Retired Sonos Staff

End of Software Support - Clarifications

Dec 8, 2022 11:29 AM UTC
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We announced yesterday that some of our oldest Sonos products will be moving into a legacy mode in May of 2020. Our commitment is to support products with regular software updates for a minimum of five years after we stop selling them, and we have a track record of supporting products far longer.

Here is some public information we’ve shared, gathered into one place to respond to some of your questions in one easy thread, so that people can find the correct information easily.

Beginning in May, software updates and new features from Sonos will only be delivered to systems with only modern products.

After May, systems that include legacy products will continue to work as before - but they will no longer receive software updates or new features.

Sonos will work to maintain the existing experience and conduct bug fixes, but our efforts will ultimately be limited by the lack of memory and processing power of these legacy products.

We don’t expect any immediate impact to your experience, but access to services and overall functionality will eventually be disrupted, particularly as partners evolve their own services and features.

Customers with both legacy and modern products have time to decide what option is best for them. You can continue to use your whole system in legacy mode - in this case, it will stop receiving updates and new features.

You will also be able to separate your legacy products from your modern products, so that the modern products can still receive updates and new features, and legacy products can still be used separately. We’ll have more information on how to do this in May when you can take that action.

Another option available to all customers with legacy products is to take advantage of the Trade Up program, which allows you to upgrade older Sonos products to modern ones with a 30% discount. Trade Up will be open to customers at any time should they decide to upgrade.

We recognize this is new for Sonos owners, just as it is for Sonos. We are committed to help you by making options available to you to support the best decision for your home.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate with asking.

Update 2/22: A message from our CEO

We heard you. We did not get this right from the start. My apologies for that and I wanted to personally assure you of the path forward:

First, rest assured that come May, when we end new software updates for our legacy products, they will continue to work as they do today. We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away. Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honor that investment for as long as possible. While legacy Sonos products won’t get new software features, we pledge to keep them updated with bug fixes and security patches for as long as possible. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we’ll work to offer an alternative solution and let you know about any changes you’ll see in your experience.

Secondly, we heard you on the issue of legacy products and modern products not being able to coexist in your home. We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state. We’re finalizing details on this plan and will share more in the coming weeks.

While we have a lot of great products and features in the pipeline, we want our customers to upgrade to our latest and greatest products when they’re excited by what the new products offer, not because they feel forced to do so. That’s the intent of the trade up program we launched for our loyal customers.

Thank you for being a Sonos customer. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. I hope that you’ll forgive our misstep, and let us earn back your trust. Without you, Sonos wouldn’t exist and we’ll work harder than ever to earn your loyalty every single day.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Patrick Spence
CEO, Sonos

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DigitalMusicLover13

Lyricist I

Here’s a better idea. Part of my system that Sonos has chosen to make obsolete and unsecured on my home network includes 3 Connects. Instead of spending $450 for each new Port Sonos would prefer me to buy, I can get an Amazon Echo Input for just $35 to connect wifi audio to my system. Looks pretty similar to me. At least there are options when we all kick Sonos to the curb!

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pwt

Virtuoso

Beware - as someone noted, units can be deactivated to give the trade-in discount against new items, but continue to work for a few days potentially allowing the unscrupulous to sell them on.

Personally, I wouldn’t touch any second-hand Sonos device that is subject to deprecation. You don’t know if an item’s been traded up and bricked, and in the case of the Connect and Connect:Amp, you probably won’t know if they’re the newer or older versions.

People are going to get burned by this until word gets around.

So, Sonos has not only ruined their new sales market, they’ve destroyed the used market, too.

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4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

D

davidblack

Enthusiast I

They effectively End of Lifed my new Move (I’ve had it 4 weeks)

I bought it to use as part of a larger Sonos network – now I have to either spend $4k+ to upgrade my other units, use the move as only a standalone player or accept that the Move can’t ever receive software upgrades.

Selling me a move 4 weeks ago without telling me about this is close to deceptive practice

I can return my Move for a refund – but they won’t reinstate the zp100 I ‘recycled’ when I bought the Move !

fraud

I’ve been loyal to Sonos for 15 year. Now my advice to everyone is avoid them like the plague !

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DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

Beware - as someone noted, units can be deactivated to give the trade-in discount against new items, but continue to work for a few days potentially allowing the unscrupulous to sell them on.

I really hope that someone will find a way to revive all of those bricked Play 5’s so they can atleast be used as stand alone network players.

Sonos probably just erases the flash, so if there was a way to reflash them, they could probably be revived.

In any case this could be the start of a “LineageOS” for Sonos movement.

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R

rbarbee

Lyricist I

What a mistake! If you guys brick my hardware, I will never buy Sonos again And, I will tell all my friends the same.

I have 6 Play 5s and 2 Connects in my home that are listed. Plus, a Sound bar, Sub, and several Sonos Ones that are not. A huge investment and loyalty of product that will not be repeated if Sonos goes through with this. Additionally, I see a class action lawsuit in your future if you guys don't reverse course. You will lose that and any loyalty or future sales for people who do their research. I love my Sonos filled house. Best product on the market! But, move forward with this and stand by for the fallout. My business is sales and marketing and I will tell you that you have been steered in the wrong direction by your companies greed. Their is no other explanation. I voiced my opinion weeks ago when I recieved the first recycle offer from your sales group and roundly rejected with comment with no reciprocal response.

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M

macallan18

Enthusiast I

the biggest kicker here is that if you wish to keep your system as a "whole home" single system - as it was sold, or also now also known as legacy - you won't be able to buy another Sonos product ever again.

And this may be where I’m at. No more updates, no more upgrades, no more purchases. Even if every streaming service fails, I’ll go back to Sonos circa 2005, using it to stream MP3s throughout the house, with the added benefit of 5.1 surround in a couple of TV rooms.

That said I still hope they reconsider and figure out a better solution.

Also want to add, for those who just want to be able to stream MP3s… Used Sonos legacy stuff has never been cheaper! :(

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DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

Pro tip.

QUICKLY put your Play 5 for sale on yellow pages or similar..Sell it fast and right before shipping it, you trade it in for the new play 5 gen 2 on the sonos website.

The new user has a working play 5 for a couple of weeks and then it dies, but you have another couple of hundred dollars to put toward the purchase of the new gen 2.

NOT saying that you should do this, but i BET that scrupulous people will do this.

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D

davidblack

Enthusiast I

Sonos just effectively End of Lifed my new Move (I’ve had it 4 weeks)

I bought it to use as part of a larger Sonos network – now I have to either spend $4k+ to upgrade my other units, use the move as only a standalone player or accept that the Move can’t ever receive software upgrades.

Selling me a move 4 weeks ago without telling me about this is close to deceptive practice

I can return my Move for a refund – but they won’t reinstate the zp100 I ‘recycled’ when I bought the Move !

fraud

I’ve been loyal to Sonos for 15 year. Now my advice to everyone is avoid them like the plague !

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I

Icemanmw

Lyricist I

Good bye SONOS .
this is the worst you ever made.

...and i told my family, colleagues, friends to buy the Sonos Speakers , and now …. they hate Sonos and me too ….. fu… off.…

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Femöverhalvnio

Lyricist I

Over time I have probably put about 50000 SEK on sonos in my house, about half are now old ???? In fact, I do not understand how to treat their customers in this way. I will run with the system as long as it works. When it's over, it will never be sonos unless they do something radical. I had not bought anything at this time.

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