Sonos, the company behind some of the best soundbars, has been aware of the controversy and backlash against the company's app update since it launched in May.
The updated app took away long standing features, introduced bugs or strangely altered how remaining features actually worked. Sonos owners were not happy and if Sonos' official forums and Reddit are an example, remain unhappy.
The resulting consequences have led to product release delays, more layoffs and a sinking reputation for a company that is known for making some of the best speakers.
Sonos has been in repair mode for awhile now. On Tuesday, the company released their plans for moving forward that outlines how the speaker manufacturer plans to reverse their current fortunes and repairing relationships.
“Our priority since its release has been - and continues to be - fixing the app. There were missteps, and we first went deep to understand how we got here, and then moved to convert those learnings into action,” said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence in a statement. “We are committed to making changes to get us back to being the brand people love by offering the best audio system for the home and beyond. We must always do right by our customers, and I am confident that, with these commitments, we will.”
The 7 'Commitments'
The company is laying out seven "commitments." These include standard business platitudes like "unwavering focus on the customer experience" and the surprising "demonstrate humility when introducing changes." That last one has to be in response to the surprisingly cocky assertion that it took "courage" to release their unfavorable app update.
The commitment does include some concrete solutions to repairing their ongoing issues, including "appointing a quality ombudsperson" and "extend[ing] our home speaker warranties."
Sonos mentions multiple times trying to add the customer's voice via a stronger beta testing program that utilizes "more types of customers and diverse setups" over a longer testing period as well as establishing a customer advisory board that is meant to provide insight based on customer feedback.
The biggest actionable items appear to be the ombudsperson who "will be consulted by executive leadership throughout the development process." They are meant to introduce more transparency to product development, though it's not clear if they will interact with the other customer advisory groups.
What about the Sonos app?
The other solution, which seems vague at first glance, is "relentlessly improve the app experience." However, the press release specifically says that Sonos will put out updates every 2 - 4 weeks, even once "this issue is resolved."
The company claims that many of the initiatives are "already underway" and that they have axed executive bonus payouts between October 2024 and September 2025.
Will Sonos re-establish trust with their customers? That remains to be seen, but it does appear that Sonos execs have eaten their crow and are actively working to fix their mistakes. A surprising rarity in this day and age.
