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Ryan S
Retired Sonos Staff
October 2, 2017

Now Available, the New Sonos App

Related content:Software



Sonos version 8.0 is introducing a brand new controller for iOS and Android. The new Sonos app makes it even easier to navigate, access, and control your music throughout your home. This new app comes side by side with voice control through Alexa devices, more about that here.

Check out our blog for the Remastered Sonos App. Full details on the new apps can be found here on their respective product guide pages. Let’s take a look at the new app:



Introducing Navigation with Tabs:


The Sonos app now has five tabs visible at the bottom when not in the full playing screen. The tabs are My Sonos, Browse, Rooms, Search, and More. See here:



Now your most used options are available with just one click, and Now Playing is always just one tap away.

My Sonos
We’ve consolidated all your personally curated Sonos Playlists, music service playlists, and Sonos Favorites into one, easy to use page on the Sonos app. You can edit fields to move around the order, or delete them entirely. You can now have up to 40 favorites total, up from 32.

Browse
Browsing your music is even easier as it no longer hides your other options. You can browse and move to different rooms all while keeping your place in the browsing menu. There’s also a dock on the bottom of the app that gives you easy access to the navigation tabs. You can swipe it up to reveal it at any time, then back down. We’ve separated browsing your music and the menu for Settings, so it’s even easier to find what you’re looking for.

Rooms
The menu starts highlighted on the active room, featured right on the app so that it’s even easier to see what’s playing in each room. There’s now an icon on that screen to show you where the music is coming from too. That includes if it was started by Alexa. The active room has a Group button to have it add others to the party.

Search
It hasn’t changed, just moved to an easy to find spot.

More...
All the settings and options are in here. You can add services, make alarms, get some help, and access all your settings. We think this will make it a lot easier to find what you’re looking for. And speaking of settings…


Explicit Language Filtering


Within Settings > Parental Controls, you can set a system-wide setting to filter songs with explicit content. Right now, this is working for Apple Music, and we’re hoping to add it for more services soon. Once the setting is on, Apple Music songs with the explicit tag will no longer play on your system.

Long Press to Group


Making it even easier to play music. With 8.0, you can press and hold the Play/Pause button (or mute on older players) to have your player join the most recently active player as a group. First, you have to start playing music on a player, (it can be from an alarm or any other source), and then just hold the button for a few seconds on another player. That second player will join the first one’s group and start playing the same music in sync.

There's another function of the long press, and that's being able to move recently stopped music to another room. First, stop playing music in any of your rooms. Then, press and hold the play/pause on another player for a few seconds. (Make sure that you don't start playing music anywhere else.) The queue or source will move to the unit you held the button for and start playing. The players won't group together and any existing queue will get whiped out in place of the new one.

iOS 11 and Android O Support


Lastly, version 8.0 has support for the latest operating systems from Android and iOS. This includes iOS 11 support for Trueplay on Sonos. Trueplay isn’t available on Android at this time.
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527 replies

Contributor I
December 9, 2017
Thanks John B. Guess I was thinking wrong. Wanted to create the list repository first, then add tracks to it.

Here's another: I have an old music service, "Amazon Music Library". If selected, it results in an error message, "Please remove this service and add the new Amazon Music with Prime features. Learn more about new features here: faq.sonos.com/amazon"

Ok, no problem. Services change. But I can't seem to find where/how to remove the service. I know how to add one. But removing isn't obvious. I've tried a long tap from the Browse tab, but no go. Nothing under "...More"

Never mind...just found it. "...More/Settings/My Music Services"
December 9, 2017
OK that's good. That one does take some tracking down!
December 13, 2017
Would love the ability to play through the speakers without using the app. Id be using them much more
Like these that are available at this time?
Once a playlist is loaded, stop/start.
Skip to next track.
Volume change.
Group speakers.
Have music follow to another speaker.
Contributor I
December 13, 2017
This App is so terrible. Even after two months I can’t get used to it. Don’t see any stations because of two incredible huge playlist icons in my Sonos. It all makes so absolutely no sense at all. Sonos 7 was not great but compare to V 8 it was heaven! 13 Sonos speakers in our house - but meanwhile I wish I had never bought one. I hate to use it.
It’s like buying a Porsche and one fine day someone removes the steering wheel and gives you a joystick to drive your car that makes it turn right when you push to the left. Of course you can drive like that, but boy would this really be more fun and be better than before?
What’s up with Sonos developers? Hundreds of them working since two years on audible integration and one is trying so make a better app?
Contributor III
December 14, 2017
Is there a way to see the Pandora stations in alphabetical order, like they were before? I also think the new app is somewhat convuluted in that there are more steps needed to play music.
Lyricist I
December 15, 2017
I have been using Sonos for 4+ years and have been a big fan. I also have a ton of Sonos gear (7 controllers, etc.). This 8.0 upgrade is terrible. I am in the software business so I see what has happened. Your techos got carried away with lots of new graphics and features and missed the fundamental aspects of making it easy to do the fundamentals, like turn on different types of music and to manage multiple zones. Features that used to be easy to find are impossible to find, and sometimes I get stuck and have to kill the app to reset it. Why aren't the bottom tab buttons available on every screen? I'm not in the business of learning all the navigation nuances of your new software; I simply want it to work and work easily. I don't care about all the complexity you are adding, when you have obscured the fundamental functionality that I need to run my system. I'm not a happy customer.
Lyricist I
December 15, 2017
Sorry, but this is an appalling example of software. Totally non intuitive. What were you thinking.
Guy_19
Enthusiast II
December 16, 2017
Sorry, but this is an appalling example of software. Totally non intuitive. What were you thinking.
I don't think you need to apologise, it is the UX designers who came up with this abomination, assuming they still work for the company.
7 rooms: One SL Stereo Pair, One SL x 2, Move, Play:5 Gen2 & Port into Arcam AVR with AE floorstanders, Port into Denon microsystem.
mduhamel
Contributor I
December 16, 2017
Sorry Sonos, but after more than 2 months of use, I must admit that I totally dislike the new organisation of the app. I have six rooms set-up and it would be too long for me to describe each and every nuisance that the new app brings to the user experience. My problem is more than just simple muscle memory. The number of taps, the dispersed locations of the series of taps on the iPhone, etc. all reduce the ease of use and frankly brings some frustration when moving from room to room. I now go to my laptop to use the controller. I've talked to some other users who have 2-3 rooms setup and we pretty much agree that the new app is not user friendly at all, or more precisely not an improvement over the previous version. Not a satisfied customer anymore. Sorry. 😞
Contributor I
December 17, 2017
Something is off with the new app (Android). Since the upgrade I am struggling and I thought maybe I am just too old for this smartphone stuff, but I see in this community that I am not the only one.

Two minor changes that may make the app more functional:
(1) Link room selection between app and widget. Having selected and controlled a room in the widget and then opening the app with a different room is super annoying.
(2) Make the navigation tabs persistent on the controller screen (or at least provide that option). Having to switch screens to control rooms or music is clunky