Sonos CEO Apologizes for Troubled New App Launch
The ambitious redesign of the Sonos app, launched in May, aimed to make the company’s software more modern, customizable, and user-friendly. However, two months later, the rollout is seen as a significant misstep. Despite continuous updates to restore missing features and fix issues, customer dissatisfaction remains high.
In response, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence issued a public apology, acknowledging the company’s failure to meet customer expectations. In his letter, Spence highlighted the company’s commitment to addressing the app’s issues and outlined the steps being taken to improve the user experience.
“I want to begin by personally apologizing for disappointing you,” Spence wrote. “There isn’t an employee at Sonos who isn’t pained by having let you down, and I assure you that fixing the app for all of our customers and partners has been and continues to be our number one priority.”
Key Points from the Apology
- Ongoing Updates: Sonos is updating the app every two weeks, with recent fixes addressing local library playback issues.
- Future Improvements: Highly requested features, like editing the song queue within the app, are expected to roll out by fall.
- Acknowledgment of Mistakes: Spence admitted that the company should have initially released the app as a beta for early adopters, particularly for those using the Sonos Ace headphones, which are incompatible with the previous app version.
Spence outlined the company’s software roadmap through October, emphasizing the urgency of resolving the app’s problems. While the initial release strategy was flawed, Sonos is now focused on fulfilling the app’s intended purpose and functionality as quickly as possible.
