The last time someone asked why there are no release notes for S1 updates, the answer was that there was nothing new to report.
The last available release notes are for version 11.2.6. My current system version is 11.3 (so clearly, there was either a change larger than those between compatibility 11.2.4 & 11.2.6--or the numbering system is used wrongly), and now there is a new update available (I do not know to which version, and I cannot find a way of checking).
This might be seen as petty, but the issue is important: past updates have broken system compatibility without announcing it clearly to the user. Sonos have decided to remove many system management options from the desktop app (I find it very user-unfriendly, as it is easier for me to perform more complex tasks on my desktop than on my phone), and so I am reliant on my phone to manage my Sonos system. My phone’s android version is non-upgradeable 8.0, and there is no reason for me to change it: it works very well, has a removable battery, serves all my needs. I had been caught up before, because compatibility breaking was not mentioned in the update process (even when the very app I was used to start the update was rendered unusable for system management).
Simultaneously, I would like to keep my Sonos system up-to-date (if just for security updates), but not at the cost of removing the possibility of managing my system. So, how will I know which Sonos system update threatens to break my setup?
Sonos S1 release notes
Best answer by ratty
In the absence of release notes it would make sense to check https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4875 and https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4779 before updating.
Simultaneously, I would like to keep my Sonos system up-to-date (if just for security updates), but not at the cost of removing the possibility of managing my system. So, how will I know which Sonos system update threatens to break my setup?
There is a Sonos promise, perhaps implicit, that no updates to S1 - other than moving it to S2! - will have the kind of impact you describe.
However, this would be one of those things that Sonos Staff present here should also step in to confirm.
Thank you. But note that a fairly recent S1 update (from 11.2.4 and 11.2.6, and, admittedly, described on the release note page). did remove the possibility to manage the system from an Android 7 phone. So I do not believe any promise not to change management possibility exists, implicit or explicit.
It is possible that any such change would be announced on the release notes page, but I can find no such commitment on the part of Sonos anywhere.
Thank you. But note that a fairly recent S1 update (from 11.2.4 and 11.2.6, and, admittedly, described on the release note page). did remove the possibility to manage the system from an Android 7 phone. So I do not believe any promise not to change management possibility exists, implicit or explicit.
The admin functions which manage the system have security implications. Since Android 7 is well into unsupported territory -- the last release from Google was 2.5 yrs ago -- Sonos must have decided that they could no longer guarantee secure operation on that platform. The Sonos controller still works on Android 7 with limited functionality.
I dare say this trend will continue, with S1 maintenance builds progressively withdrawing admin functions from obsolete platforms. The user options are to move to a more modern mobile OS, or simply to freeze the system at a certain version.
I don’t worry too much about security issues for my Sonos system, but I do what I can to keep my phone secure by not letting it get out of support/upgrades, because I use it for bank and shopping transactions where security issues are more present than they are for the Sonos installation. My concern would be for S1 to not work with the latest mobile OS, but I do not expect that to happen with S1 updates.
But yes, if you do not need your phone to have the latest OS, don’t do any updates to S1 either.
To that extent, I was wrong in what I posted earlier.
Thank you. But note that a fairly recent S1 update (from 11.2.4 and 11.2.6, and, admittedly, described on the release note page). did remove the possibility to manage the system from an Android 7 phone. So I do not believe any promise not to change management possibility exists, implicit or explicit.
The admin functions which manage the system have security implications. Since Android 7 is well into unsupported territory -- the last release from Google was 2.5 yrs ago -- Sonos must have decided that they could no longer guarantee secure operation on that platform. The Sonos controller still works on Android 7 with limited functionality.
I am not criticizing Sonos for dropping functionality for old systems; there are all kinds of reasons, including cost (testing compatibility with old systems is costly and of use to only a minority of users such as, possibly, myself). The only thing I am asking for is up-to-date release notes to know if and when I need to freeze my system given my own hardware/software choices. This has benefits for many users, minimal cost implications, and it is difficult for me to understand why Sonos stopped providing such updates for S1.
In the absence of release notes it would make sense to check https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4875 and https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4779 before updating.
In the absence of release notes it would make sense to check https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4875 and https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4779 before updating.
Thanks! This is a very useful suggestion.
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