(UPDATE: The app has returned to the app store and the Sonos status page shows all services are running.)
The Sonos app is currently unavailable to download and install from both the iOS and Mac App Stores, due to a mysterious problem with the app that the smart speaker manufacturer is investigating.
The app disappeared from the stores early Friday morning, and clicking the app’s URL link currently displays the message: “The page you’re looking for can’t be found.” Meanwhile, a manual search in the App Store returns no results for the app.
A red banner across the Sonos status page reads: “We have identified a problem with the Sonos App availability in the iOS / Mac App Stores and are working on a solution. You may experience issues downloading or updating the Sonos app from the App Store until this issue is resolved.” The same page shows that there is a major outage of “Sonos Account,” indicating that the problems may be related.
In a February Bloomberg reported that said Sonos was preparing a major update that would aim to simplify navigation and introduce iPhone Lock Screen controls using Live Activities. The changes were to be rolled out “in the coming months.”
The company has been trying to rebuild consumer confidence after the company’s troubled May 2024 app redesign.
The revamped app was intended to modernize the application and add support for the company’s first headphones, the Sonos Ace.
The app’s release was spoiled due to widespread technical issues and the loss of several popular features, including alarms, sleep times, and more. Users also reported issues with the app, including connectivity problems, interface confusion, and lag. Some users reported that their Sonos system had been rendered unusable.
The company’s revenue subsequently declined by 16% in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024, and Sonos’s stock price fell approximately 13% following the app update’s release.
This led to Sonos CEO Patrick Spence resigning after eight years at the top. Spence had received widespread criticism over the company’s failed 2024 app redesign.
In October 2024, Spence issued a public video apology, saying that the company is going to fix its app problems, while also building a better Sonos experience. Unfortunately, the damage to the company’s reputation proved difficult to repair.
In September 2024, we reported that while developing the app, Sonos made some cost cutting measures, which included laying off some employees, which also led to internal restructuring, which the report says “caused chaos,” as it split up teams that had worked together for years. As the app’s launch deadline neared, employees are said to have “forcefully” urged company executives to delay the app’s launch because it was far from being ready for prime time.
Former Sonos employees claimed that instead of ensuring that equipment owned by longtime Sonos customers continued to work properly, the company instead focuses on keeping investors happy and attracting new customers. Many employees were afraid to push back harder, due to fears that they would be terminated.
We’ll update this story as soon as we learn more.
