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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A

attacama40

Headliner I

Sonos S2 will enable higher resolution audio technologies for music and home theater.

And who will be the first to accuse Sonos of peddling Snake Oil?

Thank you for that very good question - it raised a good laugh at a time when laughing is more therapeutic/needed than ever. As did the silence of those that maintained that Sonos never blinks in the face of consumer backlash right up to the time they removed the recycling condition attached to the 30% discount - in the face of just that backlash.

It will also be interesting to see how Sonos markets this feature, having gone on record saying that the science does not justify its introduction. But marketer memories are always conveniently short when needed to be so.

Its introduction was inevitable though, and I remain to not be interested in it, so for me staying in legacy system mode remains a no brainer.

More interesting will be to see what genuine new innovations Sonos adds to units no longer encumbered with the need to remain compatible with 32Mb legacy ones.

Solid stuff well said

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T

themetman

Contributor I

Very welcome announcement - too late for me.

I am sitting listening to a pair of stereo speakers with a separate sub powered by a 192kHz 24 bit DAC on a raspberry pi running piCorePlayer streaming from another raspberry pi with LMS installed on it holding my music collection and quite frankly it knocks the sonos kit into a cocked hat by comparison.

I would never have looked away from Sonos had this debacle not occurred - but it did, and I did and now I have a much better solution for me. More pi’s are on order to power other zones.

These pi’s are so cheap and the dac’s cost very little too - incredibly cheap for the astounding quality of sound and the usability of the Squeezer app on Android is great too.

So there it is… too late for me

Sounds like a very cool solution for anyone that likes to tinker and dable.

Honestly its so easy to configure - have look at https://www.picoreplayer.org/main_getting_started.shtml

its built on a linux distribution of just 12Mb in size

I just Love Raspberry Pis, and have all sorts doing all sorts of Weather Data Logging, Solar Photovoltaic Output Logging etc. etc., Also being a Linux Geek I have been looking around.

I think it is worth considering this option https://www.max2play.com/en/ which I am almost certainly going to move over to in the near future, or even get a nice mini amp with valves and drive that from the Pi. Endless opportunities to mess about.

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K

Kumar

I just Love Raspberry Pis, and have all sorts doing all sorts of Weather Data Logging, Solar Photovoltaic Output Logging etc. etc., Also being a Linux Geek I have been looking around.

I think it is worth considering this option https://www.max2play.com/en/ which I am almost certainly going to move over to in the near future, or even get a nice mini amp with valves and drive that from the Pi. Endless opportunities to mess about.

Absolutely, and I was one that was nervous to even approach it because of the naked board! Now I have two units:-).

Where I am concerned, this Sonos event was a big blessing in disguise - for more on why I say that, see:

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/the-sonos-brexit-and-pragmatic-ways-past-it-6836056/index22.html

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T

themetman

Contributor I

Where I am concerned, this Sonos event was a big blessing in disguise - for more on why I say that, see:

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/the-sonos-brexit-and-pragmatic-ways-past-it-6836056/index22.html

A good read@Kumar, Thank you!

as for turning the Pi Off you can add a simple Press Button and a Python Script to monitor a GPIO Port and shut down when button is pressed, there are loads of examples on the Net.

I have started testing a PowerBoost 500+ with a Li Battery and a little bit of electronics (Electrolytic Capacitor, resistor, transistor and a relay) so when the mains is turned off to the PowerBoost, the Pi shuts down, the relay closes and the battery turns off. Then when you turn the power on again, the relay opens, and the Pi starts up. It works too. Simples…!

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A

attacama40

Headliner I

Off topic in a way but reading the S2 statement ….

It says (and this might be really good … nice for a tone change 🙂 ) ….

“Sonos S2 will enable higher resolution audio technologies for music and home theater.

Most Sonos products will be compatible with S2. If all of your products are compatible, you will be able to download the app and get started when it’s available in June.”

I may be reading this wrong (hope not) but is that meaning that S2 category products will support High Res if S2 update is deployed? I.e that High Res will be available in June? If so super news and very interesting.

If not what does it mean please? Know many of you are better at shaking data out than I am.

That’s not a Q aimed at criticising Sonos (it’s their comms and management that disappoint not product for me) but clarification that could help me enthuse me as to the way forward.

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melvimbe

Sonos S2 will enable higher resolution audio technologies for music and home theater.

And who will be the first to accuse Sonos of peddling Snake Oil?

Thank you for that very good question - it raised a good laugh at a time when laughing is more therapeutic/needed than ever. As did the silence of those that maintained that Sonos never blinks in the face of consumer backlash right up to the time they removed the recycling condition attached to the 30% discount - in the face of just that backlash.

Sonos had never really blinked in the face of backlash before, and that was the message that myself and others had stated. Obviously, that has changed and there can’t be any real assumption of consistency from Sonos in maintain there decisions. I wouldn’t even limit factors that change Sonos decisions to ‘customer backlash’ anymore. I mean, I think Sonos could change it’s mind on a previous decision with or without customer backlash as a reason.

It will also be interesting to see how Sonos markets this feature, having gone on record saying that the science does not justify its introduction. But marketer memories are always conveniently short when needed to be so.

.

I’m not disappointed that they are offering hi-rez going forward. I will be disappointed if they try and claim that hi-rez audio will sound better than CD-quality audio.

Not that it’s hugely important but I struggle to understand the blind faith and default defence that some folks have.

People tend to look at these things as black and white. You’re either holding a pitch fork with everyone else or you’re a blind devotee. It’s often quite reasonable to have a position somewhere between the two. For example, I do think that Sonos needed to separated it’s modern and legacy units as they are planning to do. I also think that it’s a big potential burden on those that are invested in many legacy speakers. I think Sonos made several missteps in the messaging of these changes, how it was presented and retreating back on previous decisions. Of the three things above, people tend to focus on the first statement, ignoring the other two...that’s just human nature. Points of disagreement stand out more than points of agreement.

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Danny

A

attacama40

Headliner I

Your comment reminds me of my own some time back ‘ the evangelists, the frustrated and the 80% :-)

I remain part of the (statistically inaccurate) 80% … but hey, seems some of the call of the great un-washed is being listened to. Absolutely not a bad thing. They pay the bills and should influence (just a little) steer of the ship.

This message is early. The message (as I understand it ) is overall good. And the message has extras that could appeal to me.

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melvimbe

Your comment reminds me of my own some time back ‘ the evangelists, the frustrated and the 80% :-)

Not intended to in anyway. That’s pretty much a black and white way of looking at it.

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Danny

G

Goodbye Sonos

Enthusiast II

Very welcome announcement - too late for me.

I am sitting listening to a pair of stereo speakers with a separate sub powered by a 192kHz 24 bit DAC on a raspberry pi running piCorePlayer streaming from another raspberry pi with LMS installed on it holding my music collection and quite frankly it knocks the sonos kit into a cocked hat by comparison.

I would never have looked away from Sonos had this debacle not occurred - but it did, and I did and now I have a much better solution for me. More pi’s are on order to power other zones.

These pi’s are so cheap and the dac’s cost very little too - incredibly cheap for the astounding quality of sound and the usability of the Squeezer app on Android is great too.

So there it is… too late for me

Sounds like a very cool solution for anyone that likes to tinker and dable.

Honestly its so easy to configure - have look at https://www.picoreplayer.org/main_getting_started.shtml

its built on a linux distribution of just 12Mb in size

I just Love Raspberry Pis, and have all sorts doing all sorts of Weather Data Logging, Solar Photovoltaic Output Logging etc. etc., Also being a Linux Geek I have been looking around.

I think it is worth considering this option which I am almost certainly going to move over to in the near future, or even get a nice mini amp with valves and drive that from the Pi. Endless opportunities to mess about.

Yes Max2Play https://www.max2play.com/en/ looks really good too.

Raspberry Pi’s are simply amazing bits of tech that can easily perform music and video streaming and hosting

Translate

G

Goodbye Sonos

Enthusiast II

Very welcome announcement - too late for me.

I am sitting listening to a pair of stereo speakers with a separate sub powered by a 192kHz 24 bit DAC on a raspberry pi running piCorePlayer streaming from another raspberry pi with LMS installed on it holding my music collection and quite frankly it knocks the sonos kit into a cocked hat by comparison.

I would never have looked away from Sonos had this debacle not occurred - but it did, and I did and now I have a much better solution for me. More pi’s are on order to power other zones.

These pi’s are so cheap and the dac’s cost very little too - incredibly cheap for the astounding quality of sound and the usability of the Squeezer app on Android is great too.

So there it is… too late for me

And this is the point that some on the thread just don't seem to get .…. how many examples are needed to underline the credibility.

I have also entered that new pool and whilst not quite as far to the deep end as you, I’m not far off.

The announcement I can’t fully absorb yet but it sounds good overall. And either way I appreciate the effort to communicate status. Good or bad. And that is key …. customers can locked into a holding pattern with the right noises regularly made. If you don’t get the messages you will land elsewhere as you have.

I think you are right. What’s been missed is how many people have had their eyes opened to the possibilities out there for alternatives - some of which are very inexpensive and provide fabulous sound quality and usability

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