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Ryan S
Ryan S
Retired Sonos Staff
January 22, 2020

End of Software Support - Clarifications

  • December 8, 2022 at 11:29 AM
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End of Software Support - Clarifications

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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    4256 replies

    Show previous replies
    Ali M
    Lyricist I
    January 23, 2020

    Very unimpressed by this decision by sonos. 
    They should be looking at possible ways and costs to be upgrade the older speakers with better processor etc. 
    this would be more environmental and speaker’s would not be thrown away in half hearted attempt at recycling. Sonos would be part of the proper recycling of their speakers. In other words they would reduce electronic waste. 
    if a speaker has broken other components then the decision to scrap it would be the owners. 
     

    with the current legacy idea in May I gather that  my older equipment will stop future updates to my whole system. In that case I will be happy to stay with sonos update I have. I can use the system as it is. I guess I can add to the system by buying older speakers which will now be plummeting in price as they won’t update. 

    this is devaluing sonos’s reputation  too!!
     

    overall sonos should find better solutions 

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      Nattie
      Lyricist II
      January 23, 2020

      So SONOS say

      ’We are committed to help you by making options available to you to support the best decision for your home’

      Reading the comments here, the best decision people are making for their home is to move away from SONOS and buy a different make but still the silence is deafening from SONOS. This is a PR disaster and a disaster for a company that nobody trusts anymore.

      Translate
        chickentender
        chickentender
        January 23, 2020

        I purchased a Play:1 in late November 2014 just to see what the buzz was about. I thought it was cute, but it led me to the rest of the ecosystem and when i saw the Connect then i was interested and ordered it just a week later. That’s where this all began.
        My favorite, new-to-everyone information from all of this is how even Amazon, where I originally purchased those Sonos devices, today tells me (as shown) that I’ve already purchased a Connect. Same price. Same functionality. Same appearance. Same everything. Except for, apparently, that mine was one of the last year’s models quietly upgraded. Had I waited just 12 or so months I’d be in a very different position. But Amazon tells me I already own the up-to-date Connect… I’d sure love to trade.

         

         

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          andysmok
          Contributor I
          January 23, 2020

          Having posted my dissatisfaction on the original post which Sonos has shut down, I recommend that all appalled customers make sure they hit social media with their opinions -@Sonos . National news in the UK have picked this story up as I'm sure other countries too. @boycottsonos 

          Just waiting for Netflix to make a documentary on this now, maybe called - SONOS - FROM HERO TO ZERO IN 24HRS! 

           

          Translate
            Paul St
            Paul St
            Lyricist III
            January 23, 2020

            I see there is still no decent response from anyone from Sonos, Ryan just spouting off the same lines. About time someone high up had the balls to make a statement, and sort this mess out. I will be joining the growing numbers that will never buy a Sonos product again if this issue is not resolved.

            I have already started looking at alternatives, and there a plenty of really good systems out there now,Denon, Bose, Bluestone, to name a few. 
            Sonos get this crap sorted quickly, and stop playing the silent game, hoping it will all blow over 😡

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              chris_h1957
              Enthusiast I
              January 23, 2020

              I feel quite sad to say this is beginning to sound like the end of Sonos.

              Translate
                Gaz5462
                Lyricist I
                January 23, 2020

                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.

                I am so angry at this. I spent a lot of my hard earned money on my system and expect it to last. The fact you are bricking my entire system because I own a "legacy" play 5. I bought a play bar and two play 1 at the same time as my play 5 so I imagine these will become legacy over the next 12 months. This is a clear smash and grab.

                You've built good products that look good and sound great - the exact reason why I and thousands of other people bought your product. Some boardroom idiot has clearly said "how can we get old customers to buy new products they don't really need?" The conclusion - we will actively destroy their systems from our end!

                When, and only when, my system stops working and I have a need to purchase a new one, it won't be from Sonos. I will never ever buy another sonos product again. I hope the message gets out that what was a great and innovative company has just tried to RIP OFF the very customers that helped it get off the ground.

                #sonosboycott

                 

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                  mechapreneur
                  Contributor I
                  January 23, 2020

                  Sonos: I don’t need my old gear to forever act as a streamer for future music services. But I do expect newer Sonos gear to know how to room share music to older Sonos gear, forever.

                  The same way my Amp’s line-in can share music with my Play:1 that has no line-in.

                  If I have to buy a new product every few years to maintain an entry point for modern streaming services, fine, but all my older powered speakers need to inter operate with that newer Sonos product. Otherwise, you’ve lost your vendor lock-in and my perception of Sonos value is plummeting.

                  Translate
                    Peanuteche
                    Lyricist I
                    January 23, 2020

                    Hopefully this is a ‘new Coke’ problem that management will reconsider shortly...alternatively, I’ll be encouraged to evaluate other equipment…

                     

                    I would recommend designing better /innovative features and products that discouraged shopping around...wireless speakers have gone from coveted ‘cool’ to ‘eh’…

                     

                    I’m sure this comment will be deleted like yesterday’s 55+ pages...Communities publicize the good but still acknowledge the bad...they should not delete bad comments just because it does not fit a corporate narrative…  (I guess there may have been limited memory for the community comments too?)

                     

                    so sad

                    Translate
                      spunkworks
                      Lyricist III
                      January 23, 2020

                      The last thing I want is Sonos to crash and burn, I love their products and if they go down you can be sure your product will be useless really soon as support will totally end for the whole range of products. This is NOT what I want.

                      All I want is Sonos to rethink this issue and come with some elegant solution so we can forget this chapter and continue to enjoy our Sonos speakers.

                      I have a lot of Sonos products that are soon “legacy” and just bought a much-overpriced soundbar that I will try and get refunded to soften the blow. I will probably re-buy it if Sonos comes to its senses again.

                      This is a major screwup by Sonos, let’s hope they fix it and regain their customer's trust, it is in nobody's interest for Sonos to go down in flames.

                      I think Sonos overestimated their customer's loyalty, this is not an iPhone that people toss away once a new version has released.

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