Back in the spring, the Sonos app was seriously buggy and missing key features. The company admitted it made a huge mistake by pushing the redesign too early, and explained that it has since discovered more “issues” that have prevented it from adding those missing features. Users quickly became frustrated, and now the company is so stuck fixing the problem with its app that it’s ready to release it before the holiday season. Let’s break down how we got to this situation, what happened to the app, the fallout Sonos is facing, and what’s likely to happen next.
The background story
In May, Sonos launched a completely redesigned version of its app for Android, iOS, and desktop. The total redesign focused on making it easier to play different types of content while also creating a better hub for finding what you need. Of course, it also has to work with the company’s various speakers and soundbars, and the overhaul took place before the launch of the first Sonos headphones. Those headphones, , brought new features that needed to be supported by the app, so the company figured it was time for a clean slate.
“We see redesigning the app as essential to Sonos' growth as we expand into new categories and move ambitiously beyond the home,” CEO Patrick Spence said on the company's website. “In addition to its more modern user interface, the new app has a modular development platform based on modern programming languages that will allow us to drive more innovation faster, and therefore allow Sonos to deliver all sorts of new features over time that the old app simply couldn’t accommodate.” He also noted that “performance and reliability issues” had been introduced throughout the company’s history, so the user experience had already been affected as a result of the aging platform.
Some customers will always resist change. The new customizable interface took some getting used to, but that wasn't the problem. The app was missing basic features like sleep timers and alarms. Users also The inability to rearrange speakers in different rooms, intermittent speaker operation, and difficulty completing other basic tasks. Some say they can't reliably load the app on the first try.
“We developed the new app to create a better experience, with the ability to drive further innovation in the future and knowing that it would improve over time. However, since launch we have encountered a number of issues,” Spence said. “Fixing these issues has delayed our previous plan to quickly add missing features and functionality.”
Spence laid out a roadmap for fixing the issues in the same blog post, which initially included restoring the ability to add new products to your home setup. Even I had trouble adding the Ace earbuds to the app at first, but after a few attempts I finally got it right. Spence also said the company had been releasing app updates every two weeks since the redesign launched on May 7, and that it would continue that schedule alongside the update. The most recent version, which included TV Audio Swap with the Ace and headphones, offered some very basic things, such as the ability to clear the queue on the iOS version.
“Since taking over as CEO, one of my particular points of emphasis has been the imperative for Sonos to move faster,” Spence said on the earnings call. “That’s what led me to promise that I would launch at least two new products every year — a promise we have successfully kept. However, with the app, my effort to speed up backfired.”
The consequences
It is understandable that customers have been upset since the beginning of May, which is well documented in the But user satisfaction isn't the only issue facing the company. Because the new version of the app was so broken that it had to be fixed before the missing elements could be added, Sonos has delayed the launch of two new products that were set to go on sale in the fourth quarter. Spence said the company hired the “original software architect of the Sonos experience,” Nick Millington, to do “whatever it took” to fix the problems.
And it’s not just a headache for customers. Sonos dealers and installers, who make up a significant portion of the company’s business, are reportedly so frustrated with what they encounter when trying to do their jobs that some of them have halted sales. “As an installer, when you’re trying to convince someone to buy, it’s extremely embarrassing at this point, when you have to just say ‘well, the parent company is having problems,’ it makes you look like an idiot,” said one of the experts. explained.
Spence explained at the company's third-quarter earnings call that the app disaster would cost between $20 million and $30 million. CFO Saori Casey said that sum was due to lost sales resulting from the software issue and the need to delay the launch of two new products that would have generated more revenue. As a result, Sonos had to revise its fourth-quarter financial guidance to lower expectations until this “chapter,” as Spence describes the current fiasco, is resolved.
While the company hasn't revealed any details about what those two now-delayed products might be, there have been rumors that offer some clues. Back in November, the company was working on a soundbar that would surpass the capabilities of its current flagship, the Arc, as well as a streaming TV set-top box. Both products would be very popular holiday items, especially for Sonos faithful.
Bloomberg He explained that the new sound bar would likely cost $1,200, or $300 more than the Arc. In addition, the new model would include “new technology” following the company's acquisition of In Sonos’ announcement of the move, it said Mayht “invented a revolutionary new approach to audio transducers.” More specifically, the company’s engineering methods allow it to build transducers — a basic component of speakers — that are smaller and lighter without sacrificing quality.
According to that same Bloomberg According to a report, the Sonos TV Streaming Box will run on an Android-based operating system with various apps for different services. The device is also said to act as a hub for Sonos equipment in the home. Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision should be on the spec sheet, and voice control is reported to play a major role in the operation of the device.
Bloomberg He further explained that Sonos was working on a new high-end amplifier that could cost at least $3,000 and new eight-inch in-ceiling speakers. Frustrated dealers and installers would likely be hesitant to sell such expensive items with the app in its current state, if Sonos could even add the functionality to make them work. Either of these could be the two products the company was forced to delay, and either of them would likely have boosted the bottom line before the end of the year. And that would be on top of early sales of the Ace, a device that should be popular this holiday season.
What happens next?
Sonos has a clear plan for how it intends to fix its app issues, but there's no exact timeline for how long it will take to do so. The company has yet to deliver its Ace headphones, which map a room (with the help of a soundbar) to virtually recreate the acoustics and offer a more realistic experience. And, as we recently learned, new products have been delayed for the time being.
“Building a new software foundation was the right investment for the future of Sonos, but our May launch has fallen far short of expectations,” Spence said on the earnings call. “We will not rest until we have addressed the issues with our app and delivered new versions that substantially improve our customers’ experience.”
The company is at a standstill until its app is fixed, with the entire product production chain on hold for the foreseeable future, if reports are to be believed. From the looks of it, Sonos was planning to release an app that wasn’t fully finished but thought to be stable enough to use, with the goal of adding features over time to improve the overall experience. However, the complete rebuild was essential for the new technology and devices Sonos has in the works, as the company has been clear that the old app wouldn’t have supported them. And with one of those items being the Ace, Sonos had to decide whether it could wait longer to release its first headphones — a highly-anticipated product — or just get on with what it had.
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