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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Hurre

Lyricist I

Shame shame shame, no more sonos products for me ever!! What you are doing is disgusting and so low. I’m an early adopter of the sonos system, I have always promoted it a lot between my friends (not anymore), and I have spent more than 3000€ on Sonos products over the years. The last products were 2 Sonos Amps 1st gen. that I bought used from an official sonos reseller last week! This choice since they were sufficient for the use they would have, to drive one small in-ceiling speaker each, so I chose to save a 150€ compared to the new ones.

Now what, in order to have a hi-tech product that takes updates after May I have to pay you even more money for your newer products that I don’t like or need? This is how you say thank you to your historical clients? Ridiculous, I will never put another cent in your company.

Lastly, from an environmental point of view what you are doing should be criminalized.

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Neilda

Enthusiast II

I’m nearly out…! Just bought a pair of KEF LSX wireless speakers to replace a pair of Play 5’s. Superb, they sound better and integration is so easy.

A couple of zones to go and no more Sonos - yipeee. My now worthless Sonos equipment is in the garage and I feel quite liberated actually. Fortunately technology has come a long way since I first started building a Sonos network - there is better equipment out there which can be easily multi-roomed if that’s your thing.

I have gone from being a brand ambassador to a major critic of what Sonos have done here. How easy it is to destroy a company’ reputation, I suspect they won’t recover from this.

Whatever platitudes their CEO comes out with following this debacle, Sonos customers now know the company’s strategy - bricking equipment unless you cough up more cash. Whether that happens now or is delayed for ‘cosmetic’ reasons to assuage shareholder concern, it’s clearly where they’re heading. But without me on board.

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Cchris

Enthusiast II

The only thing at this point that will change the mind of sonos is what the share price does as a result of this.

Make no mistake investors will be reading all these sorts of comments and taking a view on what this decision means for Sonos revenue.

Market opens in a couple of hours - watch this space.

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user_end_of_lifed

Enthusiast II

It’s leverage to apply pressure to revisit the decision, which has already happened to some extent with the revised statement that some software updates will still be provided. This was a change in position that would not have happened without the backlash.

Let’s be clear - the CEO statement says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that the original announcement did not already say.

That’s not true. The original announcement states: “your system will no longer receive software updates and new features.” The more recent Patrick Spence letter states: “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.”

As long as possible. ‘Possible’ as defined by Sonos. The company that announced it was going to knowingly cause this customer backlash. The company that is deliberately selling its old kit short by pretending it can’t integrate with the newer kit unless it has the same software version on it.

Further, note the information quoted by the poster below you:

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.

So the CEO says they will bug fix for as long as possible, after Sonos themselves have already claimed that these devices are too underpowered for that same thing.

I repeat the statement that the CEO statement is just a PR whitewashed version of the same announcement. If it’s changed your sentiment towards Sonos at all then you’ve been manipulated.

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andy_120

Enthusiast II

One more (positive) thing: At least Sonos have told about their plan (or lack) although they probably did not mean to or thought we another one of their ‘products’. We know what to do now:

Do not buy any else from Sonos
Return any recently purchased products
Write a review on every product you own on as many sites as you can
Revise any reviews you have written in the past - just did on Amazon
Tell your friends - those you told to buy Sonos and warn those who were thinking about it
Find the CEO’s email address and send him a personal message

Sorry for picking exactly your message, as there are a number of similar ones to choose from, but what I want to point out is that I do not understand the purpose of all this destruction. Who would benefit from negative reviews everywhere, and why? What to write to the CEO and for what purpose?

I understand the idea of returning products if you no longer feel that they were the right choice for you, but that will then be a personal thing between you and the seller.

We are not at war - a company has communicated badly about a decision we do not like, but the logical reaction to this would then be to either wait and see or to run away. Starting some kind of demolision project for the company doesn’t seem to solve any problems. Or did I miss an important detail here?

I’m sorry but I got to reply to this. Sonos was promoted as a streaming hi fi system, it was sold as one, I brought it as such and now to find by the actions of the manufacturer that hi fi streaming will cease to function at some point. It seems there are those that just does not get this.

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SonosManu

Enthusiast II

The only thing at this point that will change the mind of sonos is what the share price does as a result of this.

Make no mistake investors will be reading all these sorts of comments and taking a view on what this decision means for Sonos revenue.

Market opens in a couple of hours - watch this space.

I wish but the share price only dropped by 0.6% yesterday so I don’t think that investors are that worry about the whole thing.

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sailer

Lyricist I

“Which Sonos speakers are right for you?” Effectively, none after this week’s news and emails. I have invested thousands of dollars in building a system I considered to be the best. Additionally, my support and recommendations have led family members and friends to choose your products. How silly do I look?

I was mildly annoyed when, last year, I lost support for direct music play from my iOS devices. Ok, so I cough up the additional $10 a month for an Apple subscription. Now this. A larger concern - what next?

I have lost trust. Regrettably, I will no longer be a brand ambassador for this company. The collateral disappointment is financial; I must now begin a search for a replacement system.

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pwt

Virtuoso

So the CEO says they will bug fix for as long as possible, after Sonos themselves have already claimed that these devices are too underpowered for that same thing.

Defect fixes and other minor changes can be implemented with no increase in software footprint. New features cannot.

I repeat the statement that the CEO statement is just a PR whitewashed version of the same announcement. If it’s changed your sentiment towards Sonos at all then you’ve been manipulated.

If you can’t see the difference in the two statements, I can’t argue with you.

Note: don’t read this as evidence that I’m now happy with the situation. I think Sonos has further to go.

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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

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OCTO

Contributor I

I don’t think that it is hysteria when I have to pay over £700 to keep my system up-to-date with nothing new to show for it. Next it is Play 1 and Play 3 Gen1 that is going to be another £500 from my pocket to keep a system working! It is the reality nothing else and it is not acceptable!

Niaccurshi: You just dont get it. So sad.

I’m in exactly the same position as the person you’ve quoted, in fact by the sounds of it even more likely to be struck by future legacy product announcements. But I also understand that the hardware is fine, and that as long as there is a solution to allow streaming of music across from modern systems to legacy systems, that this will mean I won’t have to upgrade or get rid of any of my existing products. That’s the most important news we can get, not some fantastical “70% discount” demands.

You are obviously oblivious to the margins companies such as SONOS work to, as you quote “fantastical “70% discount” demands. The fact is that SONOS could (and should) offer 70% in order to rescue its loyal customer base. I can assure you they will not be out of pocket. However, by offering a pitiful 30% they are clearly using this situation to generate additional revenue - which is inexcusable.

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andy_120

Enthusiast II

Those who are happy with 70% reduction go ahead if they offer it but even if it was 99% I still would not go for it. Simples let me use and enjoy a concept I brought into and not a profit making excercise.

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