The Sonos Ace is getting a big update!

My experience with the updates.  Overall Excellent!

I think it’s helpful to set the stage with the following information as an FYI..

Wi-Fi 7_Mesh Network

• ASUS RT BE96U Routers x 3
• Wired Backhaul

Devices 

• iPhone 15 ProMax_iOS 18.5
• iPad Pro 13 inch_iPadOS 18.5
• Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+_ Android UI 7.0 v15 (testing unit)

Sonos

• 31 Units
• Ace Headphones x 3

Sonos Updates

• iOS v80.22.33
• Android v80.22.28

I updated iOS first. As expected, I had to run the update twice as all units did not update on the first pass. A total of five (5) units failed to update. However, as I said that was nothing new given my Sonos has 31 units. For you math wizards that’s approximately 16%. 😅

Upon checking Android no updates were required (they were already applied). I assume it read the updates applied during the iOS update. Just a guess. Maybe a Moderator can provide a better explanation. Surely, Android isn’t smarter than iOS. 😅

One issue that people have complained about is disappearing “Alarms”. FYI, my alarm remained intact on both iOS and Android after the update. Nothing was lost.

I’m paraphrasing in this next part. A member stated that during their update (on iOS) the pop-up that appears; indicating “update status”, seemed to be stuck and/or not showing any information. It also could not be removed by swiping down from the top.

I had no such experience. Although, I can say that when the pop-up shows the “update status” it is static and cannot be closed by swiping down, short of closing the app. I would not recommend that unless the pop-up remained static for an overly extended period (which would be a judgement call).

I have three (3) sets of Ace Headphones. Upon updating the first set the update seemed to stall. I existed the update and started over. Ironically, the app reported that the Ace was up to date. I ran it a third (3rd) time to be sure. All was/is well!  Updating the other two Ace headsets went through without a glitch. FYI, the current Ace version is 3.9.7.

One last note of interest (for some). I have a pair of Roam 2’s that are off-line until needed. I powered them up and placed them on my network. I opened the app and checked for updates. The Roam 2’s were found and the app indicated an update was required. The update ran without a glitch!

So, that’s it. All-in-all the update was a pleasant experience with nothing that I would deem requires attention by Sonos. Your milage may vary depending upon your network and age of Sonos equipment. *

* Sonos that is pre-Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) certified may have a slightly different experience. JMHO…but what do I know? 🤔

I wonder if there are plans to update the Aces with Bluetooth LE Audio at some point..Technically the Ace’s support BT 5.4 so it should have the hardware to support it! 

Not sure there’d be any significant advantage…which perhaps is to say my understanding of BLE itself is pretty short distance, when compared to regular Bluetooth, which is also relatively shorter than WiFi. Just not as short as BLE.  Would be fine if you kept your headphones within a foot or so of the BLE device…something I rarely do. 

Oh, from my understanding, BT LE Audio is a newer codex and has a host of possible features. One is a higher bitstream and much lower latency. Not about short distances. 

https://www.techradar.com/features/what-is-bluetooth-le-audio-the-next-gen-wireless-connection-explained

I got that as well. Just keep selecting, Try Again, and it should work.

Also did the same thing when updating speakers in the house. I just closed the app, opened back up, tried update again, said all was complete.

Would say, go figure. But it’s the Sonos App. I’d be more surprised if it worked way it should.

Thanks for that link to the interesting article!

And it caused me to go look this up:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_Low_Energy

which suggests the range is the same. So I was wrong about my assumption. 

So, I’ll support your request to include it, if possible, with the realization that Sonos rarely indicates in advance what they plan on including. ;) I’d assume to keep competitors at bay, mixed with the ‘well, we tried to do it, but couldn’t make it work’ possibilities. 

Yeah, the Bluetooth group isn’t great at naming, haha. It's soooo confusing. It's kind of like the HDMI group, there is a host of possible features a device could support under the latest spec. But LE Audio could be a game changer, well, at least for Bluetooth that is :p 

BLE sounds great in theory. IMO the only products that would really benefit are the Move & Roam series and the Ace as they are battery operated and meant to be portable. 

Bluetooth in other Sonos speakers IMO is more of an extra selling point versus a core feature. They are primarily WiFi speakers first and BT second. Although there are quite a few in the community that would try to reverse that factor. Also, they require electrical current which means they are not portable in the strictest since.

Please  don’t misunderstand me. I think BLE is great though IMO  not something Sonos needs to move up in the development/implementation stage across the entire product line.

Totally hear ya! Having BT in the Arc Ultra for example has been great for pairing for other devices that don’t support Airplay. Welcome addition for me at least. And agree not for all products but hopefully the Aces! I do know other headphone manufactures have said they plan to enable in some models but knows if they actually do.  

Since the Bluetooth Low Energy discussion is off topic, I’d suggest a new thread.