Daniel J SaitPosting to Reddit, Tom confirmed work has been underway to introduce improvements to the consumer-facing part of the Sonos app.
“We’ve been working through a long list of improvements, and we’re now in the final stretch of getting them ready. I know it’s been a decent interval of quiet on my end. Thanks for your patience. We’ve been reading the posts,” said Tom.
He continued, “What I wanted from this work was simple: a series of enhancements that make Sonos easier to learn and easier to use. The team has spent hundreds of hours over the past year watching real customers use the Sonos app, longtime owners and brand-new ones alike. We’ve learned a lot about what hangs people up, what’s confusing when you’re new to the system and what slows you down when you’re just trying to change the darn volume.”
Tom also wrote, “What kept showing up was this: a lot of friction came from proprietary patterns we built that made the app harder to learn and use than it needed to be. Stacks on stacks on stacks of content cards. Swipe-up gestures to switch speaker orientation. Close boxes where any other app on your phone would have a back button. Custom interface elements that never quite felt like part of iOS or Android. Now all of that is changing. Not a new app, but a new way of navigating Sonos inside the app you already have.”
Tom explained that a beta release is happening during the week commencing June 15 and highlights some of the things users can expect:
• Familiar tabbed navigation. Three tabs (Home, System and Search) replacing the hidden gestures and content cards. Native on both iOS and Android.
• A totally new volume interface. A core mechanism that is easier to grab and fine-tune, buttons to tap up and down if that’s your thing and a new way to synchronise across a group of rooms.
• Player sort and orientation. More control over how players are listed and displayed.
Tom also promised many smaller quality-of-life fixes throughout the app, including swipe-to-delete in playlists, a refreshed Now Playing screen, new iPad views and attention to detail throughout the user experience.
After beta testing is complete, the rollout will start as an opt-in toggle so everyone can try it (or not) on their own terms. From there, more feedback will be gathered to support further refinement.
Tom’s post concluded, “Stepping back: this is the beginning of a different way of working here at Sonos, where what gets built, and in what order, is shaped by the conversations here and with all our customers. Thanks for the inspiration and thanks for sticking with us.”
Reaction below the post appears to be largely positive, with most users appreciating the communication and the proposed changes.