OK, like all others i’m very upset with the fact this situation even exists and it screams of lack of effort (in practically every department) on the part of SONOS. 

My major concern is the app you need to run the whole thing.  There is currently no way to download anything but the latest controller.  Smartphones do not last decades. So how would I control these legacy products once the controller is updated beyond the point my “legacy” system can talk to it?

One accidental update to the app and whoops my legacy system is completely bricked

Suggestion 1  : Fix the firmware so it can co-exist with newer items with limited function

Suggestion 2 : Offer a decent discount.  How about you keep the 30% and give us the 70% instead

Suggestion 3 : At least release the last compatible controller app separately to Play/App store so we can download the thing again on new devices

I joined the Sonos bandwagon 15 years ago and have been an evangelist ever since.   I have begun “recycling” some of my oldest components but finances prohibit a complete refresh of my zones in the next six months - particularly since my system consists of a lot of the higher priced components.  I’m perfectly happy to continue to “recycle” but the 30% discount doesn’t move the needle for me.  Threatening to limit my newer hardware from getting updates infuriates me.  Make this right Sonos.

1. Give us some more time to get compliant with our older hardware.  One year minimum.. but I think more time is warranted.  
2. How about some real incentive to upgrade our old components? How about your cost.. or 50% off?  Your loyal fan base has built your brand over the years long before you were advertising, don’t lose sight of that.  
3. Please communicate a life cycle for your components.  How can I buy new hardware in good faith without a clear idea of when it will be deemed obsolete?  Until now the thought has never entered my mind that the soundbar I’m about to pay $700 for will have to be recycled in 5 years.  Today’s announcement is certainly a game changer.  

Like i said in my original post, “I think Sonos needs to get very clear what the intention is here and not have mixed messages all over and no more of this “We’ll have more information in May”” yes the first post says “will no longer receive software updates or new features.“ but then other places suggest otherwise. Its a messaging issue in my opinion although i do believe you are right that its the later of no updates. The fact Ryan has replied with “more info to come in May” i dont think Sonos even knows where they are going with this in the end.

SONOS, your products are built like tanks, like brick ****houses, but now you’re turning them into actual bricks.  

I got my Play5 maybe in 2014, three years apparently after it was already deemed walking dead. There was no mention of spending that much money on something that had the lifetime of a goldfish. I would have given it a pass. 

But now you’ve got me thinking about recycling.

Maybe I should recycle my ENTIRE system onto Kijiji and I can check out the plethora of alternatives that are now out there. I won’t be under anyone’s thumb.

End of life after 8 years!  - Sonos is a fake company! I’m pleased to recycle (in the trash bin) my Sonos system since your incompetent HW/SW engineers can not provide a more future proof system… My next audio system is NOT a Sonos system... 

Rob, spot on. I have 17 components , only three “Non Legacy”. Thank goodness I didn’t update my AV surround systems. From SONOS doing this so soon after the demise of my 1st generation controllers (compensation was meaningful on that round !! after several body blows). I now strongly suspect my whole system including three non legacy items will be rendered totally useless within 3 years max. Top line AV Brands are now up with Sonos so serious collectors/ listeners like you and me will move on and rightly so. Sad thing is SONOS NO LONGER CARES, they just want the volume and turnover from the young generation, and it is bollocks to the first adopters and Sonos promoters like you and me. The 30% off is a joke to trade up, with Sonos margins so rich they are still making serious profit from distressed clients. 

Looks like it’s goodbye to Sonos. Three years I was able to use two 5’s, a Sub and a Bridge. Really loved the sound quality but I certainly would not “upgrade” regardless of a pathetic 30% off after the high price of the components I already purchased. 

Unbelievable this is how Sonos chooses to do business. 

You lot are unbelievable. I will NEVER buy another america product. You SUCk,
IM have German HiFi 30 years old still works. Japanese hi fi - Ditto
UK Speakers 45 years old. Perfect (Just rrun in really)
Canadian Speakers - ditto.

I will get my revenge, Believe me !!

Does anyone know why some Connect:Amps are legacy and some are not?  Is there a version 2.0 of these?  Wondering if the Connect Amps that I have that are currently labeled as non-legacy are good for now or if that’s an error. 

How to piss off your entire loyal, mostly satisfied customer base? Turn perfectly working products into landfill, threaten the stability of brand new (not legacy) products grouped in the same system, then offer a slap in the face 30% “trade up.” Sounds like extortion.

**** move Sonos.

I agree. The ease of use is a major plus, but I think a lot of the cheaper options have narrowed that gap over the past few years (especially if you prefer voice control, which I can’t stand). The other reason I have bought so many Sonos products--and talked my friends into doing the same--is due to the excellent customer service. Now that the “customer first” reputation is ruined, I feel like I have very little loyalty to Sonos anymore. It’s a terrible decision from a customer service standpoint, from a business standpoint, and from an environmental standpoint. I just got one of the Sonos/Ikea lamps-speaker combos, but it's still unopened, so I think I’ll probably return it while I consider my options.

I shall not be paying your ransom you will not see another £ from me so kill my system.

It is a bad thing to brick audio devices that you sold only 5 years ago, but it is unconscionable to also use them as “Trojan Horses” to bring down entire connected systems of a dozen devices, some of which were new releases only months ago.  Your job is to figure out how to make the technology work together even if you can’t continue to add new features.  

My expensive Apple Display and Time Capsule Router (both of which were discontinued years ago as technology improved) still work perfectly fine with the new laptop that I bought last month.  If you are a technology company, it is your responsibility to make the technology work, especially considering your pricing model.  Remember you chose to enter a venue that respects and brags about respecting round disks of plastic.  We respect things that last. 

No wonder Google tricked you. Good luck with that lawsuit. I’d bet on Google. 

There was no formal designation, but it seems later models were equipped with more memory and processor power.  

Good Afternoon,

I have been a Sonos user and fan for over a decade.  I have sold Sonos products consistently during this time, both professionally and as a non-commissioned consumer convincing friends and family how wonderful of a product it is.

I have 17 zones in my home.  Of those 17 zones, 12 of them are affected by this news.  This is incredibly disappointing and disheartening.  I was under the impression that these were long term investments.  The realization that over $6,000 of investments in our home will soon be obsolete is a very tough pill to swallow.  I realize that they will continue to work for an undisclosed amount of time, but the day that our system suddenly no longer works will be a huge punch to the gut (not to mention the wallet).

In my humble opinion, 30% is not enough of a discount - especially for people that have been buying, pushing and supporting your products since 2008.  Perhaps consider some sort of “bulk recycle” deal or something for people that need to recycle more than 3 or 5 units to remain current.

I saw the news this morning and the announcement was well crafted and the reality of the situation does make sense after they have explained it.  However, the reality of the situation for an individual or family, especially ones as deeply invested as I am, is just massively disappointing.  Furthermore, it would really have been nice to know this information years ago, as while it does make sense today based on the explanation provided, this was not in any way news I would have been able to forecast, as I was (apparently falsely) under the impression that these devices and investments would only be limited by the natural degradation of hardware, not the implications of evolving software.

I am very sad about this news and will need to take some time to seriously think about how to best plan for the future of music and entertainment in our home.

Just checked my system and it turns out that Sonos are asking me to replace the following:

1 x Play: 5

6 x Connects

1 x Connect amp

2 x Bridges

That’s ten hardware units in total that Sonos want to consign to landfill and will cost me £2,600.00 including the trade in! Absolutely unacceptable!

I am not in the least reassured by messages from Sonos saying that everything will still work fine after May. We know it won’t. Countless times I have had to upload new Sonos software at the most inconvenient times and the prospect of an update that kills my system is unthinkable. Sonos have really shot themselves in the foot here.

OK. Fine. I understand. However, I’m trying to participate in the trade up program and the Sonos web site doesn’t apply the credits to my purchase. Trying to get sales help is fruitless. I’m either on hold forever, dealing with chat agents who can’t help me, or trying the trade up phone number listed (mid day Tuesday) to receive a message that the office is closed with a hangup. 

Sure is tough to do business with you guys lately.

so apparently I have 10 legacy items out of 20 listed on my account

so again sonos shaft us good customers

even have my three cr100 still on my account that sonos wouldn't honor their £100 credit as they only allowed more than one rebate but then went ahead and moved the goalposts but only for certain people and gave rebate galore

my last 5 x play 5 s2 will be my last sonos purchase

So today i received my trade up email notification that my first gen play 5 will no longer receive updates come May 2020. Not only will it stop receiving the updates but my entire system will no longer receive updates as well. Currently i have: 1 Beam; 2 amps; 1 play one; 1 play 5 gen 1 and 1 play 5 gen 2. Needless to say i have been a fan. I must say though, that this trade up notification pisses me off to no end. The fact that my perfectly working play 5 gen 1 will keep the rest of my system from receiving updates is ridiculous. I can say with certainty that if I do decide to pull my play 5 gen 1 so that my system continues to receive updates i will more than likely not replace it….or most certainly go with the cheaper SL instead...why to go Sonos…...alienate your loyal customers….The fact that Sonos cant update new gen devices if old gen device share the network is ridiculous. If you can develope a software update to brick old devices you can certainly come up with a fix to only update the speakers and devices that can take them. i will have to give serious thought to considering any future expansion of my system...

Frustrated fan

I agree that blocking updates to newer devices that are co-mingled with legacy devices is a last straw decision. None of the suggested or likely methods to make old and new devices play nicely together approach being acceptable for a system like Sonos that’s built around music-anywhere and interoperability.
 

On the plus side, I suppose, I’ve been debating whether to expand my investment through a 5.1 system or two, throwing down for some 5s and subs.

Given this move, I can say with confidence that I’ve made my last Sonos purchase and will be focusing on other options integrated with roon.

Thank you

One thing is to announce discontinued support for existing products, another is to inform customers on the future roadmap and support when you buy the product.
 

Sonos is a high priced product and seldom provide discounts so I recently bought two Play 1:s on discount and was pleased. Little did I know that a new version was silently launched. 
 

So what kind of support can I expect on my “old” Play 1:s compared to the new version Play 1:s which was launched the month after? The 10% discount I reveives may prove to be costing me more in the long run.

Sonos - I am  disappointed and you lost my trust. I have been a keen promoter of your system, now I will advise people to rethink and look for options…

My next system will be Bluetooth based or similar, clearly separating audio hardware and media software!

This news effectively eliminated me investing any further money in Sonos. This is an insult to customers and all aspects of the term loyalty. I’m not really surprised by this though, seeing how contemporary people invest in addictions to technology with the promise of “look what you can do”, “see how this improves your life” “now it’s even better”, “get the updates” “the latest and greatest” etc. etc. How much time do you invest in fooling around with your “tech”, needing to look at it while you’re driving, walking, sitting around? How much time do you invest in updating your “apps” and adjusting your systems in order to do simple things, like listening to music without doing anything else.

but we’ll give you a 30% discount to buy more of this. really? 30% is an insult, that I won’t accept.

Thanks God I sold my SONOS stocks at a profit before receiving this email from them. That stock is going down to minus ZERO!

At the very least sonos should postpone this decision… 

Then work on creating a legacy bridge product that handles the new cpu/memory requirements for the software update. Sell this bridge and it will handle the processing power for any legacy items in the consumers stack and turn the legacy hardware into dumb slaves that just listen to the new bridge product your selling. 

Then once this product is availble you can require that customers buy this bridge so they continue to receive software updates. That way Sonos you aren’t responsible for a great deal of e-waste pollution because your customers can purchase a device that will keep their legacy equipment updated & working.