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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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.
"We expect that in the near term, this backward compatibility will no longer be practical or cost-effective, and we may decrease or discontinue service for our older products," the manufacturer's Q4 2019 10-K financial filing explains. "If we no longer provide extensive backward capability for our products, we may damage our relationship with our existing customers, as well as our reputation, brand loyalty and ability to attract new customers."
That’s my last post for tonight. Tomorrow the Sonos will wake me up, but it just won’t feel the same. Maybe next year it will be Alexa, or a Raspberry Pi.
And talking of alarm clocks - if you were going to stop updates Sonos, could you not have done it before messing up the alarm clock? Firstly forcing it to always set repeat mode and more recently hiding it weirdly in the system settings. That’s two updates I wouldn’t have fought for.
Sonos should be ashamed of themselves. Leaving long-standing legacy customers in a forced conspicuous consumption scenario is outrageous by any standard. I have 3 different households full of Sonos gear that will soon be useless unless I choose to spend thousands of dollars to replace them with newer products that will be suspect to the same software update fiasco in years to come? Not happening!! I was a very influential supporter of Sonos from the very beginning. Having championed its ecosystem as a merchant in a large chain of specialty stores where we sold it as being future proof to our many customers. I can’t walk back those words. I wish I could. I am so very disappointed that this is how you treat your most loyal customers. I hope you take the feedback from the many disgruntled voices here and figure out a better way to move forward. This is a sad day for Sonos. Shame on you!!
Something tells me Ryan S. hates his job right about now...
I have Sonos in almost every room of my house, plus in my garage. Needless to say, like many others here I have invested a bunch of money in Sonos.
When they killed my CR100 I was disappointed, but at least my iPads worked… until they didn’t either. Reason? Sonos didn’t want to support apps for the older iPads and the old app couldn’t control Sonos after one of the updates. So I upgraded my iPads. Same thing later happened with the old Android phone I had converted to be a Sonos controller.
Last year when I received the 30% upgrade “offer”, I had a strong hunch I knew what was in store. And then when I read how “upgraded” devices were bricked simply by Sonos denying them access to their cloud service, I realized just how tied to the Sonos “cloud” we Sonos equipment owners are. Unlike all my other HiFi equipment that lasts forever -- I now realize that my thousands of dollars of Sonos equipment is one small step away from planned/controlled obsolescence. All controlled via a simple software switch that’s outside of my control. The second Sonos decides it’s too much trouble to support my old equipment -- it will stop working.
Sure -- the word now is that the equipment will still work, only it won’t get new features. But what happens when they decide that the iPad and Android apps no longer have to support old equipment? Is that what is meant by “Over time this is likely to disrupt access to services and overall functionality”?
I am a music lover and early Sonos adopter who only ever wanted a hi-quality way to play music in the many rooms of my house. The dozens of paid services, voice control, etc. that have been added over the years are cute, but they’re not why I bought into the system and I’m not interested in them now.
I thought I had bought into a hardware system that catered to people who love their music, but I’m afraid that I actually bought into a fickle software company that is more interested in new customers than established ones. I will not be “upgrading” my equipment just so I can continue to use it the same way. And I will no longer be spreading the gospel of Sonos.
As been said already send the ceo an email, still waiting a reply tho. But as things stand another customer lost and already looking at alternatives. And just look at there share price falling faster than a stone in water. So long and thanks for the fish.
Please post CEO’s email
Something tells me Ryan S. hates his job right about now...
Something tells me he is brushing up his CV.
10 x Connect:Amp + 2 x Connect + 1 Sub - all legacy products except for the Sub.
With the high prices we pay for everything Downunder this will cost me about AUD 8,000 to replace after the 30% discount !
My question - if I stick with the existing system and frozen firmware, and then a year after this all happens my Spotify stops working, will the 30% discount still be available ?
Agreed! I’m very disappointed in SONOS. I’d thought better of them...
Here is a question that needs an answer.
If I upgrade my phone 2-3 years from now, will I be able to install a older version of the app that will allow me to control my system if I stop getting updates in May?
Or is Sonos forcing me to keep an old tablet with the old app on it as a controller?
@Matt - MKE, when you wind up replacing your phone, you will still be able to get the app that works with a legacy system.
Sorry if this has been asked in the thread allready, but what happens if I disconnect my legacy items from the system, update all the later models and then re-connect the legacy models. Will that completely stuff the system for my legacy models and stop them working completely?
@Coodabeen We’ll have more on this later, but in May you’ll need to decide if you want to keep your modern devices on the legacy build or separate the legacy devices off to a separate system.
This is how good brands die a quick death. The intensity on this thread shows the passion and investment from so many long-time, loyal customers who now understandably feel jilted by an ill-considered - and one-sided plan. Sonos management: please put the brakes on this and come up with a better plan that is a win-win, and do it quickly before your brand equity goes down the tubes!
So if they introduce a new revised spec Play 5 this year, the gen 2 you may upgrade to in the coming weeks will soon be on a 5 year countdown to obsolescence in a few months.
Totally agree, and that’s not what we’d signed up for when we put our hard earned money into Sonos.
If this is the way the ‘connected’ world is going to go with technology companies, I think I’ll be starting to disconnect a little more.
Such a shame, I’ve loved my Sonos system, until now. Tick Tock.
Something tells me Ryan S. hates his job right about now...
Something tells me Ryan S is looking for a new job right about now…
Sadly for him, his employers have just hit the self-destruct button. Just look at that share price plummet!
This is the best news I cold have received - was about to extend my system with 2 additional units. Sonos have saved me money. I can’t believe how so many people are accepting this……. advice being given to run 2 separate networks - this will increase in years to come. I can see 3 or 4 systems running concurrently with an ever increasing number of legacy products.
Ryan - please pass on to Sonos that I will be declaring myself a legacy client in the near future. I feel ripped off.
Add me to your rapidly growing list of disgruntled customers who will never buy another sonos device unless this is fixed
Hey Ryan, thanks for the update...even if it’s not happy news.
A few questions. If I chose option 1, will I need to do anything to my system to prevent updates, or will the presence of these legacy products prevent updates from occurring
Will legacy versions of the the Sonos controller apps be made available? And if so, will it possible to revert a system back to this legacy version if their devices are already on a higher version?
Related to above, will it be possible to operate two Sonos systems, one current and one legacy, under the same network? (Understanding that you won’t be able to use some accounts, like voice services, on both systems)
What level of support will be available for those who chose to stay on a legacy system? Understanding that software updates will not be an issue, but if there are setup questions or network interference issues, will Sonos provide assistance?
Hiya, I’m sure most people wouldn’t disagree, they bought great speakers even though they cost a lot of money, but they didn’t expect them to become out of date, yes some may stop working after “X” number of years that’s only to be expected, but for Sonos to basically turn them into bricks is despicable, as suggested by melvimbe, why doesn’t Sonos provide a “Legacy sonos” app. so people can continue to use their existing system without having to pay out a lot more money on the forever upgrading train, when I bought my Play 5 a number of years ago there was nothing on the box saying it had a software life, if that had been the case I wouldn’t have invested in that or the subsequent ones.
It’s fine to say you don’t have to upgrade the app but these things always somehow update!
Here is a question that needs an answer.
If I upgrade my phone 2-3 years from now, will I be able to install a older version of the app that will allow me to control my system if I stop getting updates in May?
Or is Sonos forcing me to keep an old tablet with the old app on it as a controller?
@Matt - MKE, when you wind up replacing your phone, you will still be able to get the app that works with a legacy system.
Now that’s a response that deserves a screen shot for the future.
As been said already send the ceo an email, still waiting a reply tho. But as things stand another customer lost and already looking at alternatives. And just look at there share price falling faster than a stone in water. So long and thanks for the fish.
Are you listening Sonos? What a terrible way to treat customers. What a terrible business model!
I installed Sonos throughout my house five years ago. I purchased 2 connects at that time… I’m now told one is legacy and one is not. So, just a crapshoot if you buy a product that is a tad older??
And if I don’t disconnect or replace that one older Connect, none of my Sonos products will update after May? THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!!!
For me it’s less than four years. Only three for two of the products, two for the Portable 4. And no way to get pricing unless you commit to killing your current products, which is really sneaky.
Here is a question that needs an answer.
If I upgrade my phone 2-3 years from now, will I be able to install a older version of the app that will allow me to control my system if I stop getting updates in May?
Or is Sonos forcing me to keep an old tablet with the old app on it as a controller?
@Matt - MKE, when you wind up replacing your phone, you will still be able to get the app that works with a legacy system.
Now that’s a response that deserves a screen shot for the future.
Perhaps it will work until May next year ;-)
As someone who has around 17 Sonos devices, mainly Connects and their predecessors, and Connect:Amps, it is hard to not be pretty pissed with Sonos over this. I haven’t calculated the cost to me to replace all my system with current devices, a step which would add minimal additional value to me yet cost very many thousands of dollars, even with the 30% discount..
But from my perspective it all depends on how Sonos manages the legacy devices moving forwards, and the combination of legacy and non-legacy devices. I am not unhappy if my current devices don’t receive any further improvements from May. They have after all been considerably updated from when I purchased my first Sonos device. And I understand that Sonos can’t really be responsible for the evolution of streaming services etc. which they don’t control.
I will however be hugely pissed off if the approach Sonos takes to people with legacy devices and mixed systems is to effectively make the legacy devices unusable. In my mind Sonos need to:
Ensure that people who have legacy devices can continue to use them in their May-updated form for as long as they wish. Understanding that over time the non-Sonos streaming services may become unavailable to this system.
Ensure that there is no way that people can inadvertently upgrade non-legacy devices and brick their system containing legacy devices (eg. if the legacy devices are powered off)
Ensure that if people want to gradually upgrade their system with newer devices, there is a pathway that enables a single system to have legacy and non-legacy devices, such that the legacy devices deliver to their potential, and the newer devices deliver the future evolving services. Maybe that involves separate legacy and non-legacy systems, with the ability for the non-legacy system to share functionality within scope of the legacy software with the legacy system. Or maybe it involves a separate interface device, which sounds a reasonable idea to me.
I personally don’t mind the notion of the upgrade path - whilst I hate the idea that it kills a perfectly functional device, it is in reality no different from a physical trade-in program. I however do think the 30% discount is insufficient in the context of this announcement - it was nice as a sales effort, but I think it should be 40-45% when people are being somewhat backed into a corner as they are with this announcement.
Dave
TLDR - HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: SONOS, YOU’VE OUTLINED THE TIMETABLE WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO END SUPPORT TO MY PRODUCTS, NOW IT IS TIME TO OUTLINE THE TIMETABLE FOR REPLACEMENT PRODUCTS.
Well, this is going to be an expensive exercise.
As an early adopter and dedicated owner of Sonos products for 14 years who has spent more than AU$18,000 on your products, I would consider myself one of the veterans who brought this company to life...and frankly this is disappointing news. That said, I guess we all knew this day would come, but I just didn’t expect so many of my products to be affected in one hit.
Anyway, I have wanted a replacement for my Play:5 (Gen 1) speakers for some time, but the current offering just doesn’t cut it for reasons I outlined here a year ago. So Sonos, while I process this disappointing news, it’s time for you to stop your silence to your dedicated fans over planned products and spill the beans on what you have in train to update the Play:5 - when will we see a new product with all the technology of the Sonos One and the correct colour palette? I’ll buy replacements because I love the ecosystem, but I am not putting one cent into your current Play:5, which isn’t at the cutting edge of your portfolio and long-in-the-tooth, so likely to be the next to be nobbled.
Beyond sad. I hope this thread grows quickly and the bosses at Sonos realize how badly they’ve miscalculated. Thousands of dollars wasted and the loss of their best customers’ goodwill. Hard to put a price on that, but I can tell you a 30% discount isn’t it. Think back to the offer they made when they bricked the CR100 remotes. Much fairer. Reconsider, or lose customers.
Appalling decision from Sonos - sort it or face the already growing backlash.
Stop thinking about how you can adapt your systems to make this work. Start thinking about how you can force Sonos into reversing this arbitrary decision to drop support for their "Legacy" products.
I am sure there is a lawyer out there that would like a class action against this company.
I would urge everyone of you to contact whatever Media outlet you use, and make it clear that you are not happy with this, and that Sonos should be ashamed of what they have done, and should reverse their decision.
Sonos, show some loyalty to your customers in the way that your customers have shown some loyalty to you.
