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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chickentender

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fairmayne

Lyricist II

I’m upset, but I would be more upset if I bought the Sonos Connect they are still selling here in Australia at a major electronic retailer with a caption in the description that reads:

“Never Obsolete. Ongoing software updates mean the Sonos product you buy today will be even better tomorrow”

Get in quick though, it does say limited stock…….! $549

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attacama40

Headliner I

I’m pleased we (at last) got a brief from Sonos management. It plugs the dam….for a short while! Days

I'm still disappointed at how we got here.

Also, THE PRESSURE SHOULD NOT LET UP from us, the previously loyal customers.

Sonos have issued a ‘holding statement’ , super stuff.

We now need a ROADMAP WITHIN THE NEXT 7 DAYS of precisely what will be done to answer core issues concerning us, the previously loyal customers.

That is, a FIRM INTENTION OF WHAT WILL BE & WHAT WILL NOT BE DONE.

And then a TARGET DATE OF WHEN THAT WILL BE DONE.

This is reasonable. This is fair.

So let’s expect a detailed plan by FRIDAY 31st JANUARY.

That gives a full week Sonos. Enough time to publish a roadmap.

These are your loyal, patient and reasonable customers speaking Sonos Management!

Let’s do a better job with our communications and expectation setting and clear answers (good or bad)

Your objective Sonos:

LET ME CONTINUE TO ADD TO MY SYSTEM SAFE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF WERE WE ARE GOING.

Probably too late at night in the US to be read. Probably too early in the day in the UK to be heard. But I hope this gets to the desk of someone who can see that this action will put 60% of the fire out.

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daustin

Lyricist I

Put simply, respective of any backtracking, only due to commercial reasons and with no regard for your customers, I WILL NEVER buy another sonos product again.

I have 9 Sonos products. That number now will only go down as Sonos decide to dump me over time.

What I don’t understand is how can a “cutting edge” technology company not find a way to maintain updates. The only reason is simple, they have decided we’re not worth it. There is no technical reason.

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thor1980

Lyricist II

After a few days and watching the fallout this is really quite funny.

Greedy Sonos thought they could get away with doing over their dumb herd of Sonos sheep, only it turns out we’re not so dumb.

Share price falls. Suddenly greedy Sonos is interested in it’s dumb customers again.

CEO has to apologise.

Will it make any difference?

Nope.

Whaf next? Sonos please do one. Another company will recognise the reasons why Sonos actually became successful and instead of ignoring these, will embrace these and prosper.

Then I can buy a shiny new system.

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yanikdude

Contributor I

This is absolute TRASH.

I am still angry over the removal of lock screen controls from iOS devices, but this is too far.

I have 24 devices on my current system, many of which were manufactured around the same time as my Play 5 and Connect which has been affected. How long before my Play 1s and Play 3s are affected in the same manner? What about my wayyyy overpriced Playbar and the 3 Subs in my house?

30% for “Trade-In” is an insult considering you offer a 65% discount for third party employees who stand to lose nothing at all.

Certainly this will land in a brand ending class action suit. It’s unfortunate that a brand I have trusted and proselytized for years is abandoning me.

Well, here’s to hoping the inevitable class action suit will pay enough to replace the stuff in my house.

Lock screen controls are back. Have been for a while.

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chris_h1957

Enthusiast I

You should all have a look at this:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sonos-apologizes-backlash-over-updates-225706700.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMPsKJfr-WxlKHwffWQI4YmttYmYOhpT8lQDOTUpn9NqE8c041xbLAtPZbv2rjuVfK8cPLyi3namCa92t_LRQMSHlp-058nd8pGg_89sgN8Dj2UQbvmSWWOPDhupqzoZOS8vl2pbQWqwC3lJcffBQwLl3Mn8oG_rjd3GnsMbJWiH

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sps

Contributor I

hi Patrick Spence - thanks on behalf of your huge number of Sonos fans for backing down and ensuring that legacy products will still work for many more years!

Your email blast earlier this week was ill considered and I am personally glad you have ‘seen the light’!

Note to your management team. The real cost of selling premium products is that they come with premium expectations.

Backing down? Seen the light?

Have you been offered 31% discount or something else to spin this for a failed CEO?

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MrDave77

Trending Lyricist I

BBC reporting CEO has apologised…..

His letter now saying sorry and vague stuff about how ‘how old and new’ can live together.

Still not sure what’s going to happen. Still don’t trust them.

It sounds like you (if you can get old and new working together) that it definately was your plan to rip us off and you lied to us).

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Cchris

Enthusiast II

I have five sonos amps that will pretty soon not work alongside my other 9 speakers.

This blatant attempt to exploit current owners is unacceptable.

I'm staring down the barrel of a £2000 cost to replace my legacy products after your "discount".

I wont bother. I will look to other devices and solutions. Individual amps and hard wired echo dots will do just fine.

The day you break my system and prevent all my speakers working together as they do know, is the day I (and hundreds of thousands of other existing customers) will go from singing your praise, to actively discouraging anyone from buying your products.

It will be interesting to see sales figures after this news has been pushed out by the world media.

I suspect either some very strong back peddling or a further demise in share price and earnings.

So long Sonos, thanks for all the fish. It was fun.

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