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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jwinther

Lyricist III

50 pages back I felt the same as you. A quick email and a phone call back from Sonos HQ and within 5 minutes chatting it was clear to me that Sonos are indeed still the company that we all started out with. My impression is that they are working to put this right!

If in doubt send the an email with your concerns and see what happens. You'll be pleasently surprised at just how proactive this company is with its community followers and support.

If they are so ‘proactive’ then why are they doing this on an email by email basis?

indeed, they could be posting on here instead and we would be all happy. The fact that they are not speaks volumes.

To be honest, even though I am happy to hear that some people apparantly got their problems sorted out, we are still left with lots and more lots of people who have bricked their old equipment and spent money they didn’t have on buying new equipment they didn’t need because they woke up with a horse head next to them in the bed - lots of anger, fear, disbelief and other negative feelings have spread all over the internet and is there now to stay.

Even if it all turns out to be a big candid camera gig and we are all supposed to sit together one day over a beer and laugh of it all, I have to say that it all gives me a really bad taste in my mouth. Hurray for finding solutions, but how about doing it broad and quick and perhaps more important, try not to create the mess in the first place.

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“This is a chance now to come up with a system that doesn’t cause massive planetary damage in exchange for disposable stuff,” Proctor said. (https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8dpn/sonos-makes-it-clear-you-no-longer-own-the-things-you-buy)

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Wkelkel

Enthusiast II

Every answer to every question that appears in this thread (or at least the vast majority) on a repeated cycle has been answered. This thread is serving as a venting room, and as well it should. But inevitably after new folks arrive and express their fears and frustrations at this news (again, warranted) they often continue on within the thread with questions and assumptions that have invariably already been covered, both earlier (repeatedly) in this same thread, and elsewhere on the board.
Just pointing this out because while anyone is free to ask or state anything they like in this particular conversation, they might be less frustrated and find answers more quickly by either reading back or going to one of the other more specific and calm threads. (And I say this after initially venting here myself last week). This thread is a churn that buries good information within a very short period of time. Just saying. :relaxed:

Well said. This thread has gone into meltdown. It's repeating itself over. People's options,s rants prodding and arguing. My advise is if you have a problem put it over to the Sonos team directly, factual get to your point and tell them what your issue is or what you wanted to happen. I think like with me they will get back to you. From that you can then decide how you feel thereafter. I'm personally very impressed with their approach and attitude.

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PhilRobbo

Lyricist III

Every answer to every question that appears in this thread (or at least the vast majority) on a repeated cycle has been answered. This thread is serving as a venting room, and as well it should. But inevitably after new folks arrive and express their fears and frustrations at this news (again, warranted) they often continue on within the thread with questions and assumptions that have invariably already been covered, both earlier (repeatedly) in this same thread, and elsewhere on the board.
Just pointing this out because while anyone is free to ask or state anything they like in this particular conversation, they might be less frustrated and find answers more quickly by either reading back or going to one of the other more specific and calm threads. (And I say this after initially venting here myself last week). This thread is a churn that buries good information within a very short period of time. Just saying. :relaxed:

Well said. This thread has gone into meltdown. People's options ,solutions rants prodding and arguing. My advise is if you have a problem put it over to the Sonos team directly, factual and telling them what your issue is or what you wanted to happen. In think like with me they will get back to you. From that you can then decide how you feel thereafter. I'm personally very impressed with their approach and attitude.

In other words leave Sonos alone, they are wonderful caring beings who only have our best welfare in mind and would never do anything to harm their beloved customers - cut the BS

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W

Wkelkel

Enthusiast II

Every answer to every question that appears in this thread (or at least the vast majority) on a repeated cycle has been answered. This thread is serving as a venting room, and as well it should. But inevitably after new folks arrive and express their fears and frustrations at this news (again, warranted) they often continue on within the thread with questions and assumptions that have invariably already been covered, both earlier (repeatedly) in this same thread, and elsewhere on the board.
Just pointing this out because while anyone is free to ask or state anything they like in this particular conversation, they might be less frustrated and find answers more quickly by either reading back or going to one of the other more specific and calm threads. (And I say this after initially venting here myself last week). This thread is a churn that buries good information within a very short period of time. Just saying. :relaxed:

Well said. This thread has gone into meltdown. People's options ,solutions rants prodding and arguing. My advise is if you have a problem put it over to the Sonos team directly, factual and telling them what your issue is or what you wanted to happen. In think like with me they will get back to you. From that you can then decide how you feel thereafter. I'm personally very impressed with their approach and attitude.

In other words leave Sonos alone, they are wonderful caring beings who only have our best welfare in mind and would never do anything to harm their beloved customers - cut the BS

You see there you go. I was like you 70 pages back. I'm now listening to some nice music on my Sonos speaker. Make that call direct if it's affecting your well being

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D

DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

50 pages back I felt the same as you. A quick email and a phone call back from Sonos HQ and within 5 minutes chatting it was clear to me that Sonos are indeed still the company that we all started out with. My impression is that they are working to put this right!

If in doubt send the an email with your concerns and see what happens. You'll be pleasently surprised at just how proactive this company is with its community followers and support.

Bloody hell mate, what did they give you.

Free sonos units to replace your legacy hardware, a gag order not to tell what they did AND you promised them that you would talk positively about them, without telling WHAT they did for you. ? :)

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S

sambeny

Lyricist III

How am I supposed to react to this? The first Sonos product I bought was a Connect:Amp - I did not buy it in 2005. I was about 4 years ago and it cost £500 then. It was expensive - and no one warned me that it was going to be obsolete - It feels like I should have put my money elsewhere. £500 to power two traditional Bose speakers now felt like bad value for money. But, I moved to Sonos and the whole integrated system thinking I moved on to a new era. What a disappointment!

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J

Johnas

Enthusiast II

Every answer to every question that appears in this thread (or at least the vast majority) on a repeated cycle has been answered. This thread is serving as a venting room, and as well it should. But inevitably after new folks arrive and express their fears and frustrations at this news (again, warranted) they often continue on within the thread with questions and assumptions that have invariably already been covered, both earlier (repeatedly) in this same thread, and elsewhere on the board.
Just pointing this out because while anyone is free to ask or state anything they like in this particular conversation, they might be less frustrated and find answers more quickly by either reading back or going to one of the other more specific and calm threads. (And I say this after initially venting here myself last week). This thread is a churn that buries good information within a very short period of time. Just saying. :relaxed:

Well said. This thread has gone into meltdown. People's options ,solutions rants prodding and arguing. My advise is if you have a problem put it over to the Sonos team directly, factual and telling them what your issue is or what you wanted to happen. In think like with me they will get back to you. From that you can then decide how you feel thereafter. I'm personally very impressed with their approach and attitude.

In other words leave Sonos alone, they are wonderful caring beings who only have our best welfare in mind and would never do anything to harm their beloved customers - cut the BS

You see there you go. I was like you 70 pages back. I'm now listening to some nice music on my Sonos speaker. Make that call direct if it's affecting your well being

What did they do for you?

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D

DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

What did they do for you?

He either can not say directly OR he is a troll.

In any case, he is just as vague and fluffy in his answer as Sonos themselves.

My guess is that they replaced his legacy equipment in return for his cooporation and support.

He just cant tell, because then everyone wants to do this.

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PhilRobbo

Lyricist III

What did they do for you?

He either can not say directly OR he is a troll.

In any case, he is just as vague and fluffy in his answer as Sonos themselves.

My guess is that they replaced his legacy equipment in return for his cooporation and support.

He just cant tell, because then everyone wants to do this.

…..and either way that makes anything he says highly biased

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D

DK_Madsen

Enthusiast II

…..and either way that makes anything he says highly biased

I agree, unless he tells us what they did that was so great, i suggest putting no value to his statements as we have no idea if they are

True
Not “paid for”

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