Retired Sonos Staff

End of Software Updates for Legacy Products

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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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

mpaolucci

Lyricist II

I have gone from a complete Sonos supporter to the polar opposite. This is unbelievable for Sonos - who marketed themselves as being different from Apple/MS - to being exactly like them or worse. I have 12 zones that will be worthless at an unnamed time, without notice, and in the near future.

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Very Grumpy

Lyricist I

Did you buy Sonos products? If you did, did you know that they have a limited shelf life? Today is Gen 1. Next year Gen 2. Why would you buy this product if you know that it has a limited shelf life? Think twice about Sonos!

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oldhamhynesy

Lyricist II

I’m a long term customer and was an early adopter. I bought my kit in the U.K. (I’m British). But I moved to Singapore for my job a couple of years ago. What do I do about my legacy kit? Can I trade up from here? Or am I now stumped?

Why would you buy more sonos equipment that can be out of date and unsupported, why waste your money?

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pwt

Virtuoso

@morgan4x4 : no worries at this time, just get off the upgrade train and continue using the system as you are using it now. When any hardware dies, you have a problem though…for all that remains, if you want to replace with Sonos.

Or until Apple Music (e.g.) changes anything about its streaming protocol.

What have they done on these lines in the past? But yes, if Apple Music does something after May 2020 that does not work with Sonos software up to May 2020.

We don’t know … anything that happens over the SMAPI interface is between Sonos and the streaming provider. It’s possible that this API interaction is quite stable and robust to changes, but if it isn’t, that spells trouble for devices that are no longer updated.

The success of this whole thing hinges on not having to ‘hard partition’ outdated and modern Sonos devices. If this ends up being ugly, I think Sonos is over. I’d certainly not purchase any new Sonos hardware now that we know the support window can be less than five years, and I consider myself something of a Sonos evangelist.

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4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

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johnny.pecktacular

Lyricist III

I just read the same email this morning. I have two “legacy” Play 5s and was informed “You can continue using legacy products after May, but your system will no longer receive software updates and new features. Over time this is likely to disrupt access to services and overall functionality”. So basically a $1000 fee to continue using Sonos?!?!

They do offer a discount to trade-up which could ease the pain. A little. For now. Until the rest of my system gradually becomes legacy. Sounds like Sonos development teams didn’t incorporate long term HW needs when creating their architecture.

The concept of forcing upgrades is common in the B2B world, but in B2C? Maybe MS OS upgrades, but there are huge network effects, added features are guaranteed, and I know they’ll be around in the long run. Time to start considering other solutions. Closely watching the Google/Sonos lawsuit.

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Rich M

Lyricist II

And another! I too purchased Sonos early on. I sold my kidney to afford it and have been very pleased with it up until now.

One of the reasons I stuck with Sonos and expanded my music system was that it all worked seamlessly together. I have just received the email to say that my 2 x ZP100s and Connect:Amp will no longer be updated and existing features will stop working over time.

There’s no way I’d consider purchasing another Sonos model even at a 30% discount if this is what is to come. I’m not quite sure of legalities of 'planned obsolescence’, but under French law it is a crime to intentionally shorten lifespan of a product with the aim of making customers replace it.

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W

Waffle-cat

Lyricist I

With 2 play 5s G1, 6 play 1s, 3 Sonos Ones, a sub and a playbar. I am all in. I suspect my outlay is well over $3000. I was an early adopter of the bar and sub and they cost a small fortune.

Whilst the immediate issue at hand is a concern, Sonos are setting a precedent, and so next year they may decide the early play1s are targeted for end of life. unlikely but what next ?

ps. This is between us, no one tell my wife!

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G

googull

Enthusiast I

How clever of Sonos to raise prices in Jan 2020 and a week later send a notice that I have 16 devices that will EOL in May. Those existing devices were purchased with support for a limited set of online streaming services. I expect that limited list of Services to continue to work going forward. It’s not my problem that Sonos wants to add new features or new services I should not be asked to buy replacements just to keep the features I have now working. The core set of features originally sold need to be safeguarded - including the online streaming services marketed at that time. It isn’t just the size of the investment they are threatening, it’s the lack of confidence that they won’t continue to do this ongoing. Don’t tell me I already got X years use and that should be enough. Consider that statement in the context of your automobile. I am smokin’ mad and looking at alternatives to Sonos and feeling regret about all the family and friends that I encouraged to invest in Sonos over the years. I can already hear the calls, “I bought this for Pandora and now it doesn’t work anymore”.

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withnail69

Avid Contributor I

Whats more important to me is turning off notifications that there is new software available. Will I be able to do that or will I be forced to update to something that will render my legacy play 5 unusable. I don’t need a sonos software update. I literally haven’t needed once since purchase.. I don’t need any ‘new features or alexa BS’ I just want to be able to continue to use my play 5 via airplay like I currently do

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cdmtoday

Lyricist III

This morning I received notice that you are abandoning thousands of dollars in investment into what I assumed was a platform built for the future. My Play:5 systems are no longer usable? If I keep using them, I will continue to lose functionality across the entire system?

I have been a HUGE proponent of your company and your technology for many years but this is a betrayal of trust.

That it was sent with cavalier disregard makes the message all the more disheartening.

I have twelve Sonos speakers and now nearly half of them are being tossed into the dustbin of history?

How long until other components are trashed as well?

This is not the Sonos that I remember.

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