with the fallout of its botched launch and bungled response ever since. 

It cost the chief executive his job this past week—and the company says it has also cost at least $100 million in revenue. But if you measure the financial hit by the company’s market capitalization, the real cost of this whole debacle was closer to $500 million."

Why dont they just do away with this new app, and go back to the app they had 11 months ago? It would fix everything immediately. 


Interestingly I’ve had a promotional email today from Sonos advising that Apple Lossless is now available in the app. Well surprise surprise, the Lossless indicator in the app takes between 90 seconds to 2 minutes to show up after starting to play a song. Why can’t Sonos even get that working properly. 


I also was told by some here to look at my network configuration at the beginning of this fiasco and nothing I did helped.  You know what helped? Time - just waiting. That’s all. And moving out of our house for renovations for three months and not dealing with Sonos. I come back to find things are working better and the app has most of the features they nuked. No effort required on my part other than waiting.

Still glitchy - I often can’t scroll down unless I attempt to scroll up first - that’s a new thing lately.  But overall, it’s better than a few months ago.  Some controls are still really slow to respond, and it takes a bit for the app to catch up to what’s going on when I first open it.  The PC App is still leagues better.  I hope they have reconsidered shuttering that because it’s the best way to use the system when possible.


I’ve downgraded to S1 on my play 1s / Sonos one and now use the s1 app.   Removes the dependency on the cloud, simple to use, immediate response.   The new app isn’t a new app, it’s a completely new and ineffective way of connecting the controller to the speakers via goodness knows where.  Features were lost and have been replaced - but basically it’s still hard to use and way too slow and glitchy for so many people.  There’s no going back it seems for more recent hardware - I don’t know why but unless they fix the latency caused by the cloud being in the loop, can it ever get back to the simple ask of getting a response when you touch a control?
 

 


I don’t know why but unless they fix the latency caused by the cloud being in the loop, can it ever get back to the simple ask of getting a response when you touch a control?

This is the one area I’d like to see optimised further too. I’m mostly fine with the new App. It seems more suited to a phone screen, than a larger tablet, in my view, but I’m okay with how it all works, UI etc. I tend to mostly see it as being a tab-less version of the previous App, with ‘slide-on’ screens, albeit with missing features that are being restored, perhaps at a slower pace than maybe some expected.

However, the cloud ‘middle-man’ does seem slow when pressing play/shuffle buttons within an MSP service, like Amazon & Apple Music etc.

Whilst I can/do live it - it would be nice to see these things with less latency. Some online users blame the ‘Sonos Cloud’ for volume control latency too, but I’m led to believe that’s not the case, as that is apparently a local issue, but anyhow it would be nice if playback of remote sources could begin sooner, without the current delay.


With so much time, money, and effort invested in Sonos gear over the last decade (18+ products spaced out over that period not to mention recommendations and hands-on installations to many family and friends) once the overpaid dunderheads in the C-suite screwed the company, employees, investors, and brand last May, I can’t help but marvel at how much of the tech industry knew full well how bad this was from the start and how bad it continues to be (despite Sonos’ execs trying to paint a new color of lipstick on this pig of an app). 

The comments in this article are very interesting. 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/sonos-ousts-executive-blamed-for-rushing-botched-app-update/?comments-page=1#comments

Never get between your customers and their joy of music/audio! 


Interestingly I’ve had a promotional email today from Sonos advising that Apple Lossless is now available in the app. Well surprise surprise, the Lossless indicator in the app takes between 90 seconds to 2 minutes to show up after starting to play a song. Why can’t Sonos even get that working properly. 

I’m assuming that Apple Lossless has the AIFF tag associated with the music file?  If so, unlike pre-2024, I was unable to play AIFF files without them skipping/stuttering.  It happened after one of the app updates.  I downloaded a free, or inexpensive, audio converter and changed any and all AIFF files to FLAC.  Luckily, I didn’t have that many AIFF files.  But, like others have indicated, things that once worked, suddenly and/or eventually, did not.

Speaking of updates, I haven’t seen any release notes on the iOS app update that hit the App Store day-before-yesterday and, as per instructions, requires an S2 update.  Has anyone installed these two items on their mobile devices and computers?  I’m gonna wait this one out until I read some feedback.


I just installed the most recent app update and did a ‘system update’ as prompted in the app. Now my speakers sound TERRIBLE. Muddy, boomy, muffled highs, 1950s jukebox low end. No amount of adjustment using the in-app EQ will fix this.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so is there a user-friendly cure? Perhaps doing truplay in each room? I’ve got three stereo pairs, a pair per room, so I don’t want to waste time trying that if it isn’t the solution. And why would Sonos provide updates that wipe out existing truplay settings anyway?

aI am so fed up with this. We’re fast approaching a year since the ‘game changing app upgrade.’ And it remains a bug-ridden annoyance lacking a number of basic feature lost in translation].


I just installed the most recent app update and did a ‘system update’ as prompted in the app. Now my speakers sound TERRIBLE. Muddy, boomy, muffled highs, 1950s jukebox low end. No amount of adjustment using the in-app EQ will fix this.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so is there a user-friendly cure? Perhaps doing truplay in each room? I’ve got three stereo pairs, a pair per room, so I don’t want to waste time trying that if it isn’t the solution. And why would Sonos provide updates that wipe out existing truplay settings anyway?

yI am so fed up with this. We’re fast approaching a year since the ‘game changing app upgrade.’ And it remains a bug-ridden annoyance lacking a number of basic feature lost in translation].

Wow. I’m sorry that you’re going through this after the updates. Thank you for sharing your experience.  I think I’ll sit this particular “update” out as I have functionality through a another app.  Well, let’s hope that the new hierarchy at Sonos can salvage what’s left.


Yet another Sonos iOS release today which does not appear to address any of the main outstanding functional issues…..

Still cannot save a playlist

Still cannot revert to playing the loaded queue after listening to the radio or TV

Still an unacceptable delay between adding a speaker to a group and the music playing

Still cannot delete an alarm

Still does not auto scroll to the currently playing track when viewing the queue

Still no A-Z scrolling through search lists

But hey, if you have a new Era 100 Pro then you too now have the opportunity to constantly be frustrated by the App!


It’s quite a few months now, living with the annoying bugs but one thing that is still really irritating is I can’t see/select my whole nas library.

I have artists that have more than 100 items, but Sonos app you can only scroll down 100.

 

So some artists I can’t see their whole catalogue, it’s very frustrating.

 

Please, please change this, I used to be able to see whole collection.

I find it shocking that all the bugs are not yet fixed by now.

 


Same here. I don’t even bother using the app when sitting in the Living Room. I just turn on my stereo and play CDs. I forgot all the old music I enjoyed in the 80s and 90s. Happy doing this. 


Yet another Sonos iOS release today which does not appear to address any of the main outstanding functional issues…..

Still cannot save a playlist

Still cannot revert to playing the loaded queue after listening to the radio or TV

Still an unacceptable delay between adding a speaker to a group and the music playing

Still cannot delete an alarm

Still does not auto scroll to the currently playing track when viewing the queue

Still no A-Z scrolling through search lists

But hey, if you have a new Era 100 Pro then you too now have the opportunity to constantly be frustrated by the App!

Also:

Still broken for Compilation Albums

Still no ability to browse by artist / song and go to the album

Still regular errors when attempting to modify queues


Yet another Sonos iOS release today which does not appear to address any of the main outstanding functional issues…..

Still cannot save a playlist

Still cannot revert to playing the loaded queue after listening to the radio or TV

Still an unacceptable delay between adding a speaker to a group and the music playing

Still cannot delete an alarm

Still does not auto scroll to the currently playing track when viewing the queue

Still no A-Z scrolling through search lists

But hey, if you have a new Era 100 Pro then you too now have the opportunity to constantly be frustrated by the App!

Also:

Still broken for Compilation Albums

Still no ability to browse by artist / song and go to the album

Still regular errors when attempting to modify queues

+1 I get “something went wrong” messages semi frequently when on the queue. 


Suggestion:  Can Sonos please set the app so one could segregate their favorite radio stations from other music?  Also, can we have the radio stations shown in a list form vertically, instead of a two by two large icon list that is current?  Good god, it takes a swipe of 5-6 times to get to go through my favorite radio station list.  


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