Update on the New Sonos App and Future Features - October 28, 2024

My afternoon with Sonos.  Tech had me reboot system, uninstall the surrounds and sub, try each of them as if they were in separate rooms (work fine), combine one of the surrounds with the sub and play music (worked together), add the other surround (all 3 worked), separate and add each to the arc - nada - only sound from the arc, nothing else.  Then, after 1hr 28 minutes on the line, i get cut off.   Their system calls me back twice (presumably to connect with the tech) after I answer, it starts with the computer voice telling me this will be recorded and then cuts me off.  This happened twice then I guess they gave up.  I have called back and now I am on hold with an expected wait time of 35 minutes.  How can a company selling a premium priced product be run like this??  Just pathetic.

 

Yesterday, I was on the chat help for an hour, then phone help for another two hours. Nothing works. My system is garbage - it hasn’t worked since May. Sonos caused this. I want them to buy back my system, since they are the ones that caused this, but good luck on that. 

I feel for all the guys ‘n gals here with boatloads of problems. What I find baffling is my system is running nicely. I obviously missed a bunch of features when the new app rolled out, which I found highly disturbing, but apart from that system stability etc has been top notch. I just added a Five and a Move 2 to an already extensive system (2 Play:5’s Gen 2, a Roam, a Play One SL, a Play:3 and a Play:1) without a hitch and tomorrow a second Five will arrive. All the features I used to use are up and running again. If anything my system is more stable. How come some people are having all these problems while others are not? Are there other variables at play?

I wish I knew why this was happening. It isn’t even just importing playlists - I can’t even make a playlist in Sonos. I only have about 10% of the functionality that I did when I bought the system. 

A lot of it comes down to networking issues. Too many folks get all defensive at this point and quit listening thinking it is their network that is being blamed for the issues.

I don’t have inside information and it has been a couple years since I did any detailed networking analysis but what I see is Sonos using functions provided by the network that most other devices don’t use. It is the incompatibility between the network and Sonos that leads to the problem.

I’d give the antique Linux code Sonos is (apparently) using for a bit of this some blame too. I don’t have detailed knowledge of just what versions of which packages Sonos is using but last time I looked there was some really old stuff on the list. Sonos should have a GPL page up somewhere that goes into more, but still pretty vague, detail.

Then there is the (baseless in my opinion) assumptions of how fast networking stuff will be completed by the Sonos programmers. Many things can be traced back to “it didn’t happen in time” or “the server responded too slow” type issues. This is often made worse by the programmer’s assumptions and lack of adequate and informative error messages. Putting these in all too rapidly disappearing pop-ups instead of a readable log makes it more frustrating. We can’t just copy/paste but have to try to get a screenshot to share the problem.

Add in the “we don’t see that here” response, even when a good number of folks report issues (looking at IP Address assignment / DHCP here) and even fixes that are identified and shared, also solving others with the same issues problems. Fixing the glitch would be preferred but even a FAQ entry on dealing with it would help.

Just to make it more aggravating mom’s Sonos running on what ever the tech had in the Cox Cable truck has never had a hiccup. Me on a fancy router and dedicated Access Points, well I had a rough start and without the forum’s users help I’d have taken my gear back to the dealer as we had iffy power at the time and my system got lost, sometimes multiple times per week.

Most of that is resulting from issues with the new App. Sonos knows about most of them but is struggling to make progress on fixing things as quickly as they had hoped. Looks like most will get fixed but some very poor assumptions are dining on chunks of the programmers back sides.

Nick and Patrick,  

My experience is not what is reflected in the comments here, and my feedback rather deals with another aspect.  I do feel you have been transparent and are attempting to fix things.  Other than a sometimes slow volume control for me the app works.  What could be better about the app is searching my services and my own library could be way easier.  

Now here's the one area where I personally have had problems twice, each taking a hour of support to sort out.  UPGRADING an existing room.  I wanted to give our son some of our gear.  We have Sonos in four rooms and a Move so a fairly extensive system.  We decided to upgrade the ARC to the ARC Ultra in our main entertainment room.  I followed the instructions of the AI chat bot and that failed.  The issue is you don’t just swap out one item for another.  Who would know to factory reset the item removed and when to do that.  Using the same room name apparently created problems as well.  This was all repeated when I went to upgrade my Sub.  Another hour with support multiple resets of the new Sub.  Regardless of the causes in my case, what is not clear is replacing an item.  If the item removed needs to be factory reset then that should be mentioned.   I still love my system and the support was good, yet this part should be a piece of cake.  For the Sub in retrospect I should just have added a second sub and then removed the first later, but there was no way for me to know that.  With the ARC or surrounds that’s no possible so you still have the issues.  What would have been easier and would have worked, but how would l know this is advance is to pick a new room name, set the Ultra and then move the other parts over.  Starting to get the confusion.  

I hope this feedback helps you focus on improving the Upgrade Process.  

Michael

This is so f’d up. Since MAY?? It’s almost December … I use these speakers for my work and they are not working and it’s affecting my business. I have been on hold with customer service for my second attempt .. this time for well over an HOUR. This ridiculous. I am so frustrated. Such a waste of time and money. GAH. I HATE this company now. 

Even the website is badly designed … I had to register to post this comment, but every time I filled out the whole registration, it would all disappear if the user name was taken or I forgot to check off the agreement and I had to start all over - four times. Did I mention I now HATE this company? Would NEVER recommend. 

“...struggling to make progress on fixing things...” is the understatement of the year. This is an absolute train wreck. Not only have they missed every milestone, they are gaslighting us that the app is better is many ways than the old one. They say they added dozens of support people but support wait times are longer than ever. It’s a trifecta of lies, incompetence, and gaslighting. Every time I’ve talked with their tech support people since June, it has been, “we are excalating this” but not once have I had anyone fix a single problem with my system. 

I appreciate that you’re trying to be the peacemaker here - that’s kind of you. I just have thousands of dollars in equipment that I can’t use, and I’m angry. The hardware won’t work without the app, and the new app is garbage. 

​@Stinsonddog Unless you want to set up a speaker with a new account, a speaker does not need to be reset when moving it. Just renaming it should be enough. Same as you would do with other computer stuff that find another home - this is not unusual. It does seem logical to me too that you cannot use the same room name twice.

Hence my concern with the poor instructions given in the Upgrade process.  Sonos is very clear that to remove a speaker you no longer want in your account must reset it.  I was moving it to my son’s house so to speak.  

I wanted to UPGRADE a product in a room.  It didn’t go well twice.  On the second time, Sonos has me take everything out of the room and create a new one with a new name.  All I know is it should be really easy do things like replace an ARC with an ARC Ultra, replace a Sub 2 with a Sub 4 and that wasn’t my experience.  I still love my system and they have work to do.  My intent was to give them feedback.  I hope this helps.