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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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

Lyricist I

So there is plenty of ticked off supporters and purchasers of Sonos equipment.

I have 8 different devices in my home. 1 at work.

What I find so hideous about this, is that the 1st device I have that is expiring has a registration date of “Registration 2017-11-12”

This is just over 2 years old in my possession from brand new, for gods sake.

I get that it was in the retailers possession for an too long a period of time… but WTF…

I think this may be grounds for a lawsuit.

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james18ellis83

Lyricist I

This isn’t good enough. Sonos didn’t say clearly when I purchased my items, ‘hey this will only last as long as we feel like updating the system’ this is not good enough. If they want to go down this route fine, but they should refund the customers the original purchase price for the goods affected. For those in the UK can I suggest contacting the relevant organisation regarding your consumer rights

Consumer rights

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You can get help if you’re treated unfairly or when things go wrong. This includes problems with:

credit and store cards
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You can call a helpline to get advice. They can also refer your complaint to local Trading Standards Officers who may then investigate on your behalf

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Taff44

Lyricist I

I have to say that I am seriously unimpressed by this update news. This is just Sonos trying to make money. They may be “legacy” products but they were expensive to buy (and bought not that long ago) and the upgrade cost is prohibitive. Even Apple and Microsoft keep their update programmes running longer than this. Not impressive Sonos.

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Raticalman

Lyricist I

Thanks, I have to say, it was pretty good while it lasted. Fortunately, I kinda saw this coming back when the Sonos app started going and I didn’t go in too much deeper. We only have one supported pair of Play:1, with the remainder of our system (6 items) going into unsupported status. Looks like the “Trade-up” program for us will be changing brands. Knowing that the same risk could come into play with a new brand, I hope that a change over to a different product line will last long enough to get us through the next 20 years. P.S. I sure am glad I kept all those little discs sitting on my shelves, and some devices that still play those legacy items.

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xcdn

Lyricist I

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?

Kumar, the more outrage that is expressed, the more SONOS execs will have to carefully plan out how to fix this mess and appropriately maintain support for the older systems. Let the outrage continue.

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Paul000000

Lyricist III

I am very disappointed in Sono’s with this Legacy move. This thread seems a lot more calm than what I am reading on the net so I am suspicious it is being edited and this post won’t make it.

We own thousands of dollars in Sono equipment that we use daily and it serves us well. BUT, learning that we will be required to replace $1500 in equipment which we can’t even sell for a meagre 30% off new equipment is insulting to say the least.

Why would anyone replace good equipment that the only reason is due to software for more equipment that Sono’s has the control to do again in 5 years??

I only make a bad investment once.

No way am I investing more with this company.

Your so called “legacy” will be falling stock prices.

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keitheva

Avid Contributor I

This is one of the most egregious cases of exploiting a captive customer base in the interests of profit that I have ever seen. I am an “IT guy” and if we pulled the plug on support for a hardware/software version with 3 months notice we would have been out of business years ago (Microsoft gave 5 years notice for end of support for Windows 7 for example). The “insufficient memory/power” excuse is bogus - there are always ways around such constraints (if there’s a will), and maintaining support for multiple software version threads is business as usual. So admit it, the driver here is profit. You can do this once, Sonos, but now your (ex-)loyal customers are forewarned and may well choose one of the many alternatives now on the market when their systems no longer work. Shameful.

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fleetmack

Contributor II

I think everyone understands end of support for products. But to stop updating thousands of dollars of NEW equipment because we also have 2 pieces of legacy equipment (sounds small, but still worth $1000!) on the same “system” is either a sign of wildly poor design (coming from a software developer who understands the complexities and intricacies of software as complex as this), or extreme greed. My assumption here, based on the lack of backwards-incompatibility and offering a measly 30% (what is your break-even percent?) discount on new products, is that it’s both.

You quite simply need to extend the legacy service past May for however long it takes for you to offer the ability to allow new products to receive updates while letting legacy products live their unsupported lives on the same “system”. If this means no grouping to legacy devices, so be it. If this means no updated support for streaming services on legacy devices, so be it. But legacy devices need to be able to live on the same “system” as new devices - new devices that CONTINUE TO RECEIVE UPDATES.

In layman’s terms - this is complete horses**t. I didn’t sign up for “hardware as a service”. Continue to support and update my new devices while not taking away my old ones. This is the only acceptable solution.

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John B

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

Sorry, I don’t rage to nameless, faceless corporations. I vote with my wallet.

And I’ll post what I want, when I want. There are some people in here who are looking for information. If that is not you, you can ignore my comments.

This is a user forum, so I think users are entitled to contribute.

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avboothroyd

Trending Lyricist I

I understand that older tech will need updating eventually, but i am absolutely disgusted that there is not a like for like replacement product for the old zone 90 and 120 amp (connect and connect:amp).

instead we are being forced to pay an extortionate amount of money for units that do far more than i will ever need them to. Why can’t you release a lower cost option that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles to replace the connect and connect amp?

I have always been a huge supporter of sonos and was going to add some more zones, but once my base system stops working, i will be looking to an alternative brand as a solution

Really disappointed.

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