Why does Sonos force us to update the software?

I meant to say “check every controller for needed updates” but in my head I was still thinking about individual devices like my phones, Apple TV, etc. My apologies if I added to the confusion. 

I haven’t done anything as far as Sonos support goes. The humorous side of my brain tells me that contacting them about this will get the response of “well turn on automatic updates, duh!” Right now I’m trying to find out if anyone else here is experiencing this before I approach them. 

It now seems all these replies from us are irrelevant since you now say, “Right now I’m trying to find out if anyone else here is experiencing this” despite your question in your first post being “So why the forced update gimmick?”

Judging from the lack of responses echoing your experience, I’d speculate that: no, it’s just you! 

No, “all these replies” aren’t irrelevant. I could make an exception for your last one though. Your first paragraph there makes zero sense. 

I just re-read the thread from the top just so I could review “all these replies”, and I found that there was a green “ANSWERED” badge, with JGatie’s response receiving 1 ‘upvote’ indicating that this was solved, which I would assume has driven down interest in the thread. Interestingly, his response was completely irrelevant in the context of my question. I wasn’t asking how to prevent updates, I was asking if anyone had experienced service drops that were resolved by point updates to controllers, indicating that the updates were being forced. 

Let me restate it here for posterity:

My Sonos ARC home theater drops sound at random. We’ve discovered that it means one of our controllers “needs” updating. We have to check every controller in the house (multiple iPhones, two iMacs, an iPad) until we find which one(s) have pending updates. On rare occasions we have device updates pending. We do the update(s), the system starts working again. Sound comes through the home theater. At no point in the ownership of our Playbar home theater did this happen, and I was able to skip years of updates with no problem. This appears as if Sonos is stopping sound from playing in order to force controller and device updates.

Now that I have that re-established, please consider that there is a certain logic to gathering the experiences of others before making a service request. And now if no one else is replying due to an “answered” tag on this thread, then does that mean no one else is experiencing this issue? 

Nothing about pending updates can ever stop your Arc from playing sound.  There’s something else at work here.  I suggest you submit a diagnostic and post the reference number here the next time you experience the problem.  

You obviously misunderstood my question, and you probably didn’t see my response because I forgot to quote you. So here’s your quote, and here’s my (more detailed) response summarizing my responses to people misunderstanding the question:

The Arc system works. I have auto updates TURNED OFF on the Sonos. I have auto updates TURNED OFF on every single piece of software-driven technology in my home. I can use the Arc all day, several days in a row. Then one day I turn it on and there’s no sound. The first time it happened I messed with all of my display and Apple TV settings at length before trying different controllers (computers, iPhones, iPad) and discovering that some controller in the house had a pending update. I did the update and the Arc started working again. Occasionally its device firmware updates but more often than not its controller updates.

The Arc still drops at random, and its ALWAYS solved by a SONOS update, not an update for any other product in my house. Sometimes we’ll have drops two or three days in a row, and I’ll find that some controller needs an x.point.point update. My prior Playbar home theater never suffered from service interruptions. Even when the controllers were disabled by my refusal to update the devices, I was still able to use the Playbar without a problem. 

On the surface it appears to me that Sonos is using service interruptions to force device updates, which might frustrate a person into turning on auto-updates. 

Now, do you have a response to this? Can you withdraw the ‘answered’ tag so maybe more people would stop in? Should I create a new thread? 

Hi @Forstal 

Due to this topic having had no activity for several days, it was flagged in my workflow as needing a Best Answer.

As you posted in the Ask a Question section, and the only question you asked was “So why the forced update gimmick?”, I marked @jgatie’s response as the Best Answer because it was the best answer to your actual question. Perhaps I was being too literal - apologies.

@jgatie’s latest reply is also accurate - if the TV audio is cutting out, it has absolutely nothing to do with an update being required by a controller, regardless of what you have noticed. Correlation is not causation. I recommend you unplug your TV from power for at least 2 minutes - this usually solves the issue you describe. If it doesn’t, please check that your HDMI cable(s) is/are well-seated.

I hope this helps.

A - HT drops sound at random

B - Controller devices need updates on rare occasions.

I don’t know how you conclude that ‘need for updates’ are causing the drop outs.  The updates are obviously not random but specific events.   And if the controllers rarely need updates, that would mean your HT drop sounds would have to be rare as well.

It does make some sense that doing an update would resolve drop out issues, at least temporarily, The new software may include a bug fix for an issue you’re experiencing.  More likely, updates to firmware will always reboot the device, and get a new IP address from your router. 

But, the idea that some of your controller devices need software updates implies that it’s not a firmware update, just controller update that’s missing.  Your devices would not redo an update every time you bring an app up to date.

Also worth clarifying if the drop outs happen with streaming audio, TV audio, or both.  Either way, the diagnistic and talk to support is the way to go.

Yes, I have a response.  Sonos is not “using service interruptions to force device updates”.  I know this because my brother owns an Arc that he uses solely as a soundbar, and he’s never updated it, aside from when it was first installed over a year ago.  He doesn’t even have the Sonos app on his phone and his Arc works perfectly for TV sound.  

1. “I don’t know how you conclude that ‘need for updates’ are causing the drop outs.” I conclude this because restarting various components, unplugging things, checking for aTV updates, etc, doesn’t resolve the issue. Only checking every SONOS component and controller in the house - and inevitably finding a pending update - solves the issue. 
2.  “But, the idea that some of your controller devices need software updates implies that it’s not a firmware update, just controller update that’s missing.  Your devices would not redo an update every time you bring an app up to date.” Please clarify this because I don’t get what you’re saying. 
3. “Also worth clarifying if the drop outs happen with streaming audio, TV audio, or both.  Either way, the diagnistic and talk to support is the way to go.” The updates happen with any source that applies sound to the Arc, which includes every app on the aTV. 

You have identified a solution to the problem.  Not the cause.  As I stated, if your pending update is a firmware update, you’re bouncing the system.

Your phone and your speakers are two different physical devices that can be updated.  When the software on the speakers need to be updated, that’s generally referred to as a fimware update.  When the app on your phone needs to be updated, that’s an app updated.  Sonos will usually schedule updates so that both the app and the devices getted updated at the same general time, however, there are cases where just one or the other needs an update.    And obviously, if you do an update on one phone or tablet in your home, the apps in your other devices will need to be updated...when firmware is already updated.

Your answer makes me thinking that you don’t play any streaming sources directly to the Arc, all the audio comes from the TV.