Sonos’ redesigned app is terrible, and everyone thinks so. The rushed redesign has received countless bad reviews since it launched on the App Store in May. But fixing the problem won’t be as simple as re-releasing the old app.
Last month, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence apologized for the rocky launch, promising that the brand’s top priority was to fix the app, even going so far as to delay some product launches planned for August. As the tech brand struggles to fix its major app bug, many have wondered if a simple rollback to the old app would fix things. However, in a Reddit AMA, Spence confirmed that Sonos had seriously considered re-releasing the old app, but after “extensive testing, we have reluctantly concluded that re-releasing S2 would make the issues worse, not better.”
Currently, there is no way to use the older version of the app, as users in the Sonos ecosystem are locked into the new and confusing interface of the newer version. Although Sonos is working hard to update the new design and continuously improve the app, it is still not as functional as the previous version that the company left in the past.
What happened to the Sonos app?
To give you a little backstory, Sonos released a new mobile app on May 7, and to say the least, it was not exactly well-received. Users weren’t just unhappy—they were angry. The app was buggy, unreliable, and made the user experience about as pleasant as stubbing your toe on a coffee table.
That’s a bitter pill to swallow, especially for those who have been with Sonos since the early days. And while Spence insists the app remains his “top priority,” the reality is that the way forward is more about continuing to patch up the new app than reviving the old one.
On a positive note, Spence mentioned the possibility of introducing two-factor authentication, which could add an additional layer of security that some users may appreciate.
