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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

Guy_19
Enthusiast II
January 4, 2018
I think the trouble is Guy that the Voice Control elements were built into version 8 along with the UI changes. So falling back to previous UI, or something similar, would be far harder than if just the one major change had happened.

We will never get a firm date as that is not how Sonos operates (or most companies), although there was an exception when they gave a date for Spotify voice control.

If only they had just integrated Voice Control, and left the UI alone...
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.
Lyricist II
January 4, 2018
When will Sonos be available for Alexa in Canada.
Ryan S
Ryan SAuthor
Retired Sonos Staff
January 4, 2018
When will Sonos be available for Alexa in Canada.
We're working with Alexa to get it working with Sonos in Canada early this year. We haven't shared a specific date yet, but as soon as we can share more we'll be posting it on the community and elsewhere.
Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
geoffking65
Lyricist III
January 4, 2018
Hi all,
Apologies for calling it the wrong name. Yes - SonoPad. My bad.
Sadly, no Android equivalent.
Cheers,
Geoff
Lyricist I
January 8, 2018
thank you so much sonos a parents dream with the filter. your hard work is really 😃
Trending Lyricist I
January 17, 2018
I just received an email with this information, which may pertain to this discussion:
"SONOS LAUNCHES MAJOR PLATFORM UPDATE
To URC Dealers:
As you may have heard, Sonos plans to release a major update to their platform in order to make their system more scalable and sustainable. This update will limit the usability of the existing URC two-way module. The Sonos update is slated for release at the end of January 2018."

I have no idea the scope of the "major platform update" but hopefully Sonos will have been listening to the legions of long-time users and will have addressed/fixed the many issues they created that have been discussed at length in this thread.
I guess time will tell.
In May 2020 the following products in your system will be classified as legacy and no longer receive software updates and new features. This will affect your listening experience: Connect:Amp x 3, Connect x 1, Connect (ZP90) x 2
Airgetlam
January 17, 2018
Would you be willing to share what URC means?
Bruce
Trending Lyricist I
January 17, 2018
URC is Universal Remote Control, a company that makes programmable remote controls designed to operate a host of products, one of which is Sonos. The email informs URC product dealers that some of their installations will "break" as a result of the Sonos update and likely require both new hardware and/or programming changes to some of the products they have installed for their customers. These are the unintended and unavoidable consequences of product updates and URC makes some of the few products out there that attempt to integrate Sonos control into their devices, which is no easy task.
Obviously it is not without risk.
In May 2020 the following products in your system will be classified as legacy and no longer receive software updates and new features. This will affect your listening experience: Connect:Amp x 3, Connect x 1, Connect (ZP90) x 2
Chris
Lead Maestro
January 17, 2018
Universal Remote Control

I have no idea what any upcoming updates would have to do with that. Sounds like their products can show status of Sonos unit with a 2-way module and some upcoming SDK changes effect that integration.

I assume this has to do with SDK side and a lot of things happening like Airplay2. Has nothing to do with the Sonos controller itself but integration with other devices.

We have seen other SDK changes break compatibility with other home automation solutions that take time to resolve. Looks like URC users are in for one of those issues.
Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
Chris
Lead Maestro
January 17, 2018
Not to say a new interface version of Sonos not coming out. As we have predicted January release of tweaks to the controller interface ... .and fact Sonos likes Tuesdays ... .I would predict they would want to release the a controller update next Tuesday 1/24 to get it in the month.
Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)