Sonos Roam power button - poor implementation

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33 replies

C

I agree with your comments, especially the one on the remote control of power.  I have alarms set to turn on a radio station at times and there are instances where I have been away and find on my return that the speakers have been playing to themselves for days at a time.  I have implemented an alarm turn off after a period but that is not perfect.  Sonos should provide a “sleep” control that inhibits alarms and is actionable from the app or windows app etc.

Xander P
Userlevel 6
Badge +15

Hi @chrisjph, glad to hear the replacement Roam is giving you the expected tactile feedback.

Regarding setting the Roam to Bluetooth mode, this should only require a second of holding the power button (followed by another second of holding to enter pairing mode, if your device is not already paired), while 5 seconds is indeed expected to power the Roam off :)

P
Userlevel 1

I agree that the button design is mechanically poor implementation (little to no tactile feedback, too small, wrong shape, etc.) and overly relied upon for too many functions.  There’s too much emphasis in product design for “clean” design, void of buttons, knobs and so forth.  Just not good - should be a dedicated on/off button, dedicated paring button.  

N
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

My Roam also has a rigid shallow feel. No click there. Sometimes when I have turned it off fully ( chimes heard) I note that it still appears in app and obviously drains battery as per known problem. The white light is also on. However when this happens and I try to play music to it then the message “unable to connect to Sonos product” appears. So I have to then turn it “off” again. Then turn it back “on” which resolves the problem. As I say I do absolutely understand the 5-7 sec press and hear chimes to ensure my Roam is off but it doesn’t always work as it should. Regarding Bluetooth quick press… I don’t use it.All I do is connect from my IPhone and BT switches automatically on the Roam . Obviously it needed pairing initially but once it’s known then it’s a breeze to connect. No having the hit and miss game with the Roams iffy back button

F

Hi all,

I was so excited to receive my Sonos Roam this week. First Sonos product for me, but I love the brand and my interactions with other Sonos products in the past (friends, showrooms) have always been great. 
 

Unfortunately, I sent my Roam back to Sonos for a refund. The problem? That power button at the back.  Everything else is excellent, sound, design, size, I love it. But the power button is a really poor implementation. There is no click whatsoever unless you press the button really strongly. I never knew if I was successful switching it on or off. If you press the button a bit on one side it just doesn’t work. It got on my nerves and I ended up sending it back. 
 

I was thinking maybe I got a bad unit, but I have seen a few comments in Reddit which are consistent with my experience. 
 

how is it working for you? I might go to a brick & mortar store to try one out. If I can confirm all units are the same I will have to wait until this is fixed or get an alternative brand which, to be honest, I am not happy about. 
 

thanks

Hi,

I have exactly same Situation and Frustration like @dggontan. I was very excited receiving my Roam first day it was out to the market. I already have various Sonos speakers and so far I was very happy with it. But for me the Power button of the Roam is a big hassle and poor implemented. it almost never works with the first try as you don’t get a clear response from the button and especially when I want to switch it off I have to always double-check if it’s really off, as otherwise it’s just in standby mode and then it has almost no battery anymore when I want to use it next time (happened already several times and I needed to switch back to my old Music box).

It’s actually the first time I am disappointed with the quality and function of a Sonos device, But For me this clearly needs improvement.

S

Hello Roamulans

While we are at it, i would like to bring up a couple other power button issues. I have recently acquired the Roam as my first Sonos device - and it is fairly positive - good sound, good aesthetics, and wifi + bluetooth connectivity is brilliant for a portable. I agree the power button is a weakness - i have been unsure of what my (attempted) presses were doing since i started using the Roam.  

One thing i wonder about is why the Sonos app does not have a function to put the Roam into standby, and wake it up from standby - i also have a Naim QB2 wireless speaker and the Naim app does that.  If the Sonos app had that, it would eliminate a certain amount of dealing with the sketchy power button.

Another curious thing i have experienced, which sort-of relates to the power button - after a few times powering down, and hearing the 2 second bluetooth chime and the 5 second “off” chime, i stopped hearing the chime when pressing the power button to standby or power down. (which made me even more uncertain if i was pressing the power buttom properly)  This was a mystery until i realized i had to press the physical volume up buttons on the Roam to increase the unit volume again - even though it was playing at normal volumes when using it on wifi through an app connected by Upnp.  This happened multiple times, so it wasn’t a one time errant volume “down” button press.  This may not be a Sonos issue - eg maybe the Upnp application zeroes the Roam physical volume control for its own purposes - but my point is, in addition to the physical power button issue previously reported, it is also possible to inadvertently lose the audio chime cues from the Roam that tell you where you are in the power down cycle.

But even after all that, Roam - I still like you.

 

 

R

I have just been onto the helpline, and the lady explained everything about this button.

Firstly, this is how the button is meant to be. It does not click.

Out of the box you’re supposed to hold it down for 5 seconds and release. This switches it on.

For Bluetooth mode you hold it down for two seconds and let go. (and the LED on the front above the logo flashes blue). This takes some practice. Getting it out of Bluetooth you repeat: 2 second press.

And to switch off it’s a 5 second press. I thought you just pressed it, but no. That explains a lot. Just pressing it I think just disconnects it or stops what it’s doing. It does not switch it off.

Understanding the chimes -- its language! -- it’s like Close Encounters!.

But, the lady on the Sonos helpline did say that it was a tricky button. But once used to it, it is now fine for me.

R

Pressing the button for short (sleep), 2s (bt connect) and 5+seconds works fine. 

However. Roam does not stay off, when buttons is pressed 5+ seconds and the off-chime sounded. It shows offline in the Sonos App, and after a few minutes, returning to the app and looking at the devices, it is back online.

This has resulted many times in drained battery, which is a bit disappointing when the Roam has been advertised with long-lasting batterylife.

At first I thought, the battery of my device just wasn’t very good. Even when only using the provided (extra ordered) Sonos Wireless Charger. But then I found, the device turns itself back on… and draines battery without being used. Is this just because there are other Sonos devices in the app which are being used more often?

Anyway, nice product, but I hope Sonos will improve power management and consumption...

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