Sonos Said Rolling Out Widely Criticized App Redesign Took 'Courage'

[CarlJ]

Yes, there are a lot of missing features, but one added feature I don't remember it was available previously.
With a web browser at play.sonos.com, the system can be controlled from anywhere.

Cool. Aside from the substantial security issues this entails (having a gateway into my home network I didn't request)... these speakers are in my home. The only thing that they can do is play sound in my home. Please explain to me why I would want to do that from "anywhere" - is it so that I can control what my cat listens to while I'm away?

 

[darngooddesign]

They’re not wrong, revamping a widely used and popular app is pretty daunting.

 

[ozaz]

Been using for a couple of days. As noted by others is missing several long-standing features, and for this reason really should still be in beta. However, Sonos have said most of the missing features will return within 2-3 months so what I'm more concerned about is the app is pretty sluggish in the sense that pages/views take a long time to fully load when navigating around the app. I'm wondering if it will get to a point where it will be snappy or if there will always be a sluggishness to it.

In terms of UI and navigation (ignoring speed), I think it's probably a bit better than the old version. Certainly didn't take long to get used to it.

 

[quietstormSD]

Perfect, textbook example of everything that is wrong with software development today. Why was re-invention necessary? Why do they have to "re-introduce beloved features in the coming months?" What was so important that they had to launch a half baked app right now?

Management metrics and corporate culture at it again. The people actually making the software have no say, the users who have to deal with it have no say (other than to stop using the company's products.) Management tunnel vision.

This is the most perfect comment I’ve read in a while.

 

[steve09090]

Here is a recent one for you: SPO2 Sensor on the Apple Watch 9 series, Original HomePods, BatteryGate on the iPhone 6 series.

How has downgrading software on a current product without being forced to, have anything to with those examples? Thats a massive stretch.

O2 sensor was regulation; they didn’t choose to disable it.
Battery gate should simply have been a toggle which it is now. The Lawsuit was always a money grab by selfish people.
Homepod. No idea what you’re talking about. What did they do to software to cripple it?

 

[wbeasley]

Don

What all the critics seem not to consider is that SONOS is a relatively small company that allways will be tight on budget.
The products don't have a premium price that would allow for higher margins.
The best proof is that after three years since the introduction of Apple Silicon Macs, the macOS SONOS app is still Intel only.
The SONOS app for iOS/iPadOS required a refresh. Maybe they released the software too early.
Yes, there are a lot of missing features, but one added feature I don't remember it was available previously.
With a web browser at play.sonos.com, the system can be controlled from anywhere.

Dont have a price premium…?

What reality are you living in?

 

[ozaz]

Do people really use the SONOS app for anything other than updates? I connect to the speakers through Spotify/Apple Music/whatever, rarely go into the app itself.

When I'm listening to Spotify content I do tend to prefer controlling via the Spotify app.
But I also tend to use the Sonos app on most days to do at least one of the following....

* Listening to radio stations
* Listening to music I own (stored on local network folder)
* Grouping/ungrouping speakers
* Setting sleep timers
* Interaction with soundbar (checking what audio format is being passed to soundbar and toggling speech enhancement or night mode).

 

[darthbane2k]

Same old Sonos. Great speakers, lousy software, and now they want to venture into creating their own walled garden by manufacturing TV streaming boxes etc.
Apple should just buy them already and run the company as they do Beats.

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

So why push the release if they have not had the time to implement basic functions? What were they thinking? The users are gonna live the half baked app and are surely fine waiting for all the core functions? Why not just finish the damn app and release it when it’s done??

You could ask Apple that. To this day I can’t even edit a phone number when I’m dialing without having to delete the whole thing

 

[kevcube]

Apple when SirAI is a let down.

except it can't possibly end up worse than today's Siri.

 

[falkon-engine]

It took Courage or ignorance?

 

[ifxf]

Oh, this app is garbage. Just changing the volume across speakers takes multiple steps, Youtube Music interface is garbage, still can't get rid of the Sonos Radio option. Very frustrating. Small company size is not an excuse for putting out a lousy app when there was a perfectly good one already

Copied Apple, cam’t remove Apple Radio in their app.

 

[YonTom]

OK, good to know I'm not the only one who is completely outraged. What I use my Sonos speaker for the most is to set a daily alarm to wake up. I rely on Sonos because you can set the alarm to sound at a scarily high volume (and with my favorite songs), so that way I go to bed knowing that I won't oversleep. And they gut this functionality?? And they call it a corageous action on their part?? And they don't say when or whether we will be able to set alarms again?? Well I'd like my money back please.

 

[GrayFlannel]

SONOS’s app not having my ‘use cases’ is perfectly acceptable. We should all look at it just like AVP. It has potential.

 

[DJC631]

Who do they think they are, Apple?

 

[bice]

So why push the release if they have not had the time to implement basic functions? What were they thinking? The users are gonna live the half baked app and are surely fine waiting for all the core functions? Why not just finish the damn app and release it when it’s done??

Sadly, no one does it like that anymore. These days it is all about 'Minimum Viable Product'.
What it usually means is
a) throw away your old code base - it is too complicated for new developers to maintain
b) set a date for when the new product must hit the market
c) reduce the feauture set so new developers can make a new program in time for that deadline. This is your MVP
d) once MVP is live, claim you will add back some of the missing features based on what customers miss the most

Sometime after hitting the d) phase when you have added back some features aimlessly and your codebased becomes cluttered, your developers will move on to other projects and new developers will find your codebase too complicated to maintain. Then you can start at a) again.

 

[ubersoldat]

Cool. Aside from the substantial security issues this entails (having a gateway into my home network I didn't request)... these speakers are in my home. The only thing that they can do is play sound in my home. Please explain to me why I would want to do that from "anywhere" - is it so that I can control what my cat listens to while I'm away?

Is it possible to deactivate this?

 

[Bobajobbob]

It’s not brave to release software that doesn’t work. It’s stupid. There is nothing wrong with the new GUI design however the app simply doesn’t work.

Each page update lags and simple controls simply don’t work. I’ve just spent 5 minutes trying to play from Apple Music to one speaker. It has lagged out.

I tried to play from my music library and there doesn’t appear to be a search or way to navigate using the alphabet. You just have to infinite scroll through your entire library of songs or albums.

Unless I’m missing something I can’t play from my phone library using the app and maybe that’s what they want. Better that we simply airplay from other music apps instead however for someone with a big local library that’s a total fail.

 

[matt_and_187_like_this]

See, that's why products like Sonos suck. You don't own them and never will.

 

[stars_fan]

So why push the release if they have not had the time to implement basic functions? What were they thinking? The users are gonna live the half baked app and are surely fine waiting for all the core functions? Why not just finish the damn app and release it when it’s done??

But the dev told the scrum master who told the pm that it was good to go.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

SONOS’s app not having my ‘use cases’ is perfectly acceptable. We should all look at it just like AVP. It has potential.

Except Sonos already knows the use cases. They know how millions of people already use the products because it's been around for 2 decades.

 

[DocMultimedia]

In other words, young programmers have taken over from old ones. #LetsJustDoThisAndIgnoreThat

You really have to wonder about the programming team when things like this happen. Were they told to remove features? Was there a new group and they had no documentation? Was it a new group that wasn’t given any direction?

Curious minds want to know. Or not, since I have no documentation on the subject. lol

 

[ozaz]

Unless I’m missing something I can’t play from my phone library using the app and maybe that’s what they want. Better that we simply airplay from other music apps instead however for someone with a big local library that’s a total fail.

Using the iOS Sonos app to play music stored on iOS device was removed about 4 years ago. But you can use Airplay instead. Using Android Sonos app to play music stored on Android device was removed about a year ago. Unfortunately no Google Cast support.

Someone with a big local library would probably have the full library stored in a network folder. Playing from network folder is still supported although they do need to add back in some of features related to this.

 

[loekf]

Nice try Sonos, your new app is a POS

 

[smpeluso]

What all the critics seem not to consider is that SONOS is a relatively small company that allways will be tight on budget.
The products don't have a premium price that would allow for higher margins.
The best proof is that after three years since the introduction of Apple Silicon Macs, the macOS SONOS app is still Intel only.
The SONOS app for iOS/iPadOS required a refresh. Maybe they released the software too early.

Your definition of ‘premium price’ is radically different than mine. Given the price point of their products, $2B market cap, and 18% increase in margins YoY, this is not a poor company who cannot internally invest some of their profits…