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 The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.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

jober

Lyricist I

Bought my Play:5 brand new from a store end of December 2014. In September (?) 2015 gen 2 was announced.

So, after FIVE years Sonos tells me that my Play:5 is unsupported and thinks that I should buy a newer model. My old Play:5 still looks brand new, Australia is burning and there was no winter here in northern Europe.

I am NEVER EVER buying a Sonos product again. I urge everyone reading this to consider doing the same.

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Ryan SAuthor

Retired Sonos Staff

All this said, Sonos app is working on all our old android tablets over time that we were told might have limited functionality and no new features.

Maybe I missed it in the discussion but does it mean that those boxes “will not play music” or “will not have new whistles and bells”?

I’m unclear on that?

In May, the change will be that legacy players won’t get updates, so no new whistles and bells. However, if at some point in the future after then, a music service like Spotify or Apple Music changes their service connection protocols, there won’t be a software update for legacy devices to fix that connection and the service would stop working.

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B

BW1986

Contributor I

I'll echo what's already been said. I was just in a situation to expand my sonos system (most recent purchase was a beam). I already had four speakers (I admit a system much smaller than most) but my play:5 gen 1 which was bought brand new from a reputable retailer only about 4.5 years ago is having its support pulled? 4.5 years after cessation of production of a model is very very poor lifecycle. Working in the technology sector myself I understand the need make products obsolete from time to time...but 4.5 years after discontinuing a £400 product is ridiculous. I would expect a minimum of 8 years support after discontinuing the product. Sonos needs to seriously think about a way to allow the play:5 to continue in a system whilst allowing the remainder of the system to receive updates either by sanboxing the speaker and allowing the new speakers to somehow speak to it via a legacy method...I'm no developer but this needs to be looked at.

Needless to say if this is Sonos final word on the matter the beam will be my final sonos product purchase…

Pretty confident none of the sonos "valued customers" voices will be heard nor appreciated.

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T

tkshaffer

Contributor I

If the technology to support both is impossible, Sonos should be offering to upgrade working products to their equivalent replacement for a small administration fee (50 or 100 dollars seems reasonable).

Connect Amp replaced by new amp. Play:5 replaced by newer Play:5.

Your entire sales pitch in my decade plus with Sonos has been the Sonos Net ecosystem. If discontinuing a single product takes down the ability to update the Ecosystem, Sonos should bear some responsibility to keep the Sonos Net working.

Please consider a more reasonable replacement plan for same products of different generations.

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D

derekmiddlemas

Lyricist I

I’ve spent thousands of pounds on SONOS products since 2006. I don’t need fancy new functions - I just need them to play music. Already impossible to simply play songs from an iPAD. Lots of questions raised about mixing old legacy components with new ones. Sounds like best approach is to keep the old stuff and buy a different system When you are forced to. Really rubbish excuse about how they have 20 year old components still working but they are making 2015 Components obsolete. Still we can get a 30% discount on replacing them all - guess we should be really grateful.

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S

Scott_36

Contributor I

If these were speakers at a much lower price, this might seem acceptable. As it is, I don’t know why I would spend any more money on Sonos. Even if I trade up to “modern” versions, how long until they’re obsolete? It seems like Sonos is saying their business model just doesn’t work.

Time to start testing non-Sonos alternatives.

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pcosgrave

Lyricist I

So i know i have 3 legacy products based upon the e-mail. And i’ve posted before in this thread, but going to my account at the top it says “You have 3 legacy products that do not receive regular software updates and new features as of May 2020.” By regular i take it as it wont get all the updates but will get some update as required to keep current functionality or maybe security updates.... Or at least that would be my understanding based on standard software practices. 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”. We need answers and we need them now not in 4 months.

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Ryan SAuthor

Retired Sonos Staff

I will add my voice here. In 2013 (an entire 7 years ago!) I went all in with SONOS after hearing it at a friend’s home. The Bridge, 4 of the Play5 gen1 speakers, a SUB. I ripped over 1000 CDs to my computer and ditched my CD player and the discs. In the meantime I retired, moving to a liveable but fixed income. I have endured the endless system updates. And I have very much enjoyed my music system. Now, you are telling me it will soon become useless ( I have no faith that the components will be able to be used more than a year or two after being declared “legacy”.). This borders on criminal. Nothing less than a big ***** to all your customers who have built systems with your products. My father had a pair of high end Klipsch speakers he used for FORTY YEARS!!! And you have the temerity to suggest that products being sold 5 short years ago should, as a matter of course in this modern era, become obsolete, and the 30% discount on all new stuff is a good deal. I am in no position to go out and drop that kind of money on a new music system, especially when the one I have IS IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER! Never again will I purchase a SONOS product. You people are terrible

@dpeaslee If you’re mostly just using your CDs off of a network attached drive or a computer, you can leave your system as a legacy system and won’t notice any difference. The eventual software changes that might come in the future are unlikely to affect your use of the system. The line-in connections on your Play:5s will also work without any issues.

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Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

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ojsakila

Contributor I

This "NEW connect " you purchased.... This will be UNEFFECTED by this new email we all received??

I'm concerned because I JUST purchased a connect at Best Buy less than 30 days ago and now I receive an email saying it's going to be cut off. .

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SteveG63

Enthusiast I

Two Connect:Amps

Three Connects

One Play 5

i also have two Play 3s and a Play1 which i suppose will experience the same fate in a few years time.

Been a Sonos evangelist for close to ten years. I’m going to have to seriously revisit that from hereon out. What a sucky way to treat your customers.

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Sonos user since 2008. (3) Connects, (2) Connect Amps, (2) Play 1, (2) Play 3s, (1) Play 5, (1) Arc, (1) Sub, (1) Symfonisk

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