Sonos is readying a major update to simplify its mobile app
This latest Sonos app update could improve functionality with iOS devices.
- Sonos is reportedly working on a major update for its Android and iOS apps.
- This should provide a simpler user experience with improved navigation and controls.
- Unlike the previous update, these changes will be opt-in.
Audio technology company Sonos is planning to launch a major update for its Android and iOS apps. First reported by Bloomberg’s Chris Welch, the company intends to “simplify” the user experience by improving in-app navigation and developing easier-to-use controls. Sonos’s CEO, Tom Conrad, claims that these refinements will lead to a better experience when controlling the company’s range of audio products.
Sonos has been rolling out long-requested features, such as lock screen controls, in recent weeks. This allows Android users to switch between songs seamlessly without unlocking their phone. Conrad told Bloomberg that implementing the same capability on iOS has proven more difficult. Instead, the company may have to use Apple’s Live Activities feature. However, it will likely be months before iPhone owners receive lock screen controls.
Setting up and controlling the Sonos Arc is very easy using the Sonos app for iOS and Android.
The updates are currently being tweaked by Sonos’s team of designers and software engineers. The company also plans to test the user experience extensively in “tens of thousands of homes” before launch. Critically, the updates will remain opt-in until the company is certain they’re ready for all customers. Conrad mentions that Sonos will inform its users of the changes via Reddit, Sonos forums, and social media. The company will do “everything we should have done the first time around,” he said.
News of Sonos’s updated app comes after the previous version became riddled with bugs and erratic system performance. This led to reduced hardware sales, staff layoffs, and the departure of former CEO Patrick Spence. It also hampered the launch of the Sonos Ace headphones, sabotaging the company’s debut in a major new product category. “A big part of delighting the customer is [the app] feeling like precision. That’s what we’re chasing,” Conrad said. The updates are expected to launch sometime in March or April.
