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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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.

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phil4

Contributor I

I’m saddened by this.

Of my many bits, I’ve 6 devices that will lose updates: 2 x Play:5s, 2xConnects and 2xAmps.

With the 30% discount, to replace would cost £2095. There are two aspects, only one I can deal with that irk me.

I’m not happy that they’re just dropping support, and that they’ve decided that blocks updates on new systems too (my systems have at various times not all been on the same update, without issue). It just feels wrong when the hardware works just fine to go scrapping it.

What worries me more is that I’m really not convinced I should spend that money with Sonos. As they’ve just demonstrated I’ll likely have the same issue again in a few years.

So my plan as it stands is keep using it until it stops working, and then buy something else. I’ll also not bother recommending it to others (as I have), as don’t want them suffering similar issues.

M

Mike_65

Contributor I

I absolutely love my Sonos speakers. I currently have 2 x 1’s, 2 x 3’s and 1 x play 5. they connect via the Sonos bridge. The Play 5 is used as a sound bar for my Samsung TV using the Aux connection. The Play 5 is EoL and I can’t afford to upgrade it so if it can be used just as a stand alone speaker, great. Otherwise, I will have to look at the Google Home Max speaker. it is coming in around £200 cheaper than a Play 5 and has an Aux input.

If Sonos don’t sort it out so people aren’t losing their investment into the SONOS experience, I suspect there will be a mass exodus as the Smart Speaker world has got a lot bigger with much more choice since I started on the Sonos journey

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philrob

Lyricist I

This is the wrong way to overcome the problem. Yes, old kit becomes obsolete as technology and processing power changes but ‘freezing’ entire systems because of a ‘legacy’ item is the wrong solution. It will kill future sales/expansion of the system for anyone with legacy kit they don’t want to junk.

SONOS need to publicly commit to providing a mechanism to split the system into ‘current’ and ‘legacy’ - with separate apps so there is no ambiguity.

Agreed, there may be a potential impact from having two separate wireless channels operating in such an environment, and it may mean in large properties that daisy chaining of devices modern - legacy - modern doesn’t work so devices have to be moved so that legacy devices are in one ‘area’ and modern in another. That is a far better solution than informing all your early adopters they have to throw away perfectly good kit.

S

stephen-nc

Lyricist I

Looks like it is time to abandon Sonos as a platform.

After spending over $3000 on Sonos equipment over the years, including (at their request) spending $75 on a Boost as recently as December 2019, Sonos tells me that they will no longer support my system.

I don’t want to spend any more money on a company that treats its customers so badly.

Whole heartedly agree, to offer only 30% is a slap in the face to loyal customers. I guess it’s a message to look elsewhere.

R

rAndison

Enthusiast I

Just updated / added an Apple App Store review.

It may give new buyers a chance if they spot the negative reviews to return gear… they should know what they’re buying into.

P

PerfectSound

Lyricist III

It will be interesting to see coming sales figures in the future.. Who is going to add more very expensive products to the current system? And if you don’t have any of the products from Sonos are you really going to choose Sonos after this “End of updates”-nightmare? There is other speakers also. And much cheaper also. Sonos is in premium class because it’s so expensive.

I will take a wild guess: Coming sales figures will give instant feedback about the “End of updates”-email.

Someone has made a terrible mistake. Rule #1 in business: Never ever treat your customers poorly! Customers are the most important thing for the business because they are paying the bill!

If I was running Sonos I would send instant email for all customers and tell that we made a big mistake and we are very sorry. Let’s forget whole thing and of course we will keep supporting old customers also because we care about our customers and you will deserve all the support what we can give.

G

G-S

Lyricist I

No audio retailer worth their salt can recommend SONOS now.

This decision would mean end of legacy products and end of SONOS in a competitive market.

ALL SONOS owners should be worried.

CRAZY decision by company -

A

andyrgilbert13

Lyricist I

Without sifting through the thousands of very angry responses and probably thousands more to come, can anyone tell me if and how to continue using my legacy products with my non-legacy products?

Andy, no one can say for sure 100% as Sonos has said more information about this will be coming in May.

But with the information they've put out so far, it sounds like new Sonos devices will not be updated as long as you have "legacy" Sonos devices connected. In effect they will hold updates to your new devices hostage until you remove your old devices.

But I understand, the “system” will eventually not work at all. A mix of legacy and non-legacy not being updated will eventually stop. Is that right?

I

IJN

Renowned Enthusiast I

Another disgruntled erstwhile Sonos advocate here; I own four dwellings , two of which are part time high end holiday lets. All are kitted out with various Sonos products and often the inclusion of multi-room Sonos has invited favourable comments/ reviews with several indicating they will purchase their own; effectively been acting as Sonos demonstration showrooms for 80 daily groups for each of the last ten years or so. Much better hands-on experience to potential buyers than five minutes chatting to an uninformed/ disinterested salesman in the local high street chain!

To date my investment comprises:

4 x bridges
3 X Play 5 (Gen 1)
4 x play 3
6 x play 1
3 x Ones (Gen 1)
2 x Beams
4 x playbars

plus others we’ve bought as Christmas presents for friends and neighbours.

It is worrying that 4 bridges and 3 Platy 5s need replacement and only a matter of time before a significant part of the other hardware is redundant.

No longer am I an advocate! - far from it and rather than trading up, I intend to consolidate those units still working into fewer houses and replace with better aural quality, high res units from a newer market entrant.

Similarly, I used to be an Apple fan (coincidentally purchasing iPads for each house as controller) but as my products die or are no longer supported, I’m gradually extricating myself from their ecosystem. There is a reason why sales of iPhones/ iPads have plateaued - the technology reaches a point which satisfies most consumers and subsequent upgrades/ features are not valued by the consumer, certainly not at premium prices to upgrade.

Take heed Sonos! You are particularly exposed as a listed entity to the impact of sharp down turn in profits and consequential fall in share price. Game over?

I could, perhaps, envisage a situation in which Sonos wished to introduce high-res streaming to keep abreast of competition, and some/ all of the older players could not handle the higher sampling rate. I assume it is not possible to stream to each player at the highest rate supported by each. In such cases, the older lower res players would inhibit upgrades in the newer units. I could live with this anchoring to old technology as long as everything continued to function, since it is then the consumer’s choice if and when to upgrade. Nothing in the email release leads me to this conclusion, or something similar.

K

Kumar

With the caveat that May will bring more clarity to the response below:

The holding hostage referred to in the last bit quoted is actually a good thing. Because as soon as the update is applied, the legacy products can no longer be used by you, as things stand today.

Doesn't Sonos say legacy products won't be bricked in any scenario?. So assume owners could break them off into a separate household if new devices are upgraded. Or am I wrong?

It’s all up in the air till May, says Sonos.

But suppose I end up with new devices inadvertently upgraded - not so hard to do in the world of Sonos - how do I even access the legacy products then left behind to break them off into a separate household? And, seeing that half of my 6 zones are legacy, will I even want to mess around with two networks?

All the workflows essential to manage this mess are not in place, something that Sonos has acknowledged. So all we can do is speculate till May(!!!) on probable scenarios and unfortunately, none of them look very appealing. Except that of getting off the upgrades train for the entire system if it consists substantially of legacy products as the least damaging option and seeing how things go - perhaps the Sonos warnings of things then degrading over time are just Sonos playing bogeyman.

All very hard to say just now.

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