Last month, Sonos announced a complete overhaul of its mobile app for iOS and Android. It was intended to significantly streamline the previous version and “bring services, content and system controls together on a customizable homescreen.” Sonos wanted the app to feel more personal and modern and to “make jumping from tab to tab a thing of the past.”
I didn’t have a chance to use the new app firsthand in April; Sonos simply gave the press an overview and a short demo that covered the basics. But even then, I was warned by some sources that there would be a lot missing from the first release.
Yesterday the new app rolled out – largely for iPhone users and somewhat sporadically for those on the Android side. (I still haven’t received the update on a Galaxy S24 Ultra.) Judging by the reactions on Sonos’ very active subreddit, the company has taken a scalpel and left out a lot of things. The new app steps back in certain areas, but Sonos has achieved some of its overarching design goals. Whether you’re a fan of the new app depends on how you use Sonos products in the first place.
Features related to local music libraries are a mess – especially search. The app’s accessibility has deteriorated, which Sonos says it plans to fix by June. Sleep timer functionality is completely gone and the company recommends customers use the Sonos Windows or Mac desktop apps to set sleep timers until they are eventually added back. Something as simple as editing the upcoming queue in the app? This is also not available at the moment.
This is never the feedback you hope for after a major app overhaul.
To be fair, that is not the case all is disappointed. I’m seeing a number of positive comments about systems – especially large ones – becoming more responsive after the update. And the redesigned design felt more intuitive to some users, which was exactly what Sonos was going for. It’s also objectively more customizable than before. System control has moved somewhat into the background Music Control, but there are people willing to give Sonos some time (and several updates) to fix the problems and get back on par with S2.
However, if you consider yourself a Sonos power user, it may be best to wait before clicking the update button. There’s no way to downgrade to the previous S2 app – at least not on the iPhone. So make sure you know what you’re getting into and that you really want the new design, even if it means sacrificing features big and small for a few weeks. Hopefully not months.
The edge Sonos has asked for comment.