Sonos Issues Beta Update for Android Devices to Address Problems in Latest Software

Sonos applied fixes to its software in an update that corrects problems caused by a new app launch last spring, the company said Tuesday in a blog post. Android users could try a beta version of the new software in update 5.3 beginning Tuesday, and a full fix will be available for Android and iOS users in the coming months, the company said. The update addresses changes to the software last spring that “made some things worse,” said the post, including a change that made it more difficult to move music between rooms and the removal of features from the previous app such as a track progression bar. The new software also didn’t make good use of a tablet's screen size in the tablet app, Sonos said. Tuesday’s update, “intended to make things better,” offers a faster way to manage the Sonos rooms in a home with a more accessible rooms menu that’s available to users by tapping the top of any screen in the Sonos app, the company said. The new tablet app has dedicated screens for what’s playing and music discovery on iOS and Android tablets that make toggling between screens “more intuitive,” it said. Using a swipe down motion in the new software, users can quickly switch between screens on their phones and then swipe left to right to show music sources, Sonos said. A cross-fade feature allows users to blend tracks within the info menu, it said, and the track progression bar is back on the now-playing screen allowing users to access a particular point in a song with a drag motion.