And is this an omen that the long-awaited headphones are finally launching too?
Sonos
According to The Verge’s well-established Sonos leaker Chris Welch, Sonos is poised to release a new version of its app on May 7th. If you want the full details of what’s to come, I encourage you to read Chris’s detailed reporting in full.
The gist is this, though. The current S2 app will be redesigned with a new look and approach to navigation. In particular, Welch states the release may address some of the biggest and most obvious gripes plaguing the current iteration, mainly the ability to adjust the playback volume slider directly from the main system view and the ability to set and order specific playlists on the app home screen.
Please, god, let it also bring back the ability to adjust the playback volume using the iPhone’s up/down buttons (yes, I know this is mainly an Apple iOS issue, but work it out, people).
Whether this move by Sonos finally ends Reddit threads like The Sonos app interface is killing the brand, F*%# the Sonos App, and Is the Sonos app as bad as reviews? remains to be seen, but count me in the camp that’s hoping Sonos will finally polish over the biggest blemish on its generally solid usability track record.
The timing of the Sonos app update my coincide with the official release of the company’s long-rumored headphones.USPTO.gov
As Welch also notes in conjunction with earlier reporting from Bloomberg, part of what could be motivating the update timing may be the ever-imminent launch of Sonos’s rumored headphones, for which the company was awarded a patent back in 2020.
Unlike in the past when Sonos launched the S2 app as part of an effort to fork its software support efforts for its growing and, in some cases, aging line of equipment, one would presume the new app update would continue to work with any Sonos devices currently relying on the S2 app.
But then again, based on Sonos’s previous app track record, it’s best to adopt a wait-and-see approach.