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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bonzoWiltsUK

Contributor II

Sonos this is very disappointing. I don’t have a huge system but now I’m on a pension I won’t be able to afford to replace it. At least please let us carry on using the ‘legacy’ units to play our music libraries - whatever else, don’t enforce an upgrade which will render the units obsolete.

I don’t worry so much about streaming directly to Sonos as that’s such a volatile area anyway and so long as I can use Sonos to broadcast a line input there are ways round it.

I’ve seen reports that the trade-in offer results in the old units being dumped: this is totally unacceptable.

Unfortunately this type of obsolescence is prevalent these days: I have two tablets around 5 years old which won’t run Sonos software as they can’t be updated to the latest operating system, a 6 year old iMac that now won’t run my tax return software ditto. It would be reasonable to expect at least a 10 year life from consumer durables (or are they now just consumer expensives?) Like many others have commented, I have good quality audio equipment still performing wonderfully after 50+ years.

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FarFromGruntled

Lyricist III

I agree. The cheapest way of doing whole house audio may just be buying powered ‘dumb’ bluetooth speakers and connecting them to a few echo dots. $85 gets you a 4 pack of dots. The dumb speakers will last 50 years.

Or just hook up Echo Dots to your Sonos components with a Line in. Then just keep ‘em around in Legacy mode until the hardware dies. Use Sonos as the dumb speakers and Dot as your streaming service provider.

I’m so glad that I bought discounted Chromecast Audios when they were discontinued. I can hook one up to my Play:5 and use that.

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eg1

Lyricist III

Help me out with this please; I am a software/hardware engineer and a designer of numerous WiFi, Bluetooth and proprietary RF technologies solutions, i have used both open and proprietary platforms to support audio, video, and SCADA signal processing.

So, my question is: what are you putting on these devices that requires so much more space or functionality; Seriously; you are streaming through either a cell phone, a mobile device (ipad, ipod, etc.) so the majority of the logic is on your audio device and the speaker/amp is the receiver; correct? Does the device collect any information, sound (audio signal processing) or any other measurements that requires the mobile device to receive any data other than streaming data and controlling sound levels to your SONOS Device?

i find it unfortunate that your technology in these devices is “obsolete” and cannot be used in future roll outs of software. Over the past years i have seen no less than 100 updates; Everytime i use Sonos, i get a “must update software”; what exactly is being updated; the mobile device or the Sonos product or both. Seriously; how much data/control is needed on a device? It is a “streaming Receiver” is it not? Or does it do more signal processing or does the SONOS device collect information via WiFi?

After seeing the notice of “no longer being able to be updated”, i was amazed, frustrated and annoyed. Your CRM is seriously deficient and lacks sensitivity of your customer; we put you where you are and this is the “thanks” we get…

I will “Never” purchase another Sonos product and will seek other products that can be use to stream audio and there are “hundreds” on the market…. For your next generation of devices; build a “removable” controller that allows people like me to retain their investment without purchasing a short-lived product…

very very unfortunate situation!!!!!

“What exactly is being updated?”

They are harvesting your data.

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Royally_shafted

Lyricist III

Another option would be to make the software features modular - so that you choose what “Modules” you want your system to be updated for. You could make these choices in the “My Sonos” area and then simply have those module updates provided to your equipment.

It really isn’t that difficult to come up with creative approaches that would actually please many of your customer base.

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PBobUK

Trending Lyricist I

The SEC has a tip website for insider trading.

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morgan4x4

Enthusiast II

down down we go

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DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

Confirmation of what we’ve been saying all along.

If you have old and new speakers you cannot group them anymore - so lose the key function of the sonos system.

And what’s worse for Sonos, this will mean that i can not even just stay at the legacy software on all devices and then buy some new device as the new device will be sold with a newer firmware that it is very unlikely sonos will offer to downgrade to the legacy software.

So they have effectively locked the door on the posibility of making money off of new product sales for people that has a legacy system, which seems like a stupid move.

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Adam Smith The Invisible Hand

Lyricist III

which seems like a stupid move.

I’m just speculating here, but you don’t run a multi million dollar company do you? Would you like to? :grin:

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DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

Point being, there’ll likely be some poor sods out there, but there’s also now going to be giant opportunity for those that know exactly what they’re getting into.

I dont really need any more play 5’s, but if i did, i would also be thinking about this.

There is also the chance that

Sonos wakes up and realises that what they are doing is suicide
Some independent software person og group is able to take newer firmware and make it fit the 5, thus making it possible to upgrade the whole system while keeping functionality intact between the legacy and non legacy products.

I was in the market for a SUB and a play 1 for a hobby room, but those purchases has been postsponed indefinitely because of this and i am so happy right now that i did not buy a sub back in november, but opted to wait until after christmas.

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Lomas

Lyricist III

down down we go

I guess we’ve gotta be careful that they don’t go down the pan because we want a few more years out of our current ‘non-legacy’ kit...chance to save those hard earned pennies for alternative kit...but hey aren’t we all the more savvy for our next tech purchase!

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