Sonos outlines plan to repair reputation after release of disastrously buggy app

Sonos is facing a major crisis caused by a failed update to its app. However, the company does not intend to give up and is developing a plan to restore its reputation and user trust. The company’s CEO, Patrick Spence, presented a strategy to correct the situation, including analysis of internal problems and improved interaction with customers.

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Let’s remember that in May Sonos released an application for its speakers, which met with a barrage of criticism due to numerous errors, missing functions and deterioration of existing capabilities. The main problems were related to local library support, violation of the order of actions, and some functions were not available at all. Spence has gone on record admitting that he rushed the update without realizing the extent of the problems.

Application errors led to serious consequences for company employees, TheVerge notes. So, in August, Sonos made cuts, firing 100 people, including specialists in software quality and marketing. Among those fired were employees who actively tried to convey to management that the application was not ready for updating and should not be released.

Image source: Sonos

Now Sonos is going to focus on more thoroughly testing new features, both hardware and software. More types of user accounts will be included for beta testing and extended beta testing periods to ensure that bugs are identified and resolved in a timely manner before the product goes to market.

As part of the new plan, Sonos management decided to introduce additional incentives to improve product quality. For example, the company’s top managers will not be able to receive annual bonuses until they can restore customer trust and improve the quality of the application. In addition, warranties on select products will be extended by one year. This applies to home theater devices and desktop speakers, but does not apply to portable models such as the Sonos Move, Move 2, Roam and Roam 2.

One of the key changes will be the gradual implementation of application updates. As opposed to automatic updates as was the case in May, important changes will now be introduced gradually, allowing users to adapt and provide feedback before the innovations are accepted as valid. For less significant functions, the possibility of voluntary participation in testing new features will be introduced through a special option.

Sonos also promised to increase transparency within the company. For this purpose, the position of a quality ombudsman will be created, who will monitor compliance with standards and promptly raise issues related to the quality of software and hardware products. This individual will report regularly to management and report to the board of directors twice a year.

The company’s CEO is Patrick Spence. Image source: Sonos

The company plans to resume releasing new hardware in the coming weeks, starting with the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4. The Arc Ultra will be the first product to feature breakthrough audio technology developed by startup Mayht, which Sonos acquired in 2022.