New Sonos app is such a catastrophe, the outdated model could return

Replace, August 22, 2024 (05:06 PM ET): Regardless of consumer fondness for the outdated Sonos app, to not point out all the issues which have cropped up with the brand new version, the corporate has no plans to desert its present software program. CEO Patrick Spence created a brand new Threads account for himself simply this week, and the very first thing he’s doing is capturing down a few of this hypothesis (through The Verge).

Spence clarifies that whereas he was contemplating bringing again S2 (the outdated Sonos app), it simply actually doesn’t make sensible sense. The largest difficulty, he suggests, is that Sonos {hardware} and the corporate’s cloud infrastructure have slowly been receiving updates which might be focused on the present app. And whereas S2 used to work nice earlier than all these modifications, if the corporate had been to roll again now it could possible break quite a lot of issues. Whereas the devs appear to have thought-about each paths ahead, working to enhance the present app finally made essentially the most sense to them.

The CEO goes on to try to reassure his consumer base with guarantees that the corporate understands the complaints they’ve been levying, and is taking steps to be higher about addressing them — together with some key staffing modifications, together with placing “the unique architect of the Sonos platform” again in cost. Whereas that sounds promising, Sonos has an extended strategy to go in direction of constructing again consumer confidence. One of many first steps ought to be occurring as quickly as subsequent week, with an replace deliberate to enhance the app’s setup course of.

Authentic article, August 19, 2024 (02:07 PM ET): Sonos has had a relatively robust 12 months. In Might, the corporate rolled out a redesigned cell app that fell in need of expectations, to say the least. What ought to have in any other case been a time of celebration on the Sonos headquarters, due to the launch of the corporate’s first-ever headphones, the Sonos Ace, has became a interval of intense disaster administration and even layoffs (extra on that later).

The redesigned cell app has acquired overwhelmingly detrimental suggestions from customers. The app lacked fundamental options and included quite a few bugs, so it’s no shock that prospects had been annoyed with the redesign. The Verge has now reported that Sonos is contemplating re-releasing the earlier model of its cell app as considerably of a short lived repair. The reporting outlet notes, “There have been discussions excessive up inside Sonos about bringing again the prior model of the app, referred to as S2.”

Because the launch of the app, Sonos has labored steadily to rectify points inside the new app. Nonetheless, bugs stay, and customers’ frustrations persist. Given this, the older model of the app may assist purchase time for Sonos, whereas the corporate continues engaged on the brand new app and restoring its customers’ confidence in its choices.

Throughout a current earnings name, CEO Patrick Spence stated:

Whereas the redesign of the app was and stays the fitting factor to do, our execution — my execution — fell in need of the mark. The app state of affairs has change into a headwind to present product gross sales, and we consider our focus must be addressing the app forward of every thing else. This implies delaying the 2 main new product releases we had deliberate for This fall till our app expertise meets the extent of high quality that we, our prospects and our companions count on from Sonos.

At present, Sonos is rolling out app enhancements each two weeks, and Spence indicated that may proceed until fall. The re-release of the outdated app is unlikely to alter this since Sonos might want to have a near-perfect app prepared earlier than launching it a second time. That stated, restoring the outdated app presents its personal set of challenges, on condition that the corporate’s new software program contains quite a lot of cloud-based performance that may not be suitable with the earlier model of the app. Nonetheless, it’s going to possible provide customers a extra steady and acquainted UI.

In associated information, Sonos has laid off one thing to the tune of 100 workers. The layoffs occurred throughout divisions, together with product and engineering, advertising and marketing, software program high quality, and platform and infrastructure. The corporate beforehand laid off 7% of its workers in June 2023.