Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Sonos Apologizes for Widely Criticized App Redesign, Provides Progress Update

Thing is, they just didn't change the app. They switched over to mDNS for networking at the same time.....and that created an entirely different class of issues.

I have a sonos setup in the den (Arc, 2 subs, 2 Era 300) and it sounds great. However, I've yet to update any of the speakers (all are still on 16.1.1) but my phone has the latest app, however. I use the Mac (16.1) app to make any changes to the speakers, if I need to.

I know the day is coming that I'll have to update everything, but until that day comes, I'll keep chugging along.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
Great! Now the developers of the FordPass App for my car should do the same!
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
I know that since this is a NOT-Apple product, the piling-on will be thick... as it is in all threads with somebody else's offerings and a big picture of somebody else's brand or product... but I'm neither an Apple hater nor fan who owns LOTS of Apple stuff and some Sonos speakers. My own opinion: the app was a wholesale overhaul... like Apple has done many times before too (iWorks, FCP, etc) and "big change" always begets big complaints.

However, after working with it a bit, I came to realize that the bulk of the things I used to use the app to do was now on the Home Screen and I could even put that where I want it. Unlike before, now I don't have to drill down very often with 2 or 3 or 4 clicks to get to "main" functionality. It was all brought up so it is one click to enjoy.

After adapting, I like it at least as good as the former app in all the ways I use it... and more than the old app for cutting down on the click volume. Learning curve? YES. Worth it? YES.

So carry on with the "Not-Apple" bash-fest fellas but I'm a mostly Apple guy who hasn't experienced the doom & disaster with it... certainly nowhere near as much as it seemed for those couple of YEARS of waiting for iWorks to resurrect some pretty important features available in the '09 version and FCPX becoming overall as capable as much of the old FCP.

Nice that the CEO didn't blame the user ("you're holding it wrong"), ignore it altogether, and/or spin the "only a small number of users are affected" line. It's a niche app used by only a subset of us Apple people that is getting some attention and evolving to be better and better. Based on the S1 vs. S2 timetable, it will probably get perfected soon and then remain "THE" app for the next 6-8 years.

Last week, I just helped a relative add the Sonos 300s and Sub to an Arc using this app and all went just fine. No issues. They had already adapted to using the new app and found their new setup no challenge at all. They also added a Move 2 and it too set up as easy as ever and they understood without any training from me how to select the home theater vs. the Move or play them all together.

I like my Sonos setup just fine and enjoy it every day. It "just works" great with my Apple tech.
Click to expand...

Nicely said. I have several been using SONOS products since 2014 and like them along with their app very much. It’s human nature to resist change especially wholesale changes.
 
  • Sad
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive and HobeSoundDarryl
"September:

  • Improving Alarm consistency and reliability"
Did I miss something...the alarm feature was absent upon release...has it been brought back? My son uses his Play:1 to wake up for school every day...currently I see no alarm feature. Wouldn't you need it back to improve its consistency and reliability?
 
bowersan said:
Part of the reason why I never recommend Sonos to anyone is their app. The old version was already bad, but the new version is much worse. I’ve considered going to Bose because of how poor the user experience is on the app.
Click to expand...
You might not want to do that. You have to connect to their servers through their app just to adjust the balance between front-LR/center/rearLR on a Bose 700 system. No Internet, no changey.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: drmacnut
Plenty of CroudStrike staff available for coding if not testing...

That's an awfully slow feature add timeline given they are putting back functions they already have the code from the old app surely...
 
  • Like
Reactions: drmacnut and That70sGAdawg
coffeemilktea said:
You think a company that makes as much money as Sonos could afford to hire competent app designers and a better quality-control team, but I guess that was one expense too far. :p
Click to expand...
Funny, this is exactly how I feel about Apple for the last 10 years. Except I feel like their issue is management, not the talented developers. They're pushing buggy, half-arsed software that lags behind the industry with features. It's a stark contrast to Apple of 15-20 years ago.

I'd love to see the senior C-suite exec team gutted. Craig, Phil and Tim need to retire and let the new talent rise up and steer the ship back on course.
 
  • Sad
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive and That70sGAdawg
I have 2 Sonos One (gen 1) speakers and want to set them up on my Mac Studio. Need recommendations for using either Sonos, Sonos S1 and Sonos S2 apps. Sonos doesn’t make it easy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amadeus71
rictus007 said:
So we should expect a release candidate around Oct (2024?). Happy to unofficially beta test the app and in my opinion it’s not that bad (had seen worse).
Click to expand...
It totally messed up my surround sound speakers (none of the speakers knew the other existed) but a full reset of the system and set up under the new app fixed it
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amadeus71
I will give Sonos credit for wanting to progress forward. And, I will give them credit for taking it on the chin and vow to improve. Seems people forget that Apple Maps lead some drivers into lakes years back, when trying to follow its directions (I think we all remember the Tim apology), What about the whole 'you are holding it wrong' as described by Steve Jobs?, how many times has IOS stuffed something and we needed update to an update to fix it, or the HomePod update that bricked the original HomePod? I appreciate it isnt working as intended, but how many times do we see that from Apple and other vendors as well?
 
Last edited:
arthurdentxxxxii said:
I have always hated Sonos. As an Office Manager at company that uses Sonos as a speaker system in the office, every single app update is a headache and it never pushes well to play on all of our speakers.

It is stupid to have to do everything but configure everything since the Sonos app. They hardly keep it updated for the most recent streaming, and when people want to play something through our system they have to go through the Sonos app rather than the app for Spotify or Apple Music.

I strong feel Sonos is a garbage system. In my opinion, almost every other app is better at doing what they claim they can do well. Their customer support is actually okay though considering the horrible mess of an app this was to begin with.

By the way, these are all notes from before the new app.
Click to expand...
Whoa, take a pill dude and get some rest!
 
jz0309 said:
I wanna say “better late than never”, but you got to ask about the why these changes were done in the first place and why it took 3 or so months…
Click to expand...
Because it takes 3 months to see the overall sales numbers and realize people are not buying their products anymore. This was not a sincere apology, it was damage control.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive and carswell
Sevendaymelee said:
I feel like apps are changed these days for the sake of change. Maybe keep them the same until there is an actual, pragmatic reason for them to change, and you won't have these issues.
Click to expand...
My solar panel system I got installed did this (search solaredge). They didn’t update though. They just made the old app stop working and force you to get a new one.

The new app was overhauled to look more modernised but it was worse to use. Heaps of wasted white spaces and less information displayed making you need to scroll more. You can actually look at both in the App Store.

The hold/hover feature on the graph was removed as well. I’m not sure what genius did the testing but it evidently wasn’t a user.
 
I think we have around 20 Sonos in our house. They broke basic functionality like volume changes from the app for months. They removed a lot of features like the ability to play our music library from a NAS, which has worked for a decade.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back