Highlights

• Sonos CEO apologizes for the troubled app redesign and commits to fixes.
• Bi-weekly updates planned to resolve ongoing issues and improve functionality.
• Focus on fixing local library playback issues and adding features by fall.
• Sonos aims to regain customer trust with a detailed software roadmap through October.

Two months after its May release, the much-anticipated Sonos app redesign has turned into a significant problem for the company.

CEO Patrick Spence has now issued a formal apology and outlined plans to address the ongoing issues.

The Apology and Acknowledgment

In a letter to customers, Spence wrote: “I want to begin by personally apologizing for disappointing you.” He emphasized that fixing the app for all customers and partners has been and continues to be their top priority. This apology comes after initial responses from the company were perceived as tone-deaf, including a statement that the app overhaul took “courage.”

Issues with the Redesign

The new app, intended to be more modern, customizable, and user-friendly, has faced numerous challenges including missing features, bugs, technical difficulties, and problems with local library playback.

Roadmap for Improvement

Spence outlined Sonos’ plans to address these issues:

• Updating and improving the app every two weeks
• Recent focus on fixing local library playback issues
• Some features, like editing the song queue within the app, expected by fall

The CEO provided a software roadmap extending through October, demonstrating the company’s commitment to resolving the problems.

Missed Opportunity

In retrospect, Sonos could have avoided much of this backlash by releasing the rebuilt app as a beta version for early adopters of the Sonos Ace headphones and maintaining the existing software while bringing the new version to parity.

However, as this opportunity has passed, the company is now focused on rapid improvements to the new app.

Despite Sonos’ efforts to add back missing features and functionality through frequent updates, customer dissatisfaction remains high.

The situation has been described as a “colossal unforced error” for the company.

Future for Sonos

Sonos is now in a position where it must work diligently to regain customer trust and bring the new app up to the standards users expect.

The coming months will be crucial for the company as it strives to deliver on the promises of its redesigned app.

Here’s the full letter by the CEO Patrick Spence:

We know that too many of you have experienced significant problems with our new app which rolled out on May 7, and I want to begin by personally apologizing for disappointing you. There isn’t an employee at Sonos who isn’t pained by having let you down, and I assure you that fixing the app for all of our customers and partners has been and continues to be our number one priority.

We developed the new app to create a better experience, with the ability to drive more innovation in the future, and with the knowledge that it would get better over time. However, since launch we have found a number of issues. Fixing these issues has delayed our prior plan to quickly incorporate missing features and functionality.

Since May 7, we have released new software updates approximately every two weeks, each making significant and meaningful improvements, adding features and fixing bugs. Please see the release notes for Sonos software updates for detailed information on what has been released to date.

While these software updates have enabled the majority of our customers to have a robust experience using the Sonos app, there is more work to be done. We have prioritized the following improvements in our next phase of software updates:

July and August:

Improving the stability when adding new products

Implementing Music Library configuration, browse, search, and play

August and September:

Improving Volume responsiveness

User interface improvements based on customer feedback

Improving overall system stability and error handling

September:

Improving Alarm consistency and reliability

September and October:

Restoring edit mode for Playlists and the Queue

Improving functionality in settings

We plan to continue releasing new software updates on a bi-weekly cadence. With each release, we will share detailed notes on what we’ve addressed and what we’re working on next in our community.

We deeply appreciate your patience as we address these issues. We know we have work to do to earn back your trust and are working hard to do just that. I am always open to your feedback, you can find me via email at ceo@sonos.com.

Sincerely,

Patrick Spence

CEO

FAQs

What issues have users experienced with the new Sonos app redesign?

Users have reported missing features, bugs, technical difficulties, and problems with local library playback in the new Sonos app.

How is Sonos addressing the app redesign problems?

Sonos plans to release updates every two weeks, focusing on fixing issues and improving app functionality, including addressing local library playback problems.

When can users expect the app to improve?

Sonos has outlined a software roadmap through October, with some features, like editing the song queue within the app, expected by fall.

What did Sonos CEO Patrick Spence say in his apology?

Patrick Spence apologized for disappointing customers and emphasized that fixing the app for all users and partners is their top priority.

What could Sonos have done differently to avoid the backlash?

Sonos could have released the new app as a beta version for early adopters while maintaining the existing software until the new version reached feature parity.

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