Retired Sonos Staff

End of Software Updates for Legacy Products

Related content:Software

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Please note that we’ve created a new thread with some clarifications to questions that have come up several times in this thread. Please see here to continue the discussion if you still have any questions. The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.

We have some important news regarding our oldest Sonos devices shared on the Sonos Blog today. The text of that blog post is being included here for your convenience:

Starting in May 2020, some of our oldest products will no longer receive software updates or new features. We want to explain why and your options.

When we first set out almost 20 years ago to invent the technology to easily listen to any song in any room, most of the ways we listen to music today did not exist. In fact, the first Sonos products were introduced before the first iPhone was announced and when Myspace still ruled social media.

In order to invent multi-room music and smart speakers, we combined the worlds of high-fidelity audio and computing. Every Sonos product has a microprocessor, flash memory, and other hardware components typically found in computers and smartphones.

Since launching our first products, technology has advanced at an exponential rate; from streaming services and voice assistants to wireless networking and Bluetooth capabilities. Through all of this transformation, we have continued delivering new features via software updates. We’re extremely proud of the fact that we build products that last a long time, and that listeners continue to enjoy them. In fact, 92% of the products we’ve ever shipped are still in use today. That is unheard of in the world of consumer electronics. However, we’ve now come to a point where some of the oldest products have been stretched to their technical limits in terms of memory and processing power.

This coming May, these legacy products—our original Zone Players, Connect, and Connect:Amp (launched in 2006; includes versions sold until 2015), first-generation Play:5 (launched 2009), CR200 (launched 2009), and Bridge (launched 2007)—will no longer receive software updates or new features.

Today the Sonos experience relies on an interconnected ecosystem, giving you access to more than 100 streaming services, voice assistants, and control options like Apple AirPlay 2. Without new software updates, access to services and overall functionality of your sound system will eventually be disrupted, particularly as partners evolve their technology.

To help you through this transition, we’re providing two options:

Option 1: Continue using these legacy products, recognizing that your system will no longer receive software updates and new features.

Option 2: Trade up to a new Sonos product with a 30% credit for each legacy product you replace.

If you’re not sure if your products are affected, you can check in the System tab in your sonos.com-account

If you choose to participate in the trade up program, your legacy products will be put in Recycle Mode, a state that deletes personally identifiable information and prepares these products for e-recycling. Recycle Mode also protects unsuspecting people from buying legacy products that are approaching the end of their useful life and won’t provide the Sonos experience customers expect today. Recycle Mode will only apply to the legacy products listed above.

We ask that you take your legacy products to a nearby certified e-recycling facility. This is the most environmentally friendly way to recycle. That said, if there isn’t a facility in your area, we are happy to pay for you to ship your products back to Sonos for responsible recycling.

Ideally all our products would last forever, but for now we’re limited by the existing technology. Our responsibility here is threefold: build products that last a long time; continually look for ways to make our products more environmentally friendly through materials, packaging, and our supply chain and take responsibility for helping you through the transition once products near the end of their useful life.

We’ve always believed in freedom of choice, whether that means choosing a certain streaming service or way to control your listening experience. We hope the choices provided here—continuing to use these products without new software updates or trading up to our modern products—enable you to make the choice that’s right for you.

We are honored to have a place in your home and want to make sure that we help continue to bring the best experience we can, even when products reach the end of their useful life.

More information.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

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K

Kumar

This will be nightmare for me as I have power management on all units and do only activate them when in use!

As of now it appears that you will have to leave one legacy unit powered on all the time to prevent the rest of such from being bricked via an update that slips past unwittingly.

I’ve not seen anything that suggests that units will be ‘bricked’, under any circumstances. What’s your source for this?

The danger, I believe, is that non-outdated components of a mixed system get inadvertently updated, and will then no longer work as part of the same system with the outdated devices.

If the current products get unwittingly updated, how will the updated controllers work with the legacy devices that are not updated? How will the latter work at all then?

D

Davidrhysshaw

Contributor I

Fully accept that older products must eventually be de-supported, this happens as software gets more functional. However, what amazes me here is the short 4 month notice. Having worked in IT for 25 years I never came across one hardware or software company that gave such short notice that a product was being classed as ‘legacy’.

Really disappointed in the approach Sonos is taking here.

N

nigelreynolds

Lyricist I

I can’t believe that Sonos will have removed all support by the end of 2020. I have spent 10 years putting together my collection of amps and speakers, helped with the Beta tests and recommended the system to so many people.

After 20 years of supporting Sonos, they have let myself and others down for the almighty dollar, welcome to Trump's world.

J

John McCabe

Lyricist III

<snip»

Am seriously considering whether I should move to a BOSE… not aware if they have had similar issues.

For what it’s worth, as a software developer, I can understand what’s going on, so I expect any manufacturer who’s using proprietary standards and protocols will have this issue at some point.

Cannygirl49

Contributor I

I have a sonos play 5 that is no longer going to be supported. Why does this mean that the whole system will be affected?

I understand that the products have such a short life - yet are very expensive. this should be high;ighted at time of purchase

T

themetman

Contributor I

I have had my system since 2007 as well. I have two ZonePlayer 80s and two ZonePlayer 100s and a Connect Amp plus a Bridge, plus some other Non Legacy Items. To bring my system up to date with the discount of 30% on the trade ups I look to be spending well over 2k GBP.

Lets just hope they allow the legacy system to continue with the newer stuff or I am stuffed!

I have no need for fancy online streaming, just need to play the TV and my music on a local server wherever I want to in the house and garden.

I suppose the App on my phone will update itself out of reach of the legacy items unless, as someone earlier said, that Sonos have an ironclad update system to prevent cockups.

I am not optimistic………………………..

I might need to look as some sort of opensource alternative using a Raspberry Pi!!!!

Do I feel better for the rant? Not really. Now we are just waiting for the axe to fall.

And a Happy New Year to you all…..

A

agarciat

Lyricist III

I have now four perfectly good speakers going to the junk of tech. It's completely incorrrct what they are doing as a company. They could easily think out of the box and do a system update to at least allow us to use them as normal wireless stereo speaker with the new Sonos port. Please don't tell me that this will require infinite amount of memory as the port could do all the processing. Start giving and thinking more and give better alternatives than the ones proposed ie having junk tech. We all understand there migh be constrains that is stopping you to innovate but by giving the customer options for reusing the equipment with a adhock piece of hardware that I'm sure we all will buy it instead of putting good working speakers in to the landfill

Sonos... Think in your loyal customers, the planet and not just on making money

J

John McCabe

Lyricist III

Anyone looked at this? http://strobe.audio - oops - ignore that; didn’t read the “it’s early days” bit properly!

However it sounds like an Open Source software solution that can run on cheap hardware, like the Raspberry Pi, would be a better way to go.

A

agarciat

Lyricist III

This notification is the last straw for me; I have no intention of splashing out nearly £300, taking account the 30% trade-in) on a Port to replace my Connect, a device I rarely use, so I will be looking at cheaper alternatives.

In the meantime though, as that will take some time, I want to know about the Bridge. I’ve been bombarded (slight exaggeration) with emails trying to encourage me to ditch my Bridge and get a Boost as the Bridge is apparently not capable of working effectively any more. I’ve resisted that, since it seems fine to me, but does this announcement mean it would be pointless getting a Boost anyway? As I have no intention of replacing my Connect with another Sonos device, I’ll be in that “no system updates at all” limbo. Why would I bother getting a Boost then?

Also, is the controller app for Android going to remain compatible with these zombie systems?

Agree with you. I just bought thr booster less than 6 month ago on their advise and now for what I can't use any of the speakers... I want my money back

User811083

Trending Lyricist I

After receiving this email I am currently checking out Bluesound and am seriously impressed.

Have to confess me too … someone pasted a gif or jpeg many pages back. Had never heard of it. But now I do ….. and I got approx £3000 worth of Sonos to replace then why not?

I’m not sure why you think Bluesound (or any other ‘closed’ vendor) is not likely to play the same trick as Sonos in the future.

I’m strongly opposed to the details of this Sonos action, but I don’t think jumping to another closed vendor (especially one with a much shorter history and smaller installed base) is likely to help in the medium term.

As an early adopter and huge fan of Sonos I feel incredibly let down by them, especially as several of my friends have bought systems based on my recommendations. Of course Bluesound might pull the same stunt in the future but the point is that Sonos has done it NOW and tarnished their reputation. I simply don’t trust them any more.

Chris Blackwell

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