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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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

farside

Lyricist I

This is unheard of and I hope the class action suit comes regardless of what I end up doing. It took me years to slowly build up to the 10 product system that i have today. If i have to start over, will this 30% discount be available to me into the future. It would take years to rebuild my 10 speaker system. I can’t do this all at once at gun point. I’m not taking out a loan for this.

Sonos should now be leasing their equipment now! How long before I would have to replace my system again? Is this a 5 year cycle?????

i don’t care about using Alexa or any other of that crap. I want to use the system like i do today for as long as i can. Just yesterday, my system is struggling to get a constant music stream pushed out to my speaker without cutting out. is something already happening???

This is devastating….. who treats their customers this way? There should be a two system track for legacy and new paths. Give your customers years of warning and support the older system. I see this in the corporate systems world all the time.

T

toastedbass

Lyricist III

The recent news that I have to buy new amps, new connects, a new play 5 and new bridges is alarming! I could do this and then in a couple of months the same could happen to my Play 3’s and Play 1’s. This could then be perpetual!!!

There is no could about it. This is the business plan they already announced to investors in previous earnings calls. This is the first phase of the implementation rollout.

You get five years of support from when they stop selling devices themselves. And I suspect we’re going to see quite a few minor spec bumps across the product range in the coming months/years. as we already see on the Sonos One line. Once your old product gets a minor spec bump to become a new generation, the clock starts ticking on the one you own in terms of support.

G

garry_redknap

Lyricist III

I’ve only got two devices affected by this original old connect & a play 1, so not too distraught.

So i’ve just ordered another Connect for quite a knock down price “as the fewer ports port is out now” and will be hoping that it is a post 2015 build with 256Mb RAM. This should keep it going for the long term. I think as my guess the 32Mb RAM in the old connect & play one is quite a constraint to keep them going, so once these are out of the picture all the newer models will be fine.

Saying that, SONOS need a better story for people that have invested a lot of money in this system, the 30% discount is derisory when looking at some of the costs being mentioned.

S

Stuart_17

Enthusiast II

Don’t follow the herd! For one last time, there is a very simple and cheap way around thus issue! Just think about how the system works, think slightly old school and voila! Your in, fixed, no drama!

“Oh my remote key fob doesn’t work” this £50k 4x4 is crap, burn it, I’ll never buy another BMW again”

So you have forgotten how to use a key?..

Why the cryptography? Just say what your idea is please?

M

mlm_Sol

Lyricist I

HOW DARE YOU Sonos

HOW DARE YOU

Obsoleting products that are only five years old and are perfectly functional is extremely poor business practice. If you think this may boost your bottom line then I suspect you are mistaken.

As someone who has spent their whole career in IT, I fully understand that older equipment may no longer be able to support the newer features you may wish to introduce but this does not mean that you should walk away from providing upgrades that they can support.

If this weren’t bad enough, you go further by stating you are not going to upgrade new equipment if it is on the same network as any “legacy” item(s). This is like Microsoft saying that if I have a PC with XP or Vista on my network then you are not going to support my Windows 10 PC’s.

Why would any user with “legacy” hardware buy any new equipment from you knowing it will never be upgraded?

As for your offer of 30% discount to upgrade. This is the same as saying that unless you pay us an extra 70% of the value of your equipment, we won’t upgrade it or anything else you might buy. That sounds like blackmail.

I shall certainly not be recommending your equipment to anyone unless you find a way for new equipment to be fully supported on a “legacy” network.

A

ausono

Enthusiast I

I think it’s a great time for their marketing team to update the messaging on the site, something like…

N

Nyenga

Lyricist II

All the likes are for rants! This is a damming indictment of modern culture that one is looking for a fix.

The beauty of human beings is there ability to be innovative, co operate and overcome adversity,

I took me 5 minutes to solve this issue. Put your heads together and you will solve this issue.

A $50 bit of old school kit can fix all of these issues. I can’t post the fix as Sonos could potentially come up with a way of stopping the fix.

I genuinely hope you sus it.

U

User144898

Contributor I

Count me out.

I’ve had Sonos equipment for many years, gradually building and expanding until it’s literally in every corner of my house. Yesterday I learned through a shocking email from Sonos that virtually every component will soon be worthless.

In addition, I’ve been a significant evangelist for Sonos, single-handedly responsible for selling friends and family on the value of Sonos systems. Now I am embarrassed.

Fix this mess Sonos before your whole company goes down the tubes.

Troll alert.

Enthusiast II

All the likes are for rants! This is a damming indictment of modern culture that one is looking for a fix.

The beauty of human beings is there ability to be innovative, co operate and overcome adversity,

I took me 5 minutes to solve this issue. Put your heads together and you will solve this issue.

A $50 bit of old school kit can fix all of these issues. I can’t post the fix as Sonos could potentially come up with a way of stopping the fix.

I genuinely hope you sus it.

1246 replies on this topic now, but you Nyenga are clearly the sole genius who can see a simple fix to this.

Or you’re wrong.

Only time will tell, eh?

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