Summary
- Just a few months ago, Sonos introduced a new app that caused great outrage due to its poor design and lack of functionality.
- Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has committed to getting the app in good shape by October 2024.
- Now there is news that the brand might bring back the old app to provide some much-needed damage control.
Just a few months ago, there was genuine excitement in the Sonos community when it was announced that an entirely new app would be making its way to the Play Store. At the time, no one could have imagined the impact the release would have, and Sonos fans were very vocal about the new app and its horrific changes, prompting the brand to ask for vital feedback on how it could be improved. Sonos explained at the time that it took “courage” to deliver this brand new version of its app, and while we love watching products evolve, this was simply one of those cases where there was simply no need to reinvent the wheel.
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Sonos eventually relented a bit and added features to the new app that it should have had when it was first released. This whole fiasco even overshadowed the launch of the brand’s newest headphones, the Sonos Ace, with CEO Patrick Spence being very open at the time and shedding light on how the launch of the new app could have been handled better. Spence has since issued a formal apology and plans to get the app in good shape by October 2024. But it also seems that the brand may have an alternative plan that involves reviving the old app.
We knew Sonos was bad, but not that bad
The news comes from The Verge and says that there have been “high-level discussions within Sonos” about the idea of bringing back the old app. Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has made it clear that changes are being made to the new app, and a public timeline shows when and how things will happen. However, the changes won’t be finalized for several months, and it’s very clear that the company could really use a hit right now.
This decision seems all the more reasonable considering that the new app has even messed up the brand’s 2024 product release schedule, with Sonos opting to delay two of its upcoming devices until the new app is fixed. While we really applaud this commitment here, this has to be a bitter pill to swallow. Even more so considering that Spence shared that this whole affair will likely end up costing the brand between $20-30 million, and with new layoffs reported, this will affect 100 employees.
Over the years, Sonos has built a brand that strives for excellence. While it has had a very good track record to date, this is a good lesson for the brand to see what happens when those expectations are not met. From now until October, Sonos will continue to release software updates every two weeks and provide detailed release notes for the curious. It remains to be seen if the old app will ever appear, or if Spence and Sonos will simply continue down the dangerous path they are currently on.
