Sonos Delays Two New Products As It Races To Fix Buggy App (theverge.com) 24
"Sonos is delaying two hardware releases originally planned for later this year as it deploys an all-hands-on-deck approach to fixing the app," writes The Verge's Chris Welch. The company released a redesigned mobile app on May 7th that has been riddled with flaws and missing features. Sonos also entered the crowded headphone market in May with the launch of its Ace headphones, but it was immediately "overshadowed" by problems with the new Sonos app, according to Sonos CEO Patrick Spence. The Verge reports: "I will not rest until we're in a position where we've addressed the issues and have customers raving about Sonos again," Spence said during the afternoon earnings call. "We believe our focus needs to be addressing the app ahead of everything else," he continued."This means delaying the two major new product releases we had planned for Q4 until our app experience meets the level of quality that we, our customers, and our partners expect from Sonos." One of those two products is almost certainly Sonos' next flagship soundbar, codenamed Lasso, which I revealed last month. "These products were ready to ship in Q4," Spence said in response to a question on the call.
He also went in-depth on the app issues and how Sonos plans to fix them. Spence remains adamant that overhauling the app and its underlying infrastructure "was the right thing to do" for the company's future; the new app "has a modular developer platform based on modern programming languages that will allow us to drive more innovation faster," he said. But Spence also now acknowledges that the project was rushed. "With the app, my push for speed backfired," he said. "As we rolled out the new software to more and more users, it became evident that there were stubborn bugs we had not discovered in our testing. As a result, far too many of our customers are having an experience that is worse than what they previously had." [...]
For now, Sonos is turning to some longtime experts for help. "I've asked Nick Millington, the original software architect of the Sonos experience, to do whatever it takes to address the issues with our new app," Spence said. Sonos board member Tom Conrad is helping to oversee the app improvement effort and "ensure" things stay on the right track.
He also went in-depth on the app issues and how Sonos plans to fix them. Spence remains adamant that overhauling the app and its underlying infrastructure "was the right thing to do" for the company's future; the new app "has a modular developer platform based on modern programming languages that will allow us to drive more innovation faster," he said. But Spence also now acknowledges that the project was rushed. "With the app, my push for speed backfired," he said. "As we rolled out the new software to more and more users, it became evident that there were stubborn bugs we had not discovered in our testing. As a result, far too many of our customers are having an experience that is worse than what they previously had." [...]
For now, Sonos is turning to some longtime experts for help. "I've asked Nick Millington, the original software architect of the Sonos experience, to do whatever it takes to address the issues with our new app," Spence said. Sonos board member Tom Conrad is helping to oversee the app improvement effort and "ensure" things stay on the right track.
They have buggy app? (Score:2)
The app is rated 1.3 out of 5 on Google Play (Score:2)
1 being the lowest rating, so it's like 0.3 out of 4.
Is this for (Score:2)
Buggy Whip Manufacturers?
The app is the wrong approach (Score:2)
They really need better home automation integration if they want to serve their customers. Once you are over 4-6 speakers/rooms you need a lot more than an app for effective control. If they really want to go all crazy and customer-focused, rebrand things that don't work together with the traditional fixed, powered speakers.
Re: The app is the wrong approach (Score:2)
I don't have Sonos, but I do have about 80 speakers in my house. App works fine. Being Home Assistant with Music assistant. I have a wide mixture of devices that support DLNA, Airplay, and Google cast. From Marantz, WiiM, Google.
Sadly, they cannot all be synchronized with each other in a single sync group. All group members have to use the same protocol.
Re: (Score:2)
Sonos actually have a pretty decent API. As far as I know, there's nothing you can do in the app that you can't do in the API. It's still a bit clunky to say "pause, play the doorbell sound, the resume" though :-(
At one point I started to work on a controller app of my own. I was going to use a Raspberry Pi as a 'hub' and then could control S1/S2 or other vendors from the same place. The other vendors part is the tricky bit (Yamaha being utterly hopeless to work with, for example), but actually the Sonos bi
Re: (Score:2)
i have 20+ Sonos units and use the legacy 1.x app with no problems.
i agree though on rebranding things that don't work with the traditional platform.
Or heck, stop being lazy sods and make the whole ecosystem work together again. Sonos's lame stance that the new 2.x devices and apps can't work with 1.x environment is a crock of sh!t. If they wanted to make it work they could. They just tried to pull a cash grab and force everyone to buy new gear.
Raving. (Score:4, Insightful)
I've been "raving" about Sonos since they removed Android playback from speakers I'd already dropped a grand on.
Never another penny. DIAF, Sonos.
Re: (Score:2)
Their bluetooth interface is nonstandard? Like, any ten dollar bluetooth speaker from grocery outlet would work but your Sonos speakers won't?
Re: Raving. (Score:3)
These speakers have no Bluetooth. Their Wi-Fi only.
Yes, just double-checked, and I'm not a BT noob. We have dozens of Bluetooth devices of all kinds here, from audio to medical to keyboards and mice.
Re: (Score:2)
Some have BT. The Move for example.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but...
a. this doesn't help me or anyone else with the speakers I have.
b. they removed the Android playback feature for ALL the Sonos owners, BT-enabled or not. If you don't want to use BT (and someone else already detailed why you would not), you're screwed.
c. they removed a feature of a product that people had ALREADY PURCHASED. Suppose your auto manufacturer says "OK, we're going to take back half your {cylinders | Lithium batteries | headlights} after your vehicle is paid for"?
Srsly: Fuck those guys
Re: Raving. (Score:3)
Bluetooth is not very useful due to range limitations. The compression inherent to many codecs is also problematic, also. BT is ok if you have a single pair of speakers or headphones nearby. Once you are talking about multi-room, it falls apart . I wire my Marantz, WiiM and Chromecasts with Ethernet. No wireless.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Same here - that whole S1/S2 thing really pissed me off. The only Sonos I'll ever buy now is second hand - and then only if I "have" to.
RIP (Score:2)
Sonos is dead. Move along.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is Lying (Score:3)
He's trying to claim that the issue is "stubborn bugs" they "had not discovered in our testing", but which they found as they "rolled out the new software to more and more users"?? I call BS. They released the new version in May; yes it was somewhat buggy, but the main problem was that this version was completely MISSING a ton of core features that the previous versions of the app used to have. They shoved this down everyone's throats, way before the new app was ready.
I suspect what really happened is that they wanted to launch their new headphones in May, and they built the headphone functionality into the new app only, hoping it would be ready by May. When May came around and the new app was only half-finished, they released it anyway so that they didn't have to delay the headphone launch. But as a result, it completely disrupted the vast majority of their users. Either way, it's been very frustrating... and unfortunately, myself and many other Sonos users have invested hundreds or thousands of dollars on their hardware, so we're effectively stuck with them, even when they screw everything up like this. But I wouldn't suggest Sonos to anyone at this point, after what they did here.
The problem isn't the app (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Quite right. A quote such as "to do whatever it takes to address the issues with our new app" is dangerous, because to really do whatever it takes, you've got to fire a whole line of management for letting it all go wrong in the first place. Then you've got to hire new QA and others, and replace those managers.
My guess is "whatever it takes" really just means "go fix the bugs well enough that we can release it" (which is a whole lot different from "fix it properly").
board member bypassing CEO? (Score:2)
"Sonos board member Tom Conrad is helping to oversee the app improvement effort and "ensure" things stay on the right track."
Isn't this an open admission that the CEO cannot do the job? What qualifies a board member to manage development? They are just grifters who love the smell of their own farts.
It's easy to see why Sonos has these problems, they don't know who they are as a company, they don't know what products to develop or how to develop and support them. They are best of breed, yet wildly incompe
Solution: Dumb Buggies (Score:2)
Like the Amish near me, I refuse to upgrade to a smart buggy. I have no buggy app problems.
Keep your dumb buggies, folks!
It doesn't even work (Score:2)
I used to rave about Sonos and their products. I loved them. And their support team was awesome. But this new app has completely ruined Sonos. I wouldn't