Sonos' much-anticipated entry into the headphones category was overshadowed (despite a positive four-star score in our Sonos Ace review) by issues with the Sonos app, which has had a tumultuous few months, all stemming from a redesign that’s been buggy for users and was missing key features like alarms, leading Sonos CEO Patrick Spence to issue a formal apology.
The good news, seemingly, was that Sonos has been working on fixing the issues and even laid out a schedule for updates and fixes. However, with the company's focus now squarely on the customer experience and fixing the app, it's emerged that future products are being delayed, and that likely includes the Sonos Arc 2 soundbar that was apparently set to launch at the end of 2024 with some incredible next-gen speaker tech.
Spence addressed the issues on the company's Q3 Earnings call, and in the accompanying press release, in which he stated: “Thanks to Ace, our long-awaited entry into headphones, we reported year-over-year revenue growth and delivered results that slightly exceeded our expectations in our third quarter. This was overshadowed by the problems that our customers and partners experienced as a result of the rollout of our new app, which in turn has required us to reduce our Fiscal 2024 guidance.”
He added that Sonos has a “clear action plan to address the issues” caused by the app, and that the number one priority was to “make this right“. He also revealed that Sonos is delaying two product launches that were planned for 2024, and The Verge reports that, specifically, “two major new product releases” are being delayed, and we have to assume that the new high-end soundbar is one of them, given that it would be arguably the most major product in Sonos' line-up.
Righting the ship and focusing on its current users
Focusing on the current experience for those who have already invested in the Sonos ecosystem and its products make sense. Sonos customers have been angry, frustrated, and vocal about the issues with the app, you can see that on social media and the Sonos subreddit. A big part of Sonos' success has been around its ease of use and positive word of mouth, and losing those could be a big problem in the future.
Earlier in August, Sonos fixed an issue with the iOS app that caused battery drain, and this week, alongside rolling out TV Audio Swap with the Ace headphones to the rest of the soundbar lineup – with the Beam Gen 1 and 2 and Ray joining the Arc – Sonos issued a bunch of bug fixes as well.
Sonos will continue to do that, with various fixes and timelines already shared through October 2024. I imagine that the brand will continue to be vocal about future updates, and work to get these out sooner rather than later.
While the delay of future products is understandably a setback for Sonos internally and a disappointment for fans of the brand, it’s also understandable as it focuses on fixing the main touchpoint that holds the connected products together, in a bid to ensure that both existing and future device work well now, and over the long haul.
