- Major changes to navigation and volume control
- Available in a new beta this week
- Opt-in rather than enabled by default
Sonos has announced a suite of new changes to the Sonos app, and you’ll be able to try the new version this week as a beta — if you want to.
Posting on Reddit, Sonos CEO Tom Conrad says that after “hundreds of hours watching real customers use the Sonos app” his team has identified lots of irritants and sticking points. “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.”
In response, Sonos is making lots of changes to the app, including how you turn the volume up and down.
The post has so far generated a lot of positive responses, including the current top comment by Daveintausend: “Never thought I’d say this but I’m hyped for a better volume control.”
What changes are coming to the Sonos app?
A new beta will be released this week, with significant changes to the interface. As Conrad put it: “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.”
The plan is to change all of that, and Conrad has highlighted three key areas: better tabbed navigation, a “totally new” volume interface, and more control over how your players are listed and displayed.
He also promises “dozens of smaller quality-of-life fixes everywhere” including swipe to delete in playlists, new views on iPad, and a refresh to the Now Playing screen.
The main interface will be divided into…
