S2 app setup on Android is badly handled

  • 4 October 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 82 views

Userlevel 5
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I’ve been holding off updating to S2 because I expected it to be painful, buggy, and a mess to set up, and I wasn’t disappointed. I was finally forced to it in hopes that it ould solve the inability for Sonos to add Apple Music on Android. No luck with that BTW - it’s broken with the S2 app as well,

So I installed the S2 app, and first it tells me it can’t find my Sonos system (Sonos One stereo pair), Then it decides that it did find them after all (same bug on a 2nd Android 11 device). Then it tells me that my speakers are incompatible. No further information or suggested course of action. Guessing that it wants me to update the speaker firmware (and why wouldn’t it tell me that?}, I dug down until I found a System Update option. It then logged me out and I had to log in again. But finally I got it to do the speaker update. It then recovered to match the original S1 functionality. No improvement I can see, and Apple Music remains broken.

And of course now I discover that my Windows 7 desktop no longer works with Sonos. The old S1 app won’t work any more. It offers to update to S2. Downloads the S2 app installer, which just says “Incompatible”. Yes, Sonos quietly dropped support for Win7 in the S2 app a few months ago. There’s no way to download the older version that is compatible. Also no way to revert the speakers to S1.

This is pathetic. I’m growing to hate Sonos.


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4 replies

Userlevel 1
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In all fairness, Microsoft doesn't support Windows 7 anymore. Anything that still runs on Win 7 is a gift.

Userlevel 5
Badge +8

In all fairness, Microsoft doesn't support Windows 7 anymore. Anything that still runs on Win 7 is a gift.

And the S2 app does run on Win7 - for everyone that already had it. Sonos doesn’t warn that updating to S2 now is a trap, and they no longer offer the pre-July Win7-compatible version for download. Every link points to the new incompatible version, and most of the links still say Win7 is supported because they didn’t pick up on Sonos quietly dropping support.

In the end I found a hidden direct download link to the older S2 app version that does install on Win7, and with a few convolutions I was able to install it on Win 7 and bypass the demands to update.

But I shouldn’t have had to do that. I don’t think it helps Sonos if we try to be “fair” and not complain too much in this community forum. We need to tell Sonos what is bugging us as customers, and they can decide what they’re going to do about it. Admittedly it takes a fairly massive customer outcry to force Sonos to back off when they decide to obsolete something. 

I think you’re missing the point.  Sonos has to provide support for their software, and can not do that by supporting every version of the app software and firmware they ever created.  They need to require that customers upgrade to the latest version.    At the same time, they can’t support the software on OS that the OS creators don’t even support any more.  Sonos can’t guarantee that the software is secure.  So sure, if you have an older version of the S2 app and speaker firmware, you can use it, but it isn’t supported, it isn’t secure, and does not have the latest features Sonos provides.

 

 

Userlevel 5
Badge +8

No, I’m not missing the point. I run a software company. The important thing is to balance profitability with meeting customer expectations. Stop listening too much to the internal developers about what makes life easier for them, and start listening better to customers about what makes life easier for them.