Sonos CEO Steps Down Following Disastrous App Redesign

[socialwill]

A few things stand out to me

1. I did not know they had cancelled projects? Where was it announced the TV box was cancelled?
2. They have not said anything about what the next steps are, and it would be good for customers to know.
3. Are they looking to possibly setup a sell of Sonos?

 

[iFunk]

Whoever's fault it was... I will continue to reinforce this is exactly why I do not purchase this type of tech. I stick to a killer sound system which I've owned for YEARS. Vinyl, CDs and cassettes are all part of are arsenal. I still support my favorite artists by buying physical media. I do buy some digital albums if they are not released on physical copies.

• Sonos (I've never used their products) does an app date and everyone hates it - company doesn't care
• Apple's HomePod (original) bricking after software update - company doesn't care
• Streaming providers don't always have all the music I want - often some albums lose songs due to unknown reasons such as copyright issues - an EP that came out last year from one of my favorite artists had an entire verse removed and replaced due to I assume some sort of issue with the estate of the late artist - with the CD and vinyl I don't have to deal with that BS
• Much of the tech in people's homes becomes outdated too quickly for me
  • What happens when you outfit your home with all the latest tech and spend THOUSANDs and a few years later the company announces a new new new standard - I've seen this with early "smart home" tech - Oh that isn't supported anymore due to xyz

I get the above is not for more people. I realize everyone is different and consumer are going to buy what works best for themselves. The only Bluetooth speaker I've ever purchased is a top name brand. Through my work I was able to buy it for 50% off which wasn't bad. It didn't last 3 years. The sound coming out of it is AWFUL now (speaker is blown). The battery is horrible and doesn't last. It is time to recycle it. I won't be buying another.

 

[Obioban]

Two features they need to bring back for me to not be pissed off at the new app:
1) Controls without going through the internet (e.g. turning the volume up should be entirely local)
2) Playback off of a local source (e.g. NAS).

I have several Sonos speakers in my home and have no problem with them or the app. As #4 says, one rarely needs to touch the Sonos app to use Sonos speakers. I've also set up a number of new Sonos systems for friends & family throughout this new app period with no problem at all.

Do I believe the app has issues? Yes, but it feels "mountain out of a molehill" to me... especially from Apple people who almost certainly know they can just about NOT use the app at all with Airplay, with some of the speakers wired into a home theater setup and, for those who do want to use a Sonos app- the old one still runs exactly as it always did on Mac. So just like when Apple does a wholesale app overhaul we don't like, we can work around it if we "think different".

Many sonos products don't support AirPlay.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I'm shocked that there have been actual consequences for this screw-up!

Only, and I do mean ONLY, because he failed the only test of a CEO anyone cares about anymore. Stock price went down. The sacred stock must never go down.

Nobody cares about the users or the usability or the tech support, just keep that stock price up.

If only the truly major companies had enough of the public investing that it mattered. This is the only power we have over them.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Many sonos products don't support AirPlay.

And don't work with the Mac Sonos app either?

And/or don't work by simply being connected to HDMI (in home theater setups)

Are you trying to imply that there are "many" that only use the app? If so, which products? If it is OLD Sonos products, I think they still lean on the S1 app, which is- best I know- still as it was before the new S2 replacement app took over with newer Sonos products.

Update: you made me curious so I did some searching and found this Google Spreadsheet which is some guys attempt to summarize ALL Sonos products and their features. There IS an Airplay column showing whether they support Airplay or not.

Just eyeballing the Airplay column, it appears that "many" DO support Airplay. Notables...

Older "AMP" products from 2015 and back, latest Amp does. Amp is not a speaker but basically a little receiver-like box to power "dumb" speakers.

Similarly, "PORT" is the same: latest does, older version from 2015 back do not. Port is an ampless AMP product, sort of like an AppleTV for audio only. The big benefit with it is access to all of the many Sonos music services- including Apple Music- and Sonos' own Radio channels that are then playable on any "dumb" speaker setup... like how many of us sometimes use AppleTV as a music jukebox source.

Nobody in 2025 are likely buying 2015 or older Sonos hardware. If they buy the versions available since 2015 versions- whether AMP or PORT, they have Airplay built in.

None of the Subwoofer generations- including the latest gen for sale now- support Airplay... presumably because it would make no sense to Airplay music to only a subwoofer. Subs connect to other Sonos speakers like Arc and Arc feeds Subs audio suitable for Subs. Soundbars from Sonos do Airplay, so Airplay to any of the soundbars then propagates the deep bass to Subs linked to the bar.

Sonos Net products do not support Airplay, but their role is basically wifi signal extender to wirelessly connect Sonos stuff too far from wifi routers. Whatever speakers are connected to Sonos Net generally do support Airplay and thus anyone leaning on Sonos Net and wanting to Airplay do by choosing the connected speakers, not this device.

The latest new products- ACE (headphones) and Arc Ultra- both support Airplay.

I think that is everything. Maybe I'm missing a product or two.

 

[New Mexico Bob]

...delete... I see the answer to any question above.

 

[mw360]

And don't work with the Mac Sonos app either?

And/or don't work by simply being connected to HDMI (in home theater setups)

Are you trying to imply that there are "many" that only use the app? If so, which products? If it is OLD Sonos products, I think they still lean on the S1 app, which is- best I know- still as it was before the new S2 replacement app took over with newer Sonos products.

Play:1's use the S2 app and don't support Airplay and I suspect there are a ton of those still circulation because they still work just great.

 

[9081094]

I'm shocked that there have been actual consequences for this screw-up!

Me too, I do know leaders who mess up big time and still get high bonuses.

Project Titan, AI, CarPlay, powermac anyone?

Billions wasted and no consequences.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Play:1's use the S2 app and don't support Airplay and I suspect there are a ton of those still circulation because they still work just great.

Play 1s were discontinued in 2019. I'm not saying there are NO Sonos devices that don't support Airplay, but we're reaching if we are going to step back in time to long discontinued devices.

Play 1s are also old enough to work with the S1 app, which is still in the App Store and still the same as it was. When Sonos speakers get old enough, they don't have ANY dependency on the new app. Just use the same old S1 version. No need to install the S2 app at all.

There certainly are some Sonos speakers- particularly old ones discontinued years ago- that do not. I included a chart in the prior post to show what does and does not.

Intel Macs still sold by Apple in 2023 don't run Apple Intelligence.

Home Pod Gen 1 cannot stereo sync with Home Pod Gen 2.

 

[stars_fan]

Two features they need to bring back for me to not be pissed off at the new app:
1) Controls without going through the internet (e.g. turning the volume up should be entirely local)
2) Playback off of a local source (e.g. NAS).



Many sonos products don't support AirPlay.

I just unplugged the fiber cable to my router and was still able to adjust the sound on my Arc and Playbase using the app.

 

[Hank001]

It's something like Apple did with headphone jack. But Apple did release wireless headsets which (...)

That was released a full year after the removal of the headphone jack.

I can't believe how many people hate Apple but continue to use their products.

That's likely because the competition is even worse.

 

[RecentlyConverted]

Incorrect. They could not go back to the old system as they forced firmware updates on the devices.

Can't they revert to the previous firmware at the same time?

 

[mrgraff]

I am sure Mr Spence will be hired on elsewhere at a higher salary, huge bonus and golden parachute within a couple of weeks.

If by "elsewhere" you mean "the same place" and by "a couple of weeks" you meant "already" then, yeah. https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/13/24342179/sonos-ceo-patrick-spence-resignation-reason-app $45000 in pay, plus $1.875 million in severance.

 

[Janichsan]

I'm shocked that there have been actual consequences for this screw-up!

I'm pretty sure Spence has a golden parachute and will fall softly. I'm also pretty sure he will find another well-paid position shortly.

These people always do. There are no real consequences for them.

EDIT: I was right (see above).

 

[jvchappy]

That took entirely too long

 

[michaelsaxon]

Now replace the guy that redesigned the Apple Photos app.

 

[N0ughtsAndCr0sses]

I can't believe how many people hate Apple but continue to use their products.

True since they’re better than the old one size fits all ANDROID. gimme a better option and I’ll take it.

 

[Obioban]

I just unplugged the fiber cable to my router and was still able to adjust the sound on my Arc and Playbase using the app.

yeah, the TV products are different than the speakers/amps.

 

[npmacuser5]

The mistake was likely NOT in creating and releasing a new App. Apple and everyone else does that all the time. The mistake was releasing it before it was ready... rushed- presumably- because its release was tied to getting the new products out. If so, the monetary cart got ahead of the app horse. We Apple people see this all the time. Just ask A.I. Siri.

I have several Sonos speakers in my home and have no problem with them or the app. As #4 says, one rarely needs to touch the Sonos app to use Sonos speakers. I've also set up a number of new Sonos systems for friends & family throughout this new app period with no problem at all.

Do I believe the app has issues? Yes, but it feels "mountain out of a molehill" to me... especially from Apple people who almost certainly know they can just about NOT use the app at all with Airplay, with some of the speakers wired into a home theater setup and, for those who do want to use a Sonos app- the old one still runs exactly as it always did on Mac. So just like when Apple does a wholesale app overhaul we don't like, we can work around it if we "think different."

Objectively, the new app makes it possible to bring the most used features of the old app to the top. Instead of having to click down through several layers to get to desirable functionality- such as playing a specific music station- one can now opt to bring favorite station to the top screen, organizing them exactly as you want them. I consider that FARRRRRRRR superior to the old app which seemed to have commonly-used things 2 or 3 clicks away at all times.

However, again, as a Mac person, I almost never need to touch the Sonos iDevice app. I could delete it if I like and still enjoy my Sonos speakers in almost every way that I use them. While they continue to deal with bugs (just like Apple continues to deal with bugs) I do what we Apple people do: work around it. If I really, really, really need to use a Sonos app, the one on my Macs is as it has always been.

While I agree, Sonos speakers are not just about Apple. They support a very wide range of music, video services and hardware. As an Apple user, Airplay 2 works nicely for me. Using other services, stuck with Sonos App. Plus Sonos has two generations of speakers. The failure was not making S1 obsolete. Integrating both a huge mistake. Will see how it plays out. In the meantime, I will be delaying any further Sonos purchases.

 

[brofkand]

Incorrect. They could not go back to the old system as they forced firmware updates on the devices.

That’s what they said but they haven’t updated the Mac and Windows desktop apps in ages and they still work fine.

 

[Obioban]

And don't work with the Mac Sonos app either?

And/or don't work by simply being connected to HDMI (in home theater setups)

Are you trying to imply that there are "many" that only use the app? If so, which products? If it is OLD Sonos products, I think they still lean on the S1 app, which is- best I know- still as it was before the new S2 replacement app took over with newer Sonos products.

Update: you made me curious so I did some searching and found this Google Spreadsheet which is some guys attempt to summarize ALL Sonos products and their features. There IS an Airplay column showing whether they support Airplay or not.

Just eyeballing the Airplay column, it appears that "many" DO support Airplay. Notables...

Older "AMP" products from 2015 and back, latest Amp does. Amp is not a speaker but basically a little receiver-like box to power "dumb" speakers.

Similarly, "PORT" is the same: latest does, older version from 2015 back do not. Port is an ampless AMP product, sort of like an AppleTV for audio only. The big benefit with it is access to all of the many Sonos music services- including Apple Music- and Sonos' own Radio channels that are then playable on any "dumb" speaker setup... like how many of us sometimes use AppleTV as a music jukebox source.

Nobody in 2025 are likely buying 2015 or older Sonos hardware. If they buy the versions available since 2015 versions- whether AMP or PORT, they have Airplay built in.

None of the Subwoofer generations- including the latest gen for sale now- support Airplay... presumably because it would make no sense to Airplay music to only a subwoofer. Subs connect to other Sonos speakers like Arc and Arc feeds Subs audio suitable for Subs. Soundbars from Sonos do Airplay, so Airplay to any of the soundbars then propagates the deep bass to Subs linked to the bar.

Sonos Net products do not support Airplay, but their role is basically wifi signal extender to wirelessly connect Sonos stuff too far from wifi routers. Whatever speakers are connected to Sonos Net generally do support Airplay and thus anyone leaning on Sonos Net and wanting to Airplay do by choosing the connected speakers, not this device.

The latest new products- ACE (headphones) and Arc Ultra- both support Airplay.

I think that is everything. Maybe I'm missing a product or two.

Believe it or not, I don't always want to go for a full fledged computer to tweak my music settings. Sitting at the dinner table, on the porch, etc, sometimes you just want to change the music or tweak the volume.

And, yes, new sonos products generally support AirPlay. But, when you make products like the amp (powering ceiling speakers in homes), the expectation is that they continue to function. Should I spend $2800 to get new sonos amps with airplay, because sonos ruined the app?

I think not, their app ruination is having the opposite effect-- I don't intend to ever buy another sonos product. They burned me, hard.

 

[chrono1081]

Great way to end your time with a company...

I always ask...don't they test stuff?!
I'm always surprised in seeing such botched launches, that end up becoming much more expensive to fix...

It's usually a few factors and it's literally almost never on the developers. Developers will generally tell project management they need X time to do things, project management says "No, you only get Y amount of time" since all project managers seem to think writing code is the same as writing an email.

Devs say "Ok, well we can only deliver this and it probably won't work right because you're not giving us enough time." Project management doesn't care, devs work until the last possible second, QA gets minimal time to test since project management doesn't understand software development, and the app gets released.

I've seen this same exact pattern non-stop for decades.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

Most overblown crap I've ever heard. Who even uses the Sonos app more than twice a year? Sonos is HOME THEATER. You set it up, and that's it. You're not supposed to have to touch it over and over again. The sound playing through it should be initiated by whatever you're connecting to it. The fact that there are ANY direct media sources/controls in the Sonos app is what makes it bloated to begin with. It doesn't even need any of it.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

Hopefully the new CEO can fix the issues. I love my Beam Gen 2, sounds amazing and I haven’t had any issues with it, but since I only have the 1 speaker I don’t use the Sonos app at all, just use Apple Music to airplay music to the Beam or my Apple TV to watch shows/movies. In the future I’d like to get some surround speakers, but wouldn’t want to invest the cash with all the issues I’ve read about.

Well then you're not reading very closely, because the complaints about the app are a bunch of overblown nonsense about media controls in an app that doesn't even need them in the first place. All anyone should ever need the Sonos app for is setting up new devices, and works fine for that.

 

[mw360]

Play 1s were discontinued in 2019. I'm not saying there are NO Sonos devices that don't support Airplay, but we're reaching if we are going to step back in time to long discontinued devices.

Play 1s are also old enough to work with the S1 app, which is still in the App Store and still the same as it was. When Sonos speakers get old enough, they don't have ANY dependency on the new app. Just use the same old S1 version. No need to install the S2 app at all.

There certainly are some Sonos speakers- particularly old ones discontinued years ago- that do not. I included a chart in the prior post to show what does and does not.

Intel Macs still sold by Apple in 2023 don't run Apple Intelligence.

Home Pod Gen 1 cannot stereo sync with Home Pod Gen 2.

These aren't phones and tablets that somehow become unusably slow after four years. Ten years later, 15 years later, a Sonos speaker works exactly the same as it did. So why wouldn't Play:1 speakers still be very commonplace in people's homes? There's been little reason (or coercion) to update and Sonos got badly burned when they tried it. Also anyone that has older devices probably has newer ones too, so they will have to use the S2 app.