Sonos Roam Orange Light



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Well after an online chat with customer support today and trying a different reset technique than I had found online, I'm stumped too. My Roam is about 2 years old. Wireless charger does not turn the orange light on. Sonos provided USB cable/block turns the orange light on for about 10 seconds then nothing.

 

Why are so many people encountering the same issue? This is looking like something deeper than "sorry for your luck".  I have 4 Sonos One speakers and a Sonos Play speaker which are all amazing. Sonos needs to do something more substantial than "here's 30% off".

 

One more thing to add is that it seems that most people experiencing this problem have the Roam docked on the wireless charger. This could have something to do with it.

IMO from all the threads here and elsewhere that the roam has issues. If I was you I would consider get a different speaker with the 30% off if they give you the discount and move on from the roam. 

Well after an online chat with customer support today and trying a different reset technique than I had found online, I'm stumped too. My Roam is about 2 years old. Wireless charger does not turn the orange light on. Sonos provided USB cable/block turns the orange light on for about 10 seconds then nothing.

The battery LED is only supposed to show orange for 10secs - so it sounds like your device is working but likely has a depleted battery. Leave the Roam on charge for a couple of hours and then go onto try the power button reset - which is "off it’s charger" (important) - press and hold rear power button for 20+ seconds then return the Roam to its charger. If that doesn’t sort it, then leave it charging another couple of hours and once again “off it’s charger” try holding the power button again for 20+ seconds - those steps usually kick the Roam back to life, but ensure you give it a couple of hours on charge before trying the long press on the rear power button. Hope that sorts it for you. 👍

Well after an online chat with customer support today and trying a different reset technique than I had found online, I'm stumped too. My Roam is about 2 years old. Wireless charger does not turn the orange light on. Sonos provided USB cable/block turns the orange light on for about 10 seconds then nothing.

 

Why are so many people encountering the same issue? This is looking like something deeper than "sorry for your luck".  I have 4 Sonos One speakers and a Sonos Play speaker which are all amazing. Sonos needs to do something more substantial than "here's 30% off".

 

One more thing to add is that it seems that most people experiencing this problem have the Roam docked on the wireless charger. This could have something to do with it.

Just went through the same thing.  Dead unit.  14 months old.  Customer service essentially said “sucks for you”. Offered me a 30% coupon to buy the same crappy speaker.  After I sent in my old one, which I’m sure they will resell after refurbished.  
 

Not a fan of Sonos after this

 

Same. Been early adopter for over ten years. Was always a fan but now this  roam is worst piece of tech I own. 

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I know you don't judge the health of somewhere by visiting a hospital etc. but there do seem to be lots of users with similar issues with the Roam to suggest to me there is an issue there. I have no clue how Roam sales compare to Move for example (assume more) but there are rarely such battery/completely dead issues with Move - especially compared to what is posted almost daily here regarding the Roam.

My Roam has also behaved well battery-wise but I would not use that to believe they must all be like that.

FWIW, I use mine off the charger and charge via USB when needed - and then fully power off until next time. I don't keep it docked on its official charger ever.

Different experience here - have two x 3-year old Roams from when they were first launched and both are still going strong. I mostly leave them on their Qi charger when not in use/out & about with them and use both regularly. No battery issues seen. I use the battery saving features.

Bluetooth and WiFi playback have been excellent. No complaints. Have even dropped them a couple of times and they just bounced.😀

Honestly hoping I got a lemon the last time but reading all these messages here, I’m not feeling confident. Hopefully this one will last. (knocking on wood for your 2 Roams).

Different experience here - have two x 3-year old Roams from when they were first launched and both are still going strong. I mostly leave them on their Qi charger when not in use/out & about with them and use both regularly. No battery issues seen. I use the battery saving features.

Bluetooth and WiFi playback have been excellent. No complaints. Have even dropped them a couple of times and they just bounced.😀

I had the same thing going on with my Sonos Roam… Right on the 12 month mark it stated dying a slow death. First up I noticed that the battery was barely lasting me an hour if that, this continued for a week or so, after that I was just stuck with a solid amber light at the bottom of the unit and not responsive to anything else I’d try including those 20 second press and holds where my finger would turn pale due to lack of circulation… lol.

So yeah, 13 months in and it was completely dead, I’m glad I got it at Costco so was able to return and get a full refund. No longer a current item in Costco stores any more so I decided to order online this time and received it yesterday. Let’s see how long this one lasts, I’m just breathing easier that I can just return it at Costco when it dies again (yeah, I used ‘when’ because I know it will seeing all these messages on this forum here). I’m even saving the box this time to make the return easier.

Yup, mine’s ‘bricked’ too.  Bought the roam shortly after launch.  Love my other Sonos stuff, but the roam has not been great.  Always had short battery life and glitchy connections.

I think the culprit (no real evidence, though) might be the Sonos wireless charging base for the Roam.  I picked that up right when they offered it.

After several months of sitting on it (and using the speaker a few times each week) and removing it rarely, it started to ‘sleep’ and/or disconnect.  I had to 5sec Hold or 20sec hold or all of the other tricks to get it back.  Eventually, I had to stop using the wireless charging pad, as it never seemed to provide enough of a charge.  (yes, I swapped the plug portion a couple times).  

 

USBC charging worked well for a few weeks, but then the same problems started. 

Now, it is orange light full time when plugged in, bricked when unplugged.  swapped several USBC cables and power sources.  I think the battery is prob shot now.

I’ve had to go back to my Bose Soundlink Micro (several years old) when I’m mobile.  That battery is still a champ.  Of course, it’s a Bose - so it doesn’t mesh with the good Sonos stuff.

The concept of Roam was good, but never really worked for me.  I may consider the Move, but that’s moving to a much bulkier size (not to mention cost).

 

Same issue here for the last week or so. Sonos Roam stamped with "model S27" on the base. Stopped wireless charging, and would continuously show orange light at base when plugged into USB-C charger (Anker 511 Nano 3). Orange light never turns off. Original purchase date was November 2021.

Support had me go through all the troubleshooting steps - hold power button for 20s, press and hold play/pause + volume up, attempt factory reset with play/pause and power button, etc. Then charge overnight and repeat the process. Apparently there's a known issue for Roams manufactured before Aug 24, 2021, and mine doesn't match that so I have a 30% off coupon now and a decision to make about whether to buy another one that might fail in less than two years. 🤷‍♂️

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After charging for a while, remove the charger and hold the power button for 15 seconds. If you slip off the button, restart the interval. If the unit starts, fully charge the unit.

We cannot rule out hardware failure, probably the battery.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  When I remove the unit from the charger, it is 100% dead, so holding the power button doesn’t appear to do anything.

Support have just confirmed my unit is defective.

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Not sure where you guys are based but don't forget your consumer rights may well be longer than the 12m you (or Sonos) may believe.  EU (inc. Norway and some others) is 2 years I believe and UK much longer.  The device needs to last a ‘reasonable’ length of time.  I'd ask Sonos to confirm that they believe that 14 months is reasonable for one of their items to last and take it from there…

I'd like to think Sonos would respond favourably and use some discretion and common sense in such a case, especially if you make your case calmly and constructively..

No way would I accept having to buy a replacement (even at ‘only’ 70% price) for something only that old.

After charging for a while, remove the charger and hold the power button for 15 seconds. If you slip off the button, restart the interval. If the unit starts, fully charge the unit.

We cannot rule out hardware failure, probably the battery.

@User482341,

It maybe best to submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App and either note/post it’s reference back here and then contact/chat with Sonos Support Staff via this LINK  and see what the Staff can suggest to resolve the matter.

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Hi - another one with the exact same issue.

My Roam has spent all it’s days on the Sonos-supplied charging pad.  Suddenly it started manifesting this same issue about 2 weeks ago: when taken off the power, it is 100% dead.  On the charging pad - 100% dead.  On USB, the orange light at the bottom comes on, otherwise dead.  The orange light will change from solid to flashing sometimes.  This is after 4 days of being charged via the USB cable.

As a software engineer with a very dogged attitude towards troubleshooting, I’ve been very persistent at trying to get the Roam to connect.  After a LOT of messing around, I think the issue is that a software update might have bricked the Roam. 

On my PC, the Roam does not show up at all.  On my iPhone, the Roam shows up as ‘Not Connected’. After multiple attempts, I can get the Roam to very briefly connect - and it shows that the battery is 100% charged. It also tells me that the Roam requires a software update. A second later it falls off my system again, and the software update is not able to take place. I do the process again, and it shows ‘not connected’ for the next 10 times, then it will connect briefly, request an update, and drop off again. When the Roam drops off, my remaining Sonos system (7 speakers) say the system is up to date.  So I think there was an update about 2 weeks ago or so where the rest of the system got updated but the Roam didn’t and now it is non-functional.

Although the battery shows as 100% (and earlier showed at 97% so seems to be reading something),  the unit is totally dead and unresponsive when removed from the USB cable. 

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EDIT: After 40 minutes with chat support, they have confirmed that my unit is faulty and they will be sending me a replacement.

Hi

 

Same issue here with 1 of my w Roams. In USB charger, constant Orange until unplugged. No response to either botton combinations mentioned in this thread. Same charger/cable combo as for my other Roam with no issue 10W/2Amp.

Wondering if this a general issue, maybe after a certain SW update ?!?

 

Best regards

Christian, DK

I’ve installed each/every Sonos update and the two Roans here are still okay, so maybe it’s a hardware issue. You’re probably best to contact Sonos Support via this link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/contact

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Hi

 

Same issue here with 1 of my w Roams. In USB charger, constant Orange until unplugged. No response to either botton combinations mentioned in this thread. Same charger/cable combo as for my other Roam with no issue 10W/2Amp.

Wondering if this a general issue, maybe after a certain SW update ?!?

 

Best regards

Christian, DK

This forum has nothing to do with extended warranties, making posts about the fact that you have a product that is working as its intended. It’s clearly labeled “Sonos Roam Orange Light” - which is what I’m posting about. I suggest you start a new thread… preferably on a different website that is about the value of extended warranties (which is not even a Sonos offered product).

People following this thread are looking for info about this specific topic and how to get resolution, as well as to share similar experiences. I worked with Sonos customer service and found them to be helpful in finding a resolution, and I hope others do as well. It’s great to see a company stand behind their products; which is rare these days.

I was actually just trying to assist you, but I think you’re perhaps misunderstanding my posts in reply to you for some reason.

This forum has nothing to do with extended warranties, making posts about the fact that you have a product that is working as its intended. It’s clearly labeled “Sonos Roam Orange Light” - which is what I’m posting about. I suggest you start a new thread… preferably on a different website that is about the value of extended warranties (which is not even a Sonos offered product).

People following this thread are looking for info about this specific topic and how to get resolution, as well as to share similar experiences. I worked with Sonos customer service and found them to be helpful in finding a resolution, and I hope others do as well. It’s great to see a company stand behind their products; which is rare these days.

Thanks Ken, but I found your response 100% not helpful. I’m unsure what you’re trying to accomplish?

I’m not understanding (at all) why you are posting your "ongoing issue” here, particularly following on from my earlier comment about taking out "extended" warranty cover - it’s like you’re now putting Sonos in quite a difficult position of not being able to replace your Roam, if it’s outside the 12 month manufacturer warranty period, as it would be totally unfair to those folk that have paid out extra and chosen to extend the cover on their devices. It just seems to me that you are not helping your own case here by commenting - I think you ‘might’ have been better to just await the outcome.

Thanks Ken, but I found your response 100% not helpful. I’m unsure what you’re trying to accomplish?

I’m having the same issue with a Roam that is only a little over 1 year old. It does nothing on the magnetic base. If plugged in via USB, it gets a solid orange light. If unplugged, there’s no light. Either way it is totally unresponsive. I’ve been on with Customer Service for an hour now - having me do all the things I already tried in terms of factory reset, etc. Nothing’s working. Now I’m hold, awaiting a verdict. With all the Sonos equipment I own, anything other than a fix or replacement would be unacceptable.

I’m not entirely sure why you have posted here, other than it would be unfair on those that take out extended warranty insurance cover, if a manufacturer replaced goods that fell faulty outside their own warranty period, unless perhaps in your case, we’re talking just a few days/weeks perhaps🤔?.. rather than several months. Otherwise those who pay and take out the extended cover, would be questioning their need to do so.

I’m having the same issue with a Roam that is only a little over 1 year old. It does nothing on the magnetic base. If plugged in via USB, it gets a solid orange light. If unplugged, there’s no light. Either way it is totally unresponsive. I’ve been on with Customer Service for an hour now - having me do all the things I already tried in terms of factory reset, etc. Nothing’s working. Now I’m hold, awaiting a verdict. With all the Sonos equipment I own, anything other than a fix or replacement would be unacceptable.

Just went through the same thing.  Dead unit.  14 months old.  Customer service essentially said “sucks for you”. Offered me a 30% coupon to buy the same crappy speaker.  After I sent in my old one, which I’m sure they will resell after refurbished.  
 

Not a fan of Sonos after this

Not gloating, but I have two Sonos Roams here that are 3 yrs old and still going strong, (touch wood). I’m perhaps going to lose out eventually though, as I have small appliance extended warranty insurance and so if the covered devices do not fail in the next two years, then I’ve lost out too… but I guess that’s why that type of insurance cover exists outside any manufacturers normal warranty period.

I did learn my own lesson many (many) years ago with a B&O TV - so these days, I like to cover most electrical goods for a 5 year period, by which time it’s usually a case that things need to be upgraded to the new model/version anyway. Any product that fails several months outside a warranty period, is perhaps a case of c'est la vie anyway, I guess, as nothing is ever going to be perfect in any mass-produced goods that are available worldwide.

Just went through the same thing.  Dead unit.  14 months old.  Customer service essentially said “sucks for you”. Offered me a 30% coupon to buy the same crappy speaker.  After I sent in my old one, which I’m sure they will resell after refurbished.  
 

Not a fan of Sonos after this

 

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