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Ryan S
Retired Sonos Staff
June 8, 2020

Introducing S2, New App and OS for Sonos

Related content:Software
Introducing S2, New App and OS for Sonos

The next generation of Sonos software is now available. Sonos S2 is a new app and an operating system for compatible devices, which brings support for higher resolution audio, saved groups, support for new Sonos products, and more.

Learn more about the Sonos S2 app on our S2 home page.

 

Support for the newest Sonos products

The all new Sonos Arc, Sonos Five, and Sonos Sub will require the Sonos S2 app. These new players are not supported by the Sonos S1 Controller. 

 

Saved Groups

The new S2 app can save groups of rooms to create groups quickly and easily. Once a group is created, you can select it to start playing music and the players will automatically group up. 

 

High Resolution Audio

 

With S2, Sonos speakers now have support for high resolution audio, 24-bit, 44.1/48kHz for FLAC/ALAC only. This support is for local music libraries shared from computers and network attached drives. We’ve updated the article on Sonos supported music formats here.

The Sonos Arc is a Dolby Atmos soundbar, and S2 brings support for that audio to Sonos for home theater and music. Dolby Atmos can be read from Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby MAT, and Dolby TrueHD. 

 

How to get S2

All Sonos systems will be able to update to Sonos version 11.2, which contains some bug fixes and stability improvements. This version is a new S1 update, and compatible with all players. 

Once the 11.2 update is completed, systems compatible with Sonos S2 will receive a notification that the new app is available. You can tap that notification to start updating and the new app which will guide you through updating compatible players to the new platform. If you don’t see the notification banner, you go to System Tools in Settings to check compatibility and update. Sonos S2 is Sonos version 12.0.

You can check our Sonos S2 Compatibility article for a list of products that are compatible with S2.​​​​​

 

Articles and important information about S2

We will support products on Sonos S1 with bug fixes and security patches, and we will do what we can to ensure they keep working with the music services you love given their limited RAM and processing power.

We’ve put together answers to some of the top questions we’ve seen around S2 here, so please check out the following articles on:

Sonos S2 Overview - A great starting place to learn more about S2.

Sonos S2 Compatibility - Information about the differences between Sonos S2 and S1, including which Sonos products are compatible.

Set up separate S1 and S2 systems - Learn how to set up a separate Sonos S1 system with Sonos products that are not compatible with S2.

Known limitations with separate S1 and S2 Sonos systems - This article covers what you can expect when using two separate S1 and S2 systems.

Set up a separate Sonos S1 system

Remove Sonos products that are not compatible with S2 - Instructions on how to use the product removal tool in the Sonos S1 Controller before updating to Sonos S2.

Information about Trade Up:

If you’re interested in updating older Sonos speakers, here’s all the details on our Trade Up program, a way to get a big discount on any new Sonos products that are S2 compatible.

Trade Up home page - Get a general overview of the Sonos Trade Up program.

Trade Up support article - Step by step instructions on how to trade up your eligible Sonos products.

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230 replies

Ryan S
Ryan SAuthor
Retired Sonos Staff
June 8, 2020

Is S1 App still compatible with older Android Versions albeit with the limited functionality?

No, S2 requires 

  • iOS 11 and higher
  • iPadOS 13 and higher
  • Android 7.0 and higher (Sonos app is not supported on Chromebooks)
  • Fire OS 6.2 and higher

The limited compatibility mode for older OS are unable to control systems on S2.

Hi Ryan - it was the S1 App I was asking about?

Apologies, seems I still haven’t had enough coffee yet… Limited compatibility controllers from 11.1 will still be limited with 11.2 (S1). They just can’t work with S2.

 

Any news about SMB v1 and the 64k limit under S2?

No news. I’ll add you to the list requesting them though.

 

I have 2 x Play:1, a Play:3 and a Sub, all are apparently compatible with S2 yet S2 says otherwise on my MacOS.

 

How do I get S2 too work?

Assuming your MacOS X is 10.11 or higher, you can download the S2 Sonos app and use it with your system. If the MacOS isn’t updated, you will need to update your MacOS or use a different controller if you’d like to use S2. 

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Enthusiast II
June 8, 2020

Any news about SMB v1 and the 64k limit under S2?

Add me as well. Thanks for the 24bit support!

Ryan S
Ryan SAuthor
Retired Sonos Staff
June 8, 2020

Any news about SMB v1 and the 64k limit under S2?

Add me as well. Thanks for the 24bit support!

Added :)

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Lyricist III
June 8, 2020

Hmm... am I missing something? I what way does S2 support hi-res any more than S1?

Airgetlam
June 8, 2020

Please re read the first post in this thread. 

 

High Resolution Audio

 

With S2, Sonos speakers now have support for high resolution audio, 24-bit, 44.1/48kHz for FLAC/ALAC only. This support is for local music libraries shared from computers and network attached drives. We’ve updated the article on Sonos supported music formats here.

The Sonos Arc is a Dolby Atmos soundbar, and S2 brings support for that audio to Sonos for home theater and music. Dolby Atmos can be read from Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby MAT, and Dolby TrueHD

Bruce
Lyricist III
June 8, 2020

Please re read the first post in this thread. 

So all the talk about hi-res support in S2 was just not true. It’s just the same as S1.

melvimbe
June 8, 2020

Please re read the first post in this thread. 

I don’t know what post you are refering to but I can sort of figure out that all the talk about hi-res in S2 was not true.

What post?  The first post.  All the talk about hi-res, particularly Sonos official statements, never stated that it was going to be fully implemented day one.  I’m actually surprised anything was changed regarding audio quality/format today.

Danny
Enthusiast II
June 8, 2020

Please re read the first post in this thread. 

So all the talk about hi-res support in S2 was just not true. It’s just the same as S1.

24bit. Not perfect but it’s nice to not have to down convert 24 bit files that are 44 and 48k. 

Contributor II
June 8, 2020

So just so I understand . . . If I stream 24bit music from Amazon, S2 will play it at 16bit, but if I download 24bit music from Amazon, Sonos will play it at 24bit? Is that right? 

Ryan S
Ryan SAuthor
Retired Sonos Staff
June 8, 2020

So just so I understand . . . If I stream 24bit music from Amazon, S2 will play it at 16bit, but if I download 24bit music from Amazon, Sonos will play it at 24bit? Is that right? 

That’s correct, assuming the tracks are downloaded to your local music library and shared with Sonos. As opposed to trying to play offline music that’s been saved for playback later.

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