Retired Sonos Staff

End of Software Support - Clarifications

December 8, 2022 at 11:29 AM
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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

An interesting effect of this whole mess is that we are all now forced to consider if our Sonos products are worth the price of new ones minus 30% - and this could lead to new ways of thinking. An old dream dies and a new one is born.

I decided that for the price of a Port (the obvious Sonos replacement for my ZP90) it was possible to get several interesting products, and the lack of the Toslink in Port more or less pushed me into trying out one of those, in my case being a Yamaha MusicCast WXC-50. Ugly it is, but the features seem better. Now I just hope that it can play and that the app is reasonable to use.

I still have a Play 5 (or whatever it was called when I bought it), but as I don’t use it very much I will just watch it die. And when that happens, I will replace it with whatever seems reasonable at the time.

I have no illusions on the lifespan of the Yamaha product - but I have no trust in Sonos either, so why by any more of that? Instead, while monitoring the market for transparant multi-vendor solutions, standardized and maintainable, possibly open source, I will just avoid getting tied up to any one vendor.

"Hey baby, thanks for clearing my dreams” - as Katie Melua is now singing through the soon-to-go ZP90.

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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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Hiltonline

Lyricist II

Honestly think the company missed a trick. Put out a new device, as mentioned previously, that allows legacy and modern to co-exist - people with thousands invested would pay for it - they’d grumble, but they’d pay.

This move has destroyed brand confidence. Even if they walk this back, which seems unlikely, how can we trust them? I’m not affected extensively by this change, yet, but as I add new kit (need a new home cinema) I’m going to have to look to build something sustainable - but man do I hate wires.

I thought the same. Absolutely agree.

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Juan Fernando Rodriguez Castro

Lyricist I

I am a long time Sonos user and have spent thousands of dollars on your products. I am no longer going to spend a single penny on your products any more.

I don’t even own these ”obsolete” products. I’m just worried now you’re going to do the same thing to the speakers I bought only 4 years ago. I can’t trust any speaker you sell today will become obsolete in a couple of years. I want my system to continue to receive updates and work with older speakers.

What a shame. I felt so much loyalty to Sonos

" I can’t trust any speaker you sell today will become obsolete in a couple of years", you are absolutely right.

Shame on you Sonos

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User641899

Lyricist I

How to destroy a brand value in one easy lesson!

I bought many of your earliest products - I have been with you from the beginning. I bought my most recent addition two weeks ago, and numerous ones in the subsequent years to build a large system - which I love and tell lots of people about. That last purchase will be the last one. I remember your promise that you’ll always support your products.

To “update” my products will cost more than £3000, for just the one’s you’ve announced - if you drop support for the ones bought in the next few years too, that will be another couple of thousand to spend to “rebuild” myself system.

I’m ok with new features only on some products - but to limit new features on the system to the oldest product doesn’t seem necessary, and feel that Sonos has sold out. You have destroyed the value of your brand and become just the norm.

Looks like I’m not the only one who feels cheated -when I pay to rebuilding my system, it’ll be with another set of products.

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Lee_3

Contributor I

Amp etc not supported from May? This stuff wasn’t cheap and even with discount replacing it is expensive. It also sets a precedent that customers will swallow this again when stereo equipment is supposed to last a long time. Especially what is supposedly good kit.
Nope. When it stops working I am going elsewhere. They can have the £2k.

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kcobler

Contributor I

OK, so I understand that the legacy speakers won’t have the chops in the future. You could turn this stink around by offering a more generous upgrade. 70% discount (or your cost) would go down easier then 30%. I’ve been an early booster and a recent stockholder.

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Nigelwjohnson

Lyricist I

Well Sonos. You have lost a long term customer. My £1500 system will be replaced but not with your tight 30% discount. Many years of loyalty treated with contempt. Disgusting customer service.

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bonervz

Enthusiast II

My brand loyalty has gone from 100% to 0% overnight.

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Sonos from leader to loser in 2020.

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AlanPGeorge

Contributor I

I have a mixture of Sonos “legacy” and new products, including a Move purchased only 4 weeks ago, and with this announcement you have in affect destroyed my Sonos echo system and the large financial investment I have made. A loyal customer who has recommended you many times and won’t now buy another product.

You implemented AirPlay and Voice Services that works perfectly alongside “legacy” products in the same echo system of new (Sonos One, Move, Beam) and legacy products (Connect), so it is hard to understand why you won’t do this going forward. You need to reverse this decision and find a technical solution that allows all products to co-exist; you have overnight destroyed your brand, started another environmentally disastrous policy and lost many thousands of customers (and don’t forget six degrees of separation, which will make this figure grow exponentially!)

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Jarmy666

Lyricist I

Oh dear, oh dear. Sonos I am deeply saddened by this news. As a consumer with 11 Sonos devices in my household, some remain supported and some soon not able to receive updates.

I have converted no less than 50 friends and colleagues to Sonos through my great experience to date. People with Bose, other hifi separates and surround sound systems have been convinced through my promotion to convert to Sonos.

This latest announcement leaves me personally disappointed and affected but also embarrassed for the all the recommendations I have made to friends, family and colleagues.

Unfortunately my promotion of Sonos will no longer continue and I will out of principal be looking to other alternative manufacturers.

Thanks

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