Sonos goes wrong with new app that lacks important functions

The latest version of the Sonos app is missing many functions. These would be restored within “a few months”.

Last week, on May 7, Sonos released a new version of their app. That app appears automatically after an update, although not all users are equally satisfied with it.

Users cannot choose whether they use the new app or not. In many cases, the update is installed automatically, so you will be connected to the new app in no time. In itself this should not be a problem, if it were not for the fact that the new app leaves much to be desired.

Important functions disappeared

Although Sonos offers new features such as an adjustable home screen, many functions have disappeared from the app. Many users are gathering on social media and on the Sonos forum to denounce this. Functions such as a sleep timer or the ability to adjust playlists or playback order of songs are no longer available. For users with a visual impairment, the update is even more disruptive: accessibility tools such as a screen reader do not work with the new app. As a result, blind people can no longer use the app at all.

In terms of accessibility, Sonos hopes to come up with a solution next month. At the same time, the company says that it listens to the – often negative – feedback. Many users wonder why Sonos wanted to release the new app now, while a large number of functions are still missing. What makes that decision extra strange is that the new products will only appear this summer. Many users believe that Sonos launched the new app too early and that the company should have waited.

Company supports new app

The company itself supports that decision. Chief product officer Maxim Bouvat-Merlin says it took a lot of courage to redevelop the app, which is vital to Sonos. According to the CPO, it was necessary to “take a few steps backwards, to ultimately jump into the future”.

Yet it seems as if Sonos has stumbled quite a bit this time. In the coming months, the brand will get back on track by integrating missing functions into the app. You can take that literally: it may take several months for the new Sonos app to reach the same level as the old one. In addition to the functions that have disappeared, the company is also said to have a number of new functions planned. The question remains whether they will be received as positively after some basic functions have disappeared from the new app.