‘These team calls were tough’ – Sonos power users really aren’t happy with the new app and the company is responding, including asking for feedback
Sonos, maker of high-end audio kits and some of the best wireless speakers around, has released a new mobile app for connecting and controlling Sonos devices – but not everyone is happy with the change.
A large number of users are complaining about the new companion app, which has been substantially redesigned after years of “extensive user research” and released on May 7 for iOS and Android users, along with a new desktop browser application. App marketplaces have been flooded with one-star reviews since the new version came out.
This is how Sonos’ social accounts describe the app: “A fresh look. Faster access to your music. Easier control.” It aims to provide a simpler interface that is more customizable for each user and provides something of a reset from previous versions of the app.
And here’s how a message on the Sonos subreddit with 700 upvotes it describes: “they screwed up royally.”
Sonos has now responded with an official statement The edge, from Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, chief product officer. “Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that demonstrates our serious commitment to invention and reinvention… It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do that knowing that it may take a few steps back to ultimately make the leap into the future.”
The company has done just that reached out to members of the r/Sonos subreddit, where most of the unfortunate discussions have taken place (along with some in Ny Breaking’s email inbox), to explain that feedback is discussed internally and to ask for more feedback. “These team conversations were tough, but ultimately very helpful in highlighting the features and functionality that matter most to you,” says community manager KeithFromSonos.
So if you’re one of the people affected by the missing features (more on that below), be sure to take your opportunity to be heard (hopefully).
Back to basic
What went wrong? There are many reports of bugs and apps not loading properly, but the most common complaints seem to be about small missing features that people relied on, such as sleep timers, alarms and specific numbers for volume control – with users claiming that they are either fine hidden or completely absent from the app. (For what it’s worth, I couldn’t find them in my Android app. And this is my job.)
Since people use alarms to, you know, wake up on time and get to work, it seems risky to suddenly remove this as a feature in case someone gets caught unawares.
The new app also doesn’t allow users to edit their song queue, which is such an important aspect of music streaming these days that its absence is a bit jarring – even if Sonos plans to add it back later.
The redesign is certainly sleek, with all those rounded edges favored by UI designers these days, and there’s a permanent ‘nowplaying’ menu, which takes up a notable portion of the screen. It’s worth noting that some users Are Cheerfulor less affected as certain features have changed, and Sonos’ goal to simplify the user interface and bring together important information at a glance is evident in the new software.
Releasing a new application is often tricky, and we live in a time when companies are under pressure to release quickly and improve through successive updates, rather than getting everything out the door initially. However, if you already have a significant user base that is in some way accustomed to an app and a set of devices, To delete It’s unlikely that these features will ever catch on.
It feels like a beta iteration of the app, with Sonos acknowledge that the limited feature set will be added gradually in the future. In the case of that post, screen reader support is another very important feature we left behind.
But at some point the promise of future updates is little comfort to people who find that their home audio system is suddenly dumber than before. We’ve reached out to Sonos for comment on what kind of timelines we can expect for adding features and will keep you posted as more information comes in.
We recommend that you hold off on the update for now if you are more than a regular user of your Sonos system, as there is no way to undo it. (Perhaps Sonos could make the previous S2 app available as a separate download – this would be a great bridge while things get ironed out.) And if you’ve already updated, we recommend setting an alarm elsewhere to set. However, the app does have a dark mode, so you will at least get into the right frame of mind for bed.