Retired Sonos Staff

End of Software Support - Clarifications

December 8, 2022 at 11:29 AM
4256 replies
269700 views

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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callmefrustrated

Lyricist I

Wow. Thanks for alerting me to your corporate commitment to your products. I just bought a new home and we were going to outfit it with Sonos equipment like our current home …. but I guess I will re-think that idea. Clayton Christensen is likely salivating to tell your corporate story next. From Great to Good to Are you kidding me….

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rotpwr7

Lyricist I

No more Sonos for me.. I'm so disappointed with your new decision your company is taking.

B

Bobby3333

Lyricist III

Joke of the day:

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Brickbat70

Lyricist II

I suspect this has been asked elsewhere, but with so many posts to read through, it’s easier to just ask again.

How long will the 30% off trade-in program last? If a person waited until May to see how well the software works that will separate legacy equipment from newer equipment, decided that he or she wasn’t satisfied with the experience, and thus wanted to upgrade, would the discount still be in effect?

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cosmo35166

Enthusiast I

Agree with the Shareholder sell comment, I just did, and not for a loss (Capital gains sucks to). Maybe the Legacy issue has something to do with the recent CEO/House Antitrust encounter. Maybe the Patent issue is only related to the non-Legacy products and they need to get rid of them for further Litigation. Ugh, now I’m so mad I turning to conspiracy theories to try and make sense of this!

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Paul000000

Lyricist III

Hello to Sonos and their community.

I haven’t read every single comment on this thread, but it would seem that a lot of people are unhappy. My comment, for what it’s worth, is that I bear no animosity towards Sonos. It is inevitable that this will happen to every “smart” device at some point. Sonos, are just the first to do it. To name a few, we have had Bose, Yamaha, Denon, and B&O speakers over the last couple of years. We were in search of superior sound and only found it in Sonos. Where Bose is concerned, they do have a relatively good sound, but the software and services that are included in both their SoundTouch, and Smart devices, is incredibly limited. We had many negative experiences, with every device, until we bought Sonos. Yes, their “legacy” announcement was a shock, but it is not going to be the only company to do this. Sonos are just the first to do it. The hardware in their “legacy” devices, has simply reached its limit and can no longer be “confidently” updated. If Sonos are to remain ahead of their competitors, in a saturated market, then they have to make controversial and difficult decisions such as this.

I agree with this view too. This is the nature of the beast with integrated hardware/software solutions. Bose discontinued Soundtouch overnight. That’s always a risk. We are all invested in Sonos’s continuing operation by having their stuff. If this is part of what is necessary to keep innovating, then that’s the deal.

Sure if that is the view you want to take...I agree...HOWEVER, moving forward I will not invest in high priced company who touts themselves as ‘eco friendly’ and ‘delivering something better than the rest’…...

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svksnd

Contributor II

I received an email from SONOS yesterday which states that I have six legacy products. I just logged into my account and the news got even better. Turns out I have nine legacy products.

“You have 9 legacy products that do not receive regular software updates and new features as of May 2020.”

J

Johnnydot

Enthusiast I

Everyone needs to go to trust pilot.com, and every review site they can think of, and let Sonos know how they feel!

Just been there. Still had to give the b<&^/#s one star, though.

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kassey22000

Enthusiast II

This is shocking, it feels like “upgrade and pay us or else...”. Unless they change direction I will never buy another Sonos product again. I have 6 speakers currently and have spent thousands of pounds.

Kind of reminds me of the old protection racket (P. Spence in Joe Peschi’s voice) “Say that’s some nice looking audio gear you’ve got there, shame if anything were to happen to it… I’ve got some new gear for %30 off over here that will keep you safe.”

No matter how many times Sonos management tries to use the excuse that this is just old computer gear that is headed for the landfill (complete with cement shoes in the form of “recycle mode”), it was marketed as sophisticated home audio gear that reduced the need for speaker wires throughout your home. Audio gear is what I purchased this for, not doing my taxes on Excel!.

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morgan4x4

Enthusiast II

Interestingly, Sonos encourage you to email there CEO directly if you want to talk to them.

However the link is greyed out today… https://www.sonos.com/en/contact

Maybe his email box is full from irate customers like myself.

I did ring, and left a voicemail for him…. as we cant email him anymore

I am still awaiting a reply from him as to what I should do with a $5,500 bill to upgrade.

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