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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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

Kumar

Why don’t you let Sonos relate the “facts” and show some outrage too, or is this all fine with you?

Someone needs to relate the facts, surely; Sonos doesn't have the resources to do this as quickly. And not everyone may feel outrage, and those that do, do not all need to also express it? How does that help?

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jgatie

Me too.
Just want Spotify and local network music and iOS as a remote

Local music should be fine. Spotify is at the mercy of Spotify. If they make a significant change to their end, functionality on Sonos could be affected.

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Dreek

Contributor I

Well so much for brand loyalty. I am a Product Design Authority in a high tech giant company in my day-job and I can tell you that if I were underwriting this technical position I’d be sweating for my job right now.

Has selective exclusion of certain services to legacy products not been considered? I mean, I want to just stream Spotify through my Play5v1, so why not tailor future updates to give some options?

Maybe Sonos is just no longer that nice user-friendly company that we all thought it was - this smacks of an aggressive management team that has realised a handy way to crowbar more profit from their loyal user-base. That’s leaving a somewhat bitter in the mouth, don’t you think?

Does anyone know how long the 30% trade in will last for? I mean, if I wait past May (because I can’t suddenly produce £350 now) and my Play5v1 then starts becoming unusable, will I still get 30% off or will that have lapsed? I hope the former, but corporate greed seems to be in play here so I am not confident.

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K

kellyk

Lyricist I

This is an outrage! What a disgrace the executive leadership of this company must be to screw a loyal customer base this way! I have invested over $10,000 in your products due to my appreciation for their quality - knowing they were built to last. Now your money grab attempt will make my investment worthless. I have been the biggest proponent in my social network of your products - pushing SONOS on dozens of people over the years - I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SONOS PRODUCT AGAIN!

Ditto! Not only will I never buy another Sonos product, I will make sure my thousands of followers don’t buy one either. I refuse to waste more money. There are other systems out there that don’t treat their early adopters disrespectfully like this. The company must be dying to do a move like this, those 99$ Sonos lamps must not be be moving at Ikea. Lol. Thanks Sonos, for shooting the bird to your soon to be ex-loyal fans. I’d rather tape $1000 to my windshield and drive down the street, rather than give you another dollar. Greed is very unattractive.

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P

pf_1

Contributor I

I also have 10 components being end-of-lived. The cost to address will be significant no matter what. As a result, I refuse to convert to new Sonos units and will do my best to inform others of this risk. What are the best alternatives on the market to explore?

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S

Ssorrels

Lyricist I

The only acceptable answer anywhere in a zone of responsible conduct is to create a software patch that will allow old products to operate on their own subsystem, even if without full functionality with the newer products. Really surprised this has not been provided for in the announcement. Trade-up discount at 30% is too low in this environment as well.

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L

Loveclose

Trending Lyricist I

It was clear that this was going to have to be done at some point, and it is probably more surprising that the inevitable has not happened sooner. I’m not surprised, either, that the frozen system option is ‘all-or-nothing’. But that makes it a non-option for me, as I don’t want to close off future developments, given that I have only one ‘legacy’ component. I must admit I didn’t expect Connects sold as recently as 2015 to go at this point though.

I think my only gripe is the lack of generosity in the discount offered. I find myself facing an unexpected bill of £280 for a Port to replace my Connect, with little real benefit. Sure, I get a new Port that may last longer than my Connect would have done (or may not, I shall never know). Better DAC? I use digital out to a DAC / pre-amp. Airplay? Never use it, don’t own anything Apple. 12V trigger? No use for it.

So that’s a bit disappointing, but nobody died. I suspect there will be some posts coming up that equate Sonos’ decision to murder, or possibly genocide, to judge by some past threads.

Why is it clear John B??

My system works perfectly. I have no need to update it until it breaks.

I simply cannot afford at this time to update my system and pay a hefty price for it.

No Sonos owner ever expected to be dumped in such a mercenary fashion when they chose to invest at some expense on a Sonos product.

Sorry, but saying ‘nobody died’, and ‘equate Sonos’ decision to murder’ simply ignores the plight of us mere mortals that still have a perfectly working system and have no need to change it.

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rlabatt

Trending Lyricist I

This is an outrage! What a disgrace the executive leadership of this company must be to screw a loyal customer base this way! I have invested over $10,000 in your products due to my appreciation for their quality - knowing they were built to last. Now your money grab attempt will make my investment worthless. I have been the biggest proponent in my social network of your products - pushing SONOS on dozens of people over the years - I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SONOS PRODUCT AGAIN!

And that’s the rub - not only are we being asked to spend to upgrade, but many of us Sonos fans are feeling like our reputations with family and friends is eroded. We recommended Sonos and now have to ‘face the music’ with our peers.

It would be nice if Sonos were to explicitly offer something like “current functionality will not change for the next (5-10) years” for our legacy products.” as a way for us to set the stage for replacement of our gear.

Finally, and not sure if this was mentioned above, but what of the e-waste as people are force-upgraded to new systems before the legacy systems are truly outmoded. Here’s an idea - open source the legacy platforms so that they can live a second life.

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anthonyA

Contributor I

SONOS DONT GIVE A CRAP SEE ANY REMARKS FROM THEM ….NOPE

#TAILBETWEENLEGS

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Seattlenerd

Enthusiast I

I was an early adopter of several Sonos products and have purchased quite of few of them between 2013 and 2017: Playbar (1), Bridge (2), Play:5 (2), Play:3 (1), Play:1 (5). I’ve said nice things about Sonos in print, online and on audio.

So this unexpected notice of the end-of-life of three of my products (the one Bridge I still use, and both Play:5 speakers) is sad and will likely be costly.

Sonos also needs to do a better job of letting Bridge owners know there is an update to the Bridge, the Boost. That’s not indicated in the end-of-life email notice. There’s also no “trade-up” discount for current owners of EOL Bridges to the Boost. That should be remedied.

What this will have me do is consider non-Sonos products that are Sonos compatible to replace the Play:5 speakers. I’m looking at Ikea’s Symfonisk bookshelf speakers.

All in all, this is abrupt, unfortunate and likely expensive.

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