Sonos will end support for older speakers in May and says products will continue to work in the near-term
- Sonos says it will stop updating older ‘legacy’ products in May
- Sonos Zone Players, the Connect and Connect:Amp are some affected products
- It’s encouraging customers to trade in their devices for a discount on new ones
- While old speakers will work for now, other updates might affect functionality
Sonos will cut off some of its oldest devices from receiving new software updates.
According to the company, In May it will stop updating ‘legacy’ speakers including all of its Sonos Zone Players, the Connect and Connect:Amp, first-generation Play:5, the CR200, and the Bridge.
‘Today the Sonos experience relies on an interconnected ecosystem, giving you access to more than 100 streaming services, voice assistants, and control options like Apple AirPlay 2,’ wrote the company in a blog post.
‘Without new software updates, access to services and overall functionality of your sound system will eventually be disrupted, particularly as partners evolve their technology.’
Sonos Play:5 (pictured above) will be among the models affected by the cut-off. Only original Play:5 speakers will stop receiving updates, however
Though Sonos says the speakers that are ceasing to receive support will continue to work in the interim, The Verge reports that problems, especially related to streaming music, could arise in the future.
Sonos tells The Verge that if Spotify were to change something in its platform requiring a readjustment from Sonos’ software, the speakers could eventually go dark.
Some of those products, the oldest of which was released in 2006, are no longer capable of receiving the companies newer and more advanced software updates according to Sonos.
As a result, customers will have two options going forward, says the company.
If customers intend on keeping their older products – which will continue working in the near-term – they will have to ‘quarantine’ their devices from the rest of their Sonos system.
This will ensure that other products they might own continue to receive updates while the older devices remain undisturbed.
Sonos says the speakers will continue to function in the near-term, but changes to streaming platforms could affect their viability in the future
Sonos warns that if users fail to quarantine their device, their whole system will not be able to receive updates since the company requires all devices in a system to run on the same software for compatibility’s sake.
The second option will be to swap their device through Sonos trade-up program.
Sonos offers customers who want to trade their products in a 30 percent credit, though it will automatically switch legacy devices that are owned by customers in its program into ‘recycle mode’ which effectively bricks the speaker.
The company encourages users to bring their old speakers to a certified e-recycling facility or it’s also offering to pay for customers to ship their products back to the company where it will dispose of them responsibly.
