Answered

Why does Sonos force us to update the software?

  • 24 September 2022
  • 69 replies
  • 1405 views
F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

Over the past two months the sound has stopped working on our ARC SL home theater. After checking out my LG display and Apple TV 4k each time the solution happened to be Sonos updates. Sometimes its firmware, sometimes its a controller issue. In each case we found that doing the update brought the sound back. We have three iPhones and an iMac with controller software, though we never use them. Every time the sound quits, I now have to walk around the house checking devices to see which one needs the update. 

With out previous Playbar HT as well as the ARC SL HT, I recall being able to go several full versions of controller software before anything would go wrong with our systems and now we can’t skip even a minor point release release. Once the system was set up and working perfectly, there’s no need to update the software at all.  So why the forced update gimmick? 

icon

Best answer by jgatie 24 September 2022, 03:14

View original
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

69 replies

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

This is just silly.  The thread title and first post are pretty clear that @Forstal believes that Sonos is intentionally disabling his system when his controller software is not up to date.  While those of us who have some understanding of how Sonos works, as well have seen the typical problems people experience, see that this doesn’t make any sense, the only way to definitely demonstrate this to get a diagnostic reviewed by support.

As already suggested, best to just wait for that rather than the given attention to conspiracy theories.

 

Curious - why do you put an ‘at’ sign in front of my name? 

Ignore the title for a moment. I considered it was the best way to summarize my results, as explained by the post. Apparently I should have done a more neutral title because folks here allow themselves to get irritated by a single line of text, so much that they allow it to overshadow any explanation or exposition. If I could edit it, I would have it say “Is Sonos forcing us to update their software?” Would that be better? 

Now, just read my first paragraph in the original post. I explained what was happening and how it looked to me. At some point I would hope everyone here would lay down the pissing contest and think of how this appeared to me, the customer. When every single bit of troubleshooting possible on my part failed to produce sound, and the only thing that fixed the problem was doing a controller update, how would that look to you? What would you have done? In my case - and knowing what happened with the v8 controller/firmware debacle a few years ago - the simplest explanation was that Sonos had a hand in this either wittingly or not. 

And back to the diagnostic, yes that’ll be done. If you go read my S2 install problem you’ll see how much confidence I have in that, but I’ll still do it. I look forward to perhaps getting something other than a checklist of things I’ve already done followed by “well we can’t see the problem it looks like everything is working, you need to give us remote access”. But hey I’ll keep an open mind. 

 

melvimbe

This is just silly.  The thread title and first post are pretty clear that @Forstal believes that Sonos is intentionally disabling his system when his controller software is not up to date.  While those of us who have some understanding of how Sonos works, as well have seen the typical problems people experience, see that this doesn’t make any sense, the only way to definitely demonstrate this to get a diagnostic reviewed by support.

As already suggested, best to just wait for that rather than the given attention to conspiracy theories.

 

Curious - why do you put an ‘at’ sign in front of my name? 

 

 

It’s the generally accepted way to reference users in pretty much any social media context.  On this forum, it will also notifiy you that you’ve been referenced in a post, if you have settings turned on to be notified.

 

Ignore the title for a moment. I considered it was the best way to summarize my results, as explained by the post. Apparently I should have done a more neutral title because folks here allow themselves to get irritated by a single line of text, so much that they allow it to overshadow any explanation or exposition. If I could edit it, I would have it say “Is Sonos forcing us to update their software?” Would that be better? 

 

 

No, because it’s the same incorrect acquisition said in slightly different way.  And as I stated, but you conveniently ignored, it’s not about your thread title alone, but your entire first post.  Seemed pretty clear the impression people got from this thread is exactly what you intended….you just didn’t get the response you wanted.  Or maybe you did.

 

Now, just read my first paragraph in the original post. I explained what was happening and how it looked to me. At some point I would hope everyone here would lay down the pissing contest and think of how this appeared to me, the customer. When every single bit of troubleshooting possible on my part failed to produce sound, and the only thing that fixed the problem was doing a controller update, how would that look to you? What would you have done? In my case - and knowing what happened with the v8 controller/firmware debacle a few years ago - the simplest explanation was that Sonos had a hand in this either wittingly or not. 

 

 

I would have stated the issue I’m having and look for suggestions on how to troubleshoot and address the issue, maybe talked to support, rather than presenting  a poorly thought out conspiracy theory.

 

 

Danny
Airgetlam

The @ sign is an indication that they’re referencing that person using the software that runs the boards. If you have notifications turned on, it causes the software to send you an email to indicate that you’ve been referenced. 

Try it. Use the @ sign and see if it brings up a list of all the people who have responded in this thread. I have never paid attention, but I think it works with the OP first, the most recent poster in the thread second, and then everyone else alphabetically. When you select that person after the @ sign, it will notify them via email that they’ve been mentioned. Unless, like me, they have that turned off, but I read most every thread anyway. 

Sometimes it is a duplication of effort if you’re the OP, and subscribed to your own thread,  but it’s often a good way to be aware of a conversation that you may or may not be tracking diligently. 

 

Edit: What Danny said, more quickly than me :)

Bruce
melvimbe

Edit: What Danny said, more quickly than me :)

 

Faster isn’t always better.  😀

 

Also, since people can make their username an actual word, it’s a way to distinguish between the word and the user.  There is a difference between “submini is great” and “@submini is great”.

Danny
N
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

I did the same in my posts, @Forstal   Why not have a go at me? 
 

For the record, the only question you asked in your first post was the final sentence: “So why the forced update gimmick?” The majority of posts since then have tried to explain to you why this attitude you have is fantasy. All you have done is push back harder every time your idea is challenged. 
 

That said, why don’t we all stop posting on this thread until @Forstal (sorry - I did it again) posts his diagnostics report and tells us the results of Sonos’ investigation? 

jgatie

That said, why don’t we all stop posting on this thread until @Forstal (sorry - I did it again) posts his diagnostics report and tells us the results of Sonos’ investigation? 

 

We all know what the results will be.  The only unknown is seeing if the person who was clamoring for apologies and admissions of being wrong lives up to their own level of forum decorum.

J

There is only one actual question in your original post. It is "So why the forced update gimmick?".

There is only one sensible answer to any suggestion that Sonos force updates, and that is  "Sonos don't force updates".

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

 

No, because it’s the same incorrect acquisition said in slightly different way.  And as I stated, but you conveniently ignored, it’s not about your thread title alone, but your entire first post.  Seemed pretty clear the impression people got from this thread is exactly what you intended….you just didn’t get the response you wanted.  Or maybe you did.

 

 

I ignored what you said about the first post? Really? You quoted my response about the first post in your very next paragraph:

 

Now, just read my first paragraph in the original post. I explained what was happening and how it looked to me. At some point I would hope everyone here would lay down the pissing contest and think of how this appeared to me, the customer. When every single bit of troubleshooting possible on my part failed to produce sound, and the only thing that fixed the problem was doing a controller update, how would that look to you? What would you have done? In my case - and knowing what happened with the v8 controller/firmware debacle a few years ago - the simplest explanation was that Sonos had a hand in this either wittingly or not. 

 

 

 

And you were the one who ignored my statement. A reasonable person who found that one simple step corrected the issue, but the issue kept popping up, might be led to believe there was a reason for that issue to keep coming up. And based on prior experience with a forced Sonos upgrade, amongst other companies, I think that was a reasonable assumption. Its a shame you can’t see that. 

 

I would have stated the issue I’m having and look for suggestions on how to troubleshoot and address the issue, maybe talked to support, rather than presenting  a poorly thought out conspiracy theory.

 

 

 

I can’t speak to how you live your life, but when I have an issue with a product I generally don’t go to customer support until I see what experiences other people are having. I always come here first. Many times I can find my answer before I even post a single word. Sometimes I have to post a question. The one time I contacted support since buying this Arc was not a good experience. If you care to read my post history you’ll see what happened, but in summary I had an issue with the S2 install recognizing my new Arc and adding it to the existing system. And as I mentioned earlier today, tech support did nothing more than ask me to follow the directions, then the guy looked at diagnostics, and finally gave up. He said there was no way this was happening, and he needed remote access to my machine to try to work on it. Ha ha, no. As it turned out it wasn’t even a technical issue, it was an interface design error that was preventing me from seeing a window that popped up behind another window. 

 

I’d be careful throwing around the “conspiracy theory” label. Thats really not an adult thing to do. 

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

The @ sign is an indication that they’re referencing that person using the software that runs the boards. If you have notifications turned on, it causes the software to send you an email to indicate that you’ve been referenced. 

Try it. Use the @ sign and see if it brings up a list of all the people who have responded in this thread. I have never paid attention, but I think it works with the OP first, the most recent poster in the thread second, and then everyone else alphabetically. When you select that person after the @ sign, it will notify them via email that they’ve been mentioned. Unless, like me, they have that turned off, but I read most every thread anyway. 

Sometimes it is a duplication of effort if you’re the OP, and subscribed to your own thread,  but it’s often a good way to be aware of a conversation that you may or may not be tracking diligently. 

 

Edit: What Danny said, more quickly than me :)

Thank you Bruce. 

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

Edit: What Danny said, more quickly than me :)

 

Faster isn’t always better.  😀

 

Also, since people can make their username an actual word, it’s a way to distinguish between the word and the user.  There is a difference between “submini is great” and “@submini is great”.

Its hard for me because I always see it as “at”. Just like the whole “hashtag” thing always reads “pound” due to my background in telephone tech. Which kind of made the whole “me too” thing a little awkward to read about a couple of years ago. 😳

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

 

I did the same in my posts, @Forstal   Why not have a go at me? 

 

Have a go at you? Did you think I was attacking Mel for asking him about that? I noticed it but then I saw Mel do it and I figured I’ll ask the last guy who used it. Or did you feel left out?

 

 

For the record, the only question you asked in your first post was the final sentence: “So why the forced update gimmick?” The majority of posts since then have tried to explain to you why this attitude you have is fantasy. All you have done is push back harder every time your idea is challenged. 

 

Thats kinda vitriolic, actually. There’s no conspiracy theory here, no fantasy. Simple observation. I go for the simplest explanation first. Like if we each have a car, and it dies out and won’t start. Based on some of the responses I’m getting here, I should completely review everything I might have done near my car, and also made sure nothing in my garage has changed, and then finally plug my car into my computer and upload the entire contents of the ECM to the manufacturer while talking to the factory complaint line. 

Me, I’d just check to see if there was gas first. 

 

That said, why don’t we all stop posting on this thread until @Forstal (sorry - I did it again) posts his diagnostics report and tells us the results of Sonos’ investigation? 

 

No, you guys can keep posting. I don’t know how long its going to be until the next “event”. Except for JGatie. He’s been DM’ing a couple of you guys so you can just let him know how it goes. 

 

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

There is only one actual question in your original post. It is "So why the forced update gimmick?".

There is only one sensible answer to any suggestion that Sonos force updates, and that is  "Sonos don't force updates".

 

No, thats more like a “sensible assumption” because you can’t prove a negative. 

Now go back to the question I asked, in the context of the paragraphs that preceded it. Given the evidence at hand, ask what conclusion the typical customer might draw from this. I say it would be “The system quits until I upgrade something, is it trying to make me upgrade”, and then look at it from the point of view of an experienced customer who has dealt with forced OS upgrades as well as one event here with Sonos. 

 

F
Userlevel 1
Badge +3

That said, why don’t we all stop posting on this thread until @Forstal (sorry - I did it again) posts his diagnostics report and tells us the results of Sonos’ investigation? 

 

We all know what the results will be.  The only unknown is seeing if the person who was clamoring for apologies and admissions of being wrong lives up to their own level of forum decorum.

Earlier you accused me of ‘conspiracy theories’, then you spent hours trying to play cut-and-paste with my posts to make it seem like I was saying something other than what I said, and now you “know” the future. So, you’re a psychiatrist, an opinion journalist, and a psychic, in addition to being a “professional coder”. You truly are a man of many talents. Except for understanding. You lack that.

Again, leave this thread, and do me and the rest of the forum a favor and never respond to anything I say again. You honestly have completely derailed this thread. I could have had this resolved 10 days ago if you had just skipped over it and let Bruce take the question, or Ratty. 

J

No, thats more like a “sensible assumption” because you can’t prove a negative. 

 

I am distressed to learn that it’s impossible to prove that the Earth is not flat and the Moon is not made of cheese.

J

Now go back to the question I asked, in the context of the paragraphs that preceded it. Given the evidence at hand, ask what conclusion the typical customer might draw from this. I say it would be “The system quits until I upgrade something, is it trying to make me upgrade”, 

 

Ah, if only you had asked if this was an attempt to force you to upgrade.  But you didn’t.  You sought an explanation for why Sonos does force you to upgrade.  “So why the forced upgrade gimmick?”

N
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

In summary, then:

@Forstal asks a question;

Several people answer it, citing much the same answer;

@Forstal doesn’t like the answers because they don’t agree with his theory;

@Forstal then says he posted to see if others are experiencing the same issue;

No-one has yet said they are experiencing it, adding to the likelihood that @Forstal‘s theory as to the cause of the problem is an incorrect one;

Lots of posts go back and forth;

There’s general agreement a diagnostics report needs to be submitted after the next occurrence, for Sonos to investigate and report the results.

 

Can’t we just leave it there for now? 

 

ratty

I could have had this resolved 10 days ago if you had just skipped over it and let Bruce take the question, or Ratty. 

I said my piece back here. 

 

There’s general agreement a diagnostics report needs to be submitted after the next occurrence, for Sonos to investigate and report the results.

 

Can’t we just leave it there for now? 

Please.

jgatie

Earlier you accused me of ‘conspiracy theories’, then you spent hours trying to play cut-and-paste with my posts to make it seem like I was saying something other than what I said, and now you “know” the future. So, you’re a psychiatrist, an opinion journalist, and a psychic, in addition to being a “professional coder”. You truly are a man of many talents. Except for understanding. You lack that.

Again, leave this thread, and do me and the rest of the forum a favor and never respond to anything I say again. You honestly have completely derailed this thread. I could have had this resolved 10 days ago if you had just skipped over it and let Bruce take the question, or Ratty. 

 

Well now, let me quote to you the second post I made in this thread:

Nothing about pending updates can ever stop your Arc from playing sound.  There’s something else at work here.  I suggest you submit a diagnostic and post the reference number here the next time you experience the problem.  

 

Notice the bold.  It was not me who did the derailing, son.  It appears maybe you should have let jgatie handle it, and this would have been resolved 10 days ago.  😀

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi folks

I don’t think this thread is going anywhere constructive, so I’m now closing it to further discourse.

@Forstal - if you haven’t already, I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team if this happens again, before updating the controllers.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
Terms & ConditionsCookie settings