End of Software Updates for Legacy Products

I’m a long term customer and was an early adopter. I bought my kit in the U.K. (I’m British). But I moved to Singapore for my job a couple of years ago. What do I do about my legacy kit? Can I trade up from here? Or am I now stumped?  

I have £1500 to spend (after the 30% discount) if I want to stay modern. Not particularly happy, especially after the way Sonos tried to pretend ‘Traded Up’ equipment would be ‘recycled’ just a couple of months ago.

I would be fine just to stay where I am with what I have, but there are few things that make me wary:

• The title of the email I just received is “Your system requires attention” - that doesn’t exactly suggest things are fine
• The first paragraph of that email ends with “This will affect your listening experience” - again that explicitly suggests things are not fine unless I do something (spend money) right now
• The fact that no one can say when streaming services will stop being compatible with the non-upgraded equipment. I know this is somewhat out of Sonos’ hands as its down to when those services update their APIs. However, as others have suggested I don’t see why Sonos can’t keep two branches of the firmware going to avoid this concern
• Not knowing when the Trade Up offer will end - if I leave things as they are will it still be there when, down the line, things stop working and I’m forced to upgrade

Well said and I echo it fully

I have a Quad amplifier FM Radio and Pre AMP I purchased when I was 20 - over 40 years ago and guess what - l can still use these and the sound quality is better than SONOS. I always wondered if SONOS would put shareholder value above customer support and it appears my fears are being realised. If I cannot use my £2000 investment in SONOS in the future so be it - I have little choice in this matter - but I do have a choice on what to buy as a replacement and it will not be a good day for SONOS - I will not be buying anymore of this hardware in future in the light of this hardware revelation and other recent announcements - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50948868

Also read this https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44392280

Only gen1 will be unsupported. Are these Gen2?

I have gone from a complete Sonos supporter to the polar opposite.  This is unbelievable for Sonos - who marketed themselves as being different from Apple/MS - to being exactly like them or worse.  I have 12 zones that will be worthless at an unnamed time, without notice, and in the near future.  

Did you buy Sonos products? If you did, did you know that they have a limited shelf life? Today is Gen 1. Next year Gen 2. Why would you buy this product if you know that it has a limited shelf life? Think twice about Sonos!

Why would you buy more sonos equipment that can be out of date and unsupported, why waste your money?

We don’t know … anything that happens over the SMAPI interface is between Sonos and the streaming provider. It’s possible that this API interaction is quite stable and robust to changes, but if it isn’t, that spells trouble for devices that are no longer updated.

The success of this whole thing hinges on not having to ‘hard partition’ outdated and modern Sonos devices. If this ends up being ugly, I think Sonos is over. I’d certainly not purchase any new Sonos hardware now that we know the support window can be less than five years, and I consider myself something of a Sonos evangelist.

I just read the same email this morning.  I have two “legacy” Play 5s and was informed “You can continue using legacy products after May, but your system will no longer receive software updates and new features. Over time this is likely to disrupt access to services and overall functionality”.  So basically a $1000 fee to continue using Sonos?!?! 

They do offer a discount to trade-up which could ease the pain.  A little.  For now.  Until the rest of my system gradually becomes legacy.  Sounds like Sonos development teams didn’t incorporate long term HW needs when creating their architecture.

The concept of forcing upgrades is common in the B2B world, but in B2C?  Maybe MS OS upgrades, but there are huge network effects, added features are guaranteed, and I know they’ll be around in the long run.  Time to start considering other solutions.  Closely watching the Google/Sonos lawsuit.

And another! I too purchased Sonos early on. I sold my kidney to afford it and have been very pleased with it up until now.

One of the reasons I stuck with Sonos and expanded my music system was that it all worked seamlessly together. I have just received the email to say that my 2 x ZP100s and Connect:Amp will no longer be updated and existing features will stop working over time.

There’s no way I’d consider purchasing another Sonos model even at a 30% discount if this is what is to come. I’m not quite sure of legalities of 'planned obsolescence’, but under French law it is a crime to intentionally shorten lifespan of a product with the aim of making customers replace it.

With 2 play 5s G1, 6 play 1s, 3 Sonos Ones, a sub and a playbar. I am all in. I suspect my outlay is well over $3000. I was an early adopter of the bar and sub and they cost a small fortune. 
 

Whilst the immediate issue at hand is a concern, Sonos are setting a precedent, and so next year they may decide the early play1s are targeted for end of life. unlikely but what next ?

ps. This is between us, no one tell my wife!

How clever of Sonos to raise prices in Jan 2020 and a week later send a notice that I have 16 devices that will EOL in May.    Those existing devices were purchased with support for a limited set of online streaming services.   I expect that limited list of Services to continue to work going forward.  It’s not my problem that Sonos wants to add new features or new services I should not be asked to buy replacements just to keep the features I have now working.  The core set of features originally sold need to be safeguarded - including the online streaming services marketed at that time.   It isn’t just the size of the investment they are threatening, it’s the lack of confidence that they won’t continue to do this ongoing.   Don’t tell me I already got X years use and that should be enough.  Consider that statement in the context of your automobile.   I am smokin’ mad and looking at alternatives to Sonos and feeling regret about all the family and friends that I encouraged to invest in Sonos over the years.  I can already hear the calls, “I bought this for Pandora and now it doesn’t work anymore”.  

Whats more important to me is turning off notifications that there is new software available. Will I be able to do that or will I be forced to update to something that will render my legacy play 5 unusable. I don’t need a sonos software update. I literally haven’t needed once since purchase.. I don’t need any ‘new features or alexa BS’ I just want to be able to continue to use my play 5 via airplay like I currently do

This morning I received notice that you are abandoning thousands of dollars in investment into what I assumed was a platform built for the future. My Play:5 systems are no longer usable? If I keep using them, I will continue to lose functionality across the entire system?

I have been a HUGE proponent of your company and your technology for many years but this is a betrayal of trust.

That it was sent with cavalier disregard makes the message all the more disheartening.

I have twelve Sonos speakers and now nearly half of them are being tossed into the dustbin of history?

How long until other components are trashed as well?

This is not the Sonos that I remember.

I guess like a lot of Sonos users I am pretty unhappy about this. I built up my Sonos system over a number of years and I am now faced with prospect of having to pay out a sizable chunk of cash that I had not expected or budgeted for.

Included in my system I have 2 x Connect Amps and 2 Gen 1 Play 5’s which with 30% off means I need to find £1537.20 ouch!

I think before laying out that kind of cash I am going to have a good look round at what else is available.

Poor show Sonos!

Have posted a warning to potential Sonos customers on Facebook. I have nearly 5,000 followers so this should get some exposure. Pop on over and spread the word: just do a search on Facebook for chiswaah and add a comment.

I agree with Gratters. Outrageous. And this extends beyond Sonos core products.

I purchased three Amazon Fire HD8 tablets less than three years ago and have been using them as controllers. Recently they’ve been barking that the OS is no longer supported by Sonos, so I’ve been expecting these to simply stop working at some point. 

And isn’t that the rub. At what point, Sonos, should we expect any future product we purchase from you to be rendered obsolete and then unsupported by your very own software? Why should I even take advantage of your paltry 30% credit and spend more money for a product built in 2020 to be obsoleted less than 5 years later? (as per your claim that Connect:Amp  versions sold until 2015 are now obsolete, Legacy products)

I’ve invested in a total of (4) Connect:amps and (3) Connect, not to mention products to control them. Now you thank me for my investments and support by telling me that I need to buy new products? Oh wait, you didn’t say I have to buy new products you just told me that I’ll have to wait and see what happens to my existing products as you roll out updates. Maybe they will work, maybe they won’t.

Unacceptable. 

Questions: since I primarily use my Sonos system to play music I own stored on a NAS drive, can you provide me with a ONE TIME Sonos software “freeze” that locks my existing components with the software and allows my existing Sonos ecosystem to operate AS IS until the hardware literally fails or burns out? I’d give up future features, updates and even streaming to at least retain the primary purpose I even bough into Sonos in the first place.

Question?

i have 16 “legacy” devices and 10 “modern” devices. Will the 10 newer ones stop getting updates too or will I have to spend the $5,500 to replace old ones to enable modern ones to keep current?

Can you let us all know when the latest Products will become obsolete please?  Particularly the Play1 and Play 3.  Without this knowledge the risk is that they will become obsolete overnight.  Especially as you continue to sell the Connect: and Connect:Amp today.  Without this knowledge I doubt I’ll be buying any more Sonos.

I suspect your email has just killed any Sonos purchases for those who do their research before buying.

This is even more outrageous - no real clarification until May? When it’s too late to do anything about it? Are you folks out of your minds?

Agreed.  I used to be called the best unpaid Sonos salesman because I would talk up their products so much at gatherings.  I will now spend as much energy cursing their name as I used to spend selling their product.

Hmm, as my speakers, which I have invested in heavily, become “too old” Sonos will not have a place in my home.Too bad I thought this company was good. Glad there are so many other options to choose from now. 

They want you to replace ALL the old ones if you want updates for ANY of the new ones. Outrageous!

Ryan,

It was purchased from Amazon and is showing up as Legacy in my account. It literally has been hooked up for less that a month

If that’s a new Connect that you just purchased, it’s not included in the legacy products. Only Connects that were manufactured in 2015 are affected.