Sonos, maker of quality audio kits and some of the best wireless speakers out there, has launched 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 was substantially redesigned after years of “extensive user research” and launched for iOS and Android users on May 7 along with a new desktop browser app. App markets have been flooded with one-star reviews since the new version came out.
Here’s how Sonos social accounts describe the app: “A new look. Faster access to your music. Easier control.” Its goal is to offer a simpler and more customizable interface for each user, offering a kind of reboot compared to previous versions of the application.
And this is how a publication in the Sonos Subreddit with 700 votes in favor he describes it: “they really screwed up.”
Sonos has since responded with an official statement to The Verge, from Chief Product Officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin. “Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that represents how seriously we are committed to invention and reinvention… It takes courage to rebuild a brand's core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing that it may take some taking. steps back to, ultimately, leap into the future.”
The company also reached out to members of the r/Sonos subreddit, where most of the nasty discussions occurred (along with some in TechRadar's email inbox), to explain that the comments are being discussed internally and request more comments. “These team conversations have been difficult, but ultimately very helpful in highlighting the features and functionality that are most important to you,” says community manager KeithFromSonos.
So if you're one of the people affected by the missing features (more on them below), be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to be heard (hopefully).
The New Sonos App: Feedback Megathread from r/sonos
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So what went wrong? There are plenty of bug reports and apps not loading correctly, 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; Users claim that they are either hidden or completely absent from the application. (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 their jobs, it seems risky to suddenly remove this as a feature in case someone was surprised.
The new app also doesn't allow users to edit their song queue, which is such a central aspect of current music streaming that its absence is a bit shocking, even if Sonos intends to add it back later.
The redesign is certainly stylish, with all those rounded edges so beloved of UI designers these days, and there's a permanent “now playing” menu, which takes up a significant portion of the screen. It is worth noting that some users are happy, or less affected by the change of certain features, and Sonos' goal of simplifying the user interface and gathering important information at a glance, is clear in the new software.
Launching a new application is often complicated, and we live in an age where companies are pressured to launch quickly and improve through successive updates, rather than launching everything in the first place. However, when you already have a significant base of users who are accustomed to an application and a family of devices in a certain way, removing Those features are unlikely to work well.
It looks like a beta version of the app, with Sonos recognizing that the limited set of features will be added gradually in the future. In the case of that message, screen reader support is another very important feature that we have left behind.
But the promise of future updates at some point is little consolation for people who find that their home audio setup is suddenly dumber than before. We've reached out to Sonos for comment on what kind of timelines to expect for adding features and will update you if we hear more information.
We recommend holding off on updating for now if you're more than a casual user of your Sonos system, as there's no way to undo it. (Perhaps Sonos could allow the older S2 app to be available as a separate download; this would provide a great bridge while things are sorted out.) And if you've already updated, we recommend setting an alarm somewhere else. However, the app has a dark mode, so it will at least put you in the right mood. before bed.
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