Retired Sonos Staff

News

The new Sonos Mobile App & Web App

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Today we are introducing the most extensive app redesign ever, creating an unprecedented streaming experience that allows listeners to organize their favorite playlists, stations, albums and more from over 100 services on one customizable Home screen.

The new Home screen provides faster access to Sonos system controls with one easy swipe up, making tab to tab jumping a thing of the past. As a leader in sound experience that’s focused on creating a better way to listen, Sonos intentionally redesigned the app on a modern software platform for an easier, faster and better experience that can support more rapid innovation.

The reimagined app supports all existing S2 products and will be available globally through a software update for the S2 mobile app.

100+ streaming services, one Home screen

The redesigned Sonos app prioritizes a listening experience that’s human - allowing you to bring your true favorites front and center and giving you more control to make your streaming experience your own.

Get into your music (and off the app) faster: No need to tap between tabs — the new Home screen serves up all your favorite content and controls, all in one place. Quickly jump back into your recently played, browse libraries and recommendations from your preferred services, and fill your home with music and all the sounds you love.
Customize and curate: Enjoy unparalleled curation by designing your Home screen to reflect how you listen. Pin rows of your favorite content and services; then move, edit, or rearrange them to your liking.
Search every streaming library: Look for an artist, song, podcast, or audiobook across all your preferred streaming apps at once via an easy-to-use search bar that’s always available right on your Home screen.
Elevated system control: Swipe up from the bottom of your Home screen to seamlessly control your entire system and access a visual overview of what’s playing on each of your products, quickly group speakers, and dial in on the perfect volume from anywhere in the app.

Accessible from any modern web browser, a brand new web app allows listeners the same seamless system control as the mobile app.

The Web App will be available alongside the redesigned mobile app on May 7, 2024.

Want to find out more about the new Sonos App? Have a look at the Info Hub section of the community for a complete rundown of the new user interface.

Here you can find the full press release.

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J

JohnG666

Enthusiast II

@Corry P

I find it very disappointing that they are saying the Home Screen is customisable but you can’t really fully customise it given that the recently played is mandatory.

So when they say it’s customisable, does this mean you can only change the order in which everything appears on the Home Screen or can you completely remove things from the Home Screen? I personally have never subscribed to any streaming services and only use Sonos for internet radio and playing my own FLAC files. I don’t want or need stuff on the Home Screen that I will never use.

It sounds like I might be best not having this update until I find out what it ruins for me :(

O

osm

That’s going to require Sonos to develop the concept of having user profiles to start with. It feels like this is becoming more and more necessary. Besides showing different favorites to different users, the web app requires a log in since it can be used off network, or perhaps on your guest network. It would be ideal to be able to setup a guest user account that has no admin privileges for these situations.

I’m quite surprised that Sonos hasn’t used the opportunity of an app refresh to introduce user profiles. It’s something I have felt is needed ever since I purchased my first Sonos product around 8-10 years ago, and I don’t really understand why Sonos doesn’t seem to care much about the notion that different people in a household have different musical preferences.

The way I’ve envisaged it could work doesn’t require each person in the household to have a Sonos account. I’ve always envisaged something like how user profiles work within streaming services where there’s a single owner account for the house, and within this sits different profiles for different family member). In a similar fashion, I imagine only a single Sonos account would be attached to a single Sonos system (same as current situation) but within that system the system owner could create different user profiles (stored on the Sonos hardware). User profiles can then be accessed from Sonos apps connected to that system even when app is not signed into Sonos account associated with the system (which would also keep system admin rights away from users who don’t need them).

I guess to provide user profiles in an app that does require sign (i.e. web app) may be more challenging since like you say it would undesirable for everyone to have system admin rights. It may require each person to have their own Sonos account and system owner would then control which other Sonos account can access the system and which have admin rights. That’s how my Ring doorbell/security system works and it works well but I guess it would be more work for Sonos to setup than profiles stored on the system itself.

R

RJSUK

Enthusiast II

Will the new app be customisable to the extent that Sonos Radio can be removed like all other services? It's something I never use but it's front and centre in New Search in the S2 app.

J

JohnG666

Enthusiast II

I’ve just noticed the “Trending Now” - now that I really do not want. It smacks of social media garbage to me and I just don’t do that sort of thing. I will never want that so I hope it is removable.

If these things are not removable I suspect that this new version is just a thinly disguised way to try and push payable services to us users.

skullc

Prodigy III

Just turned auto updates off hopefully I can use S2 for a while as I don’t think I will like the new software from what I have heard so far…

Network= livewire cpe pro 3 +eero 6 pro wireless

R

RJSUK

Enthusiast II

I’ve just noticed the “Trending Now” - now that I really do not want. It smacks of social media garbage to me and I just don’t do that sort of thing. I will never want that so I hope it is removable.

If these things are not removable I suspect that this new version is just a thinly disguised way to try and push payable services to us users.

Completely agree. Mass adoption and Sonos thinks everyone wants to listen to recommendations and algorithm derived playlists. It's been designed for "Sonos, play a Feel Good Friday playlist!" people.

Corry P

Sonos Staff

Hi @JohnG666

@Corry P

I find it very disappointing that they are saying the Home Screen is customisable but you can’t really fully customise it given that the recently played is mandatory.

Apologies - we were just looking at the Home Screen customisation options to give you my last answer. In fact, the Recently Played section is not mandatory, even now - go to Settings » Data & Privacy » Use Personalization Services » Turn Off to disable it. The same option will be available within the new app.

So when they say it’s customisable, does this mean you can only change the order in which everything appears on the Home Screen or can you completely remove things from the Home Screen?

The main sections can be moved, but not removed. Anything you add manually (Spotify’s Recently Played section, for example) can be moved or removed.

I personally have never subscribed to any streaming services and only use Sonos for internet radio and playing my own FLAC files. I don’t want or need stuff on the Home Screen that I will never use.

I’ve just noticed the “Trending Now” - now that I really do not want. It smacks of social media garbage to me and I just don’t do that sort of thing. I will never want that so I hope it is removable.

I don’t see why you would receive anything from any music services you have not subscribed to and added to Sonos. There are 100’s of services available on your Sonos system - to include content from sources you have not added would be highly impractical, and somewhat pointless.

I hope this helps.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

J

JohnG666

Enthusiast II

Hi @JohnG666

@Corry P

I find it very disappointing that they are saying the Home Screen is customisable but you can’t really fully customise it given that the recently played is mandatory.

Apologies - we were just looking at the Home Screen customisation options to give you my last answer. In fact, the Recently Played section is not mandatory, even now - go to Settings » Data & Privacy » Use Personalization Services » Turn Off to disable it. The same option will be available within the new app.

So when they say it’s customisable, does this mean you can only change the order in which everything appears on the Home Screen or can you completely remove things from the Home Screen?

The main sections can be moved, but not removed. Anything you add manually (Spotify’s Recently Played section, for example) can be moved or removed.

I personally have never subscribed to any streaming services and only use Sonos for internet radio and playing my own FLAC files. I don’t want or need stuff on the Home Screen that I will never use.

I’ve just noticed the “Trending Now” - now that I really do not want. It smacks of social media garbage to me and I just don’t do that sort of thing. I will never want that so I hope it is removable.

I don’t see why you would receive anything from any music services you have not subscribed to and added to Sonos. There are 100’s of services available on your Sonos system - to include content from sources you have not added would be highly impractical, and somewhat pointless.

I hope this helps.

So does this mean that the Trending section can’t be removed?

K

Kumar

Mass adoption is caused by and drives catering to the masses, so this is inevitable? The only solution is to get off the upgrade path as some people did in staying on 8.4 or such, some years before the S1/S2 forking of Sonos users.

J

JohnG666

Enthusiast II

Hi @JohnG666

@Corry P

I find it very disappointing that they are saying the Home Screen is customisable but you can’t really fully customise it given that the recently played is mandatory.

Apologies - we were just looking at the Home Screen customisation options to give you my last answer. In fact, the Recently Played section is not mandatory, even now - go to Settings » Data & Privacy » Use Personalization Services » Turn Off to disable it. The same option will be available within the new app.

So when they say it’s customisable, does this mean you can only change the order in which everything appears on the Home Screen or can you completely remove things from the Home Screen?

The main sections can be moved, but not removed. Anything you add manually (Spotify’s Recently Played section, for example) can be moved or removed.

I personally have never subscribed to any streaming services and only use Sonos for internet radio and playing my own FLAC files. I don’t want or need stuff on the Home Screen that I will never use.

I’ve just noticed the “Trending Now” - now that I really do not want. It smacks of social media garbage to me and I just don’t do that sort of thing. I will never want that so I hope it is removable.

I don’t see why you would receive anything from any music services you have not subscribed to and added to Sonos. There are 100’s of services available on your Sonos system - to include content from sources you have not added would be highly impractical, and somewhat pointless.

I hope this helps.

I already have that “personalisation” setting disabled and yet it still prompts me now and again to include the recently played on the my sonos tab

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