The Sonos App Update Sucks. So Why Won’t Sonos Fix It?

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In a move that’s left audiophiles and tech enthusiasts scratching their heads, Sonos recently rolled out a major update to its app – and let’s just say, it hit all the wrong notes. As a long-time observer of the tech industry, I’ve seen my fair share of botched updates, but this one takes the poop cake. Let’s take a look into why Sonos users are turning up the volume on their complaints and why the company seems to be tone-deaf to their concerns.

Sonos Users Hate The New Sonos App Update

On May 7, 2024, Sonos launched a new version of its app, dramatically altering the software experience for tens of millions of users who rely on it to control their premium wireless home speaker systems. The response? It’s been about as harmonious as a cat orchestra.

Reddit users, audio forum enthusiasts, and social media users have been singing the same tune – and it’s not a happy one. The r/sonos subreddit has become ground zero for a veritable symphony of frustration, with users creating a Reddit megathread to catalog the myriad of Sonos issues they’re facing.

“As a blind guy, I now have a system that I can hardly use,” laments Reddit user Rude-kangaroo6608, highlighting the app’s accessibility shortcomings. This sentiment echoes throughout the community, painting a picture of an update that’s more noise than music.

Beloved Sonos Features Go MIA

So, what’s got everyone’s speakers in a twist? It turns out, many beloved features have vanished faster than a one-hit wonder. Users are reporting a laundry list of missing or broken functionalities:

• Sleep timers and alarms? Gone.
• Precise volume control? Nope.
• Adding songs to the end of a queue? Not anymore.
• Wi-Fi connectivity management? Good luck.
• Adding new speakers? You might need a Ph.D. for that now.

But wait, there’s more! The revamped search engine is apparently struggling to find tracks in connected local libraries – a major sour note for audiophiles with extensive music collections. Even some streaming services are hitting discordant chords, with TuneIn and LivePhish+ users reporting partial or complete breakdowns.

Sonos’ Tone-Deaf Response

In the face of this user uprising, you’d think Sonos would be scrambling to make amends, right? Well, not exactly. In a statement to The Verge, Sonos claimed that changing so much inside the app “took courage” – a phrase that might sound familiar to those who remember Apple’s justification for removing the headphone jack from iPhones.

Sonos has promised to slowly reintroduce many of the ditched features in the coming months. But for users left in the lurch, it’s too little too late. Many of the company’s loyal fans are turning against them.

It’s worth noting that these changes only affect the S2 version of the app. If you’re still rocking some legacy Sonos hardware and using the S1 controller, you’re safe from this audio apocalypse – for now.

What The Hell Is Wrong With The Sonos Executive Team?

As someone who’s covered the tech industry for years, I’ve seen my fair share of updates gone wrong. But Sonos’ tone-deaf approach to user feedback is particularly jarring. In an era where user experience is king, Sonos seems to be marching to the beat of its own drum – and it’s not a catchy tune.

For a company that built its reputation on delivering premium audio experiences, this app update is hitting all the wrong notes. Not only does the new Sonos app suck, their stock is dipping, and the new Sonos Ace headphones were a flop. The incompetent Sonos executive team needs to wake the F- up and fix their company before it falls apart.

In the meantime, any Sonos users who haven’t updated their app might want to keep their old app versions handy – or risk finding themselves in a silent home theater of the absurd.

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