Sonos has announced that it will delay the release of two new hardware products and focus all resources on fixing issues with the redesigned Sonos app.
In a company earnings call, CEO Patrick Spence reported year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter that was just above expectations, but he also acknowledged ongoing issues that have “overshadowed” that success, the company reports. The edge.
“I will not rest until we resolve the issues and get customers raving about Sonos again,” he said. “This means we will have to delay the two major new product releases we had planned for the fourth quarter until our app experience reaches the level of quality that we, our customers and our partners expect from Sonos.”
While he did not reveal which products might be involved, one of them is likely to be the new flagship soundbar, codenamed Lasso, which leaked earlier this year.
Spence offered some speculation about the cause of the problems, saying his “push for speed backfired” and that despite testing, the bugs and issues in the app only became apparent as the new software was rolled out to more and more users.
While he acknowledges that the user experience for “far too many” Sonos customers is currently “worse than it used to be,” he stands by the decision to revamp the app. He says the new modular developer platform and modern programming languages it is based on will allow them to “drive more innovation, faster.”
He has even tasked Nick Millington, the original software architect of the Sonos experience, with “doing whatever it takes to fix the issues” with the app. Updates are now promised every two weeks until the problems are resolved. The company has said that some issues may not be resolved until the fall, but users can now at least expect regular updates and a commitment that things will continue.
Spence even hinted that there might be some product discounts in the next few months and into 2025 to keep current customers engaged and encourage new users to purchase.
We’ll keep you updated on any new app improvements as they become available. Don’t forget that an improvement came out earlier this week that’s a must-have for Sonos Ace owners.
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