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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Noel Hardy

Contributor I

Very disappointed with Sonos.

I understand that the hardware can't be supported forever and phone manufactures obsolete their hardware regularly, but the main issues I have with Sonos are

- the notice they have given - 4 months. That's no time at all. So, if I want one fully integrated system, I have to trade up my 1st gen Play 5. That's going to cost me £350 even with the 30% off. I can't come up with that in 4 months.

- Uncertainty over the obsolete/current network split. Sounds like they don't have a solution yet, so how can I make a decision? I've just bought a Sonos beam. So will I be able to play the same song simultaneously on that and my 1st gen Play 5 after May? If not, then I will have lost expected functionality 6 months after buying a Sonos product.

- Trade up. Even with 30% off, I'll have to fork out a lot of money to get what I've already got.

Poor show Sonos. Looks like I won't be in investing in any more Sonos products, as who knows how long they'll work for.

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Cheap Skater

Lyricist I

I was not an early adopter of Sonos, nor do I own any legacy product. Thus, I did not receive the email re: end of software support. I happened to learn of the announcement and ensuing uproar on a BBC News website a few days ago. I hope Sonos understands that the outrage will continue to grow as customers like me - who are not immediately affected (and didn’t get the email) learn of this dilemma.

I’m a VERY low tech guy. Don’t need a smart toaster or smart toilet (“Alexa, flush the toilet”.) 5 months ago, after exhaustive research, I felt quite comfortable in buying a pair of Sonos One SL speakers. I was amazed at how easy set up was and how great they sounded and worked. Over the next few weeks, I continued to expand to 9 speakers (7 Sonos One SL, 2 Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf), thrilled at having whole house sound. I’ve been raving about Sonos to everyone.

Last Wednesday morning, I convinced my wife that we should buy the Sonos Move-to allow an easy option for music on porch/patio, as well as a Bluetooth speaker for trips. However, on Wed afternoon, I read the BBC News story about the Sonos debacle. I am holding off purchase of Move at least until I see some kind of satisfactory resolution to the software update issue. Even if I do get the Move, chances of buying more Sonos products in the future are zero. I can’t risk that any of my currently ‘modern’ product is deemed ‘legacy’, leaving me with the nightmare that longtime Sonos customers are faced with.

I will also cease singing the praise of Sonos and warn anyone looking for wireless speakers to explore cheaper options, in light of the fact that if your system ever becomes non-functional, you want to minimize your losses. My $1300 Sonos investment pales in comparison to the small fortunes many loyal Sonos patrons have forked out.

As a consumer, I feel I’ve learned a valuable lesson about this high tech world most people are welcoming with open arms. The Sonos nightmare is just a microcosm of the internet-of- everything utopian mirage.... “Alexa, make me an old fashioned!”

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F

Finn1000

Enthusiast I

The problem now is no one trusts Sonos, or its PR spin on its own announcement, or the lame ‘apology’ about ditching support for their original and best customers.

F

Finn1000

just now

Agreed, trust is a huge problem now for Sonos customers new & old.
whether you’re running a linked system with legacy/new or running speakers separately... the issue of trust & continued support( updating) is a huge issue for customers.
Its up to Sonos how they square it.
I dread to think what will happen if Sonos ignore & plough on!

Speakers are not mobile phones or TV’s .

People expect £250- £500 speakers should have a 15-25 year life span or last until the speaker fails.

Never heard such nonsense of high end speakers being disposable.. its obscene

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G

Goodbye Sonos

Enthusiast II

The problem now is no one trusts Sonos, or its PR spin on its own announcement, or the lame ‘apology’ about ditching support for their original and best customers.

F

Finn1000

just now

Agreed, trust is a huge problem now for Sonos customers new & old.
whether you’re running a linked system with legacy/new or running speakers separately... the issue of trust & continued support( updating) is a huge issue for customers.
Its up to Sonos how they square it.
I dread to think what will happen if Sonos ignore & plough on!

Speakers are not mobile phones or TV’s .

People expect £250- £500 speakers should have a 15-25 year life span or last until the speaker fails.

Never heard such nonsense of high end speakers being disposable.. its obscene

Obscene is the word!

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W

Wkelkel

Enthusiast II

Nothing will happen

I doubt they will even read this thread

I hope so because they've got 19 days to cancel my play 5 brick deadline.

If nothing I'll be moving over to a trusted product and replace my collection of Sonos with something that I can use and add to, not throw away after 3 years

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andy_120

Enthusiast II

Very disappointed with Sonos.

I understand that the hardware can't be supported forever and phone manufactures obsolete their hardware regularly.

No this is incorrect, a phone is a phone it still does its basic function. When I upgraded to a iPhone 11, I gave my iPhone 6 to the other half.it still does what it was designed to do even when it does not have the latest software. Where the issue comes is the 3 rd party apps that want the latest operating system but at the end of the day, it still phones,texts sends emails does she need bells and whistles no. That's all we ask sonos to do.

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John B

Sonos speakers are not just speakers. They are essentially computers, and computers that need to constantly communicate with each other. Asking for a 25 year lifetime for a bit of traditional hifi equipment is reasonable. Asking for it from a multiroom wirelese audio system is stupidity and ignorance of the highest degree. And therefore consistent with much of the outrage on the ridiculous thread.

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debbie_113

Lyricist II

I bought my Connect:Amp in November 2017, so I expect you will update the software for 5 years from then.

Bought My Play:5 gen 1 in Jan 2018 - not updated (or whatever) after May 2020...

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andy_120

Enthusiast II

Sonos speakers are not just speakers. They are essentially computers, and computers that need to constantly communicate with each other. Asking for a 25 year lifetime for a bit of traditional hifi equipment is reasonable. Asking for it from a multiroom wirelese audio system is stupidity and ignorance of the highest degree. And therefore consistent with much of the outrage on the ridiculous thread.

One bites ones tonge

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J

John B

I bought my Connect:Amp in November 2017, so I expect you will update the software for 5 years from then.

Bought My Play:5 gen 1 in Jan 2018 - not updated (or whatever) after May 2020...

You should complain to John Lewis, where I recall you bought it, given that Sonos stopped selllng the gen 1 3 years before that

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