Sonos Lawsuit Claims Company Failed to Warn Users About Connectivity Issues, Glitches Caused by App Update

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Sonos faces a proposed class action lawsuit that claims the wireless audio system giant rushed the release of its redesigned app despite knowing the update suffered from several “bugs” and lacked numerous key features included in prior versions.

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The 74-page Sonos lawsuit says that on May 7, 2024, the company released a redesigned app touted as a “faster, better, and smoother experience” than previous versions used by consumers to control their smart speakers, amplifiers and other connected Sonos devices. However, the suit alleges that Sonos rolled out the update without fixing known issues or warning users that it would significantly reduce device performance and strip back features they had relied on in prior versions.

“To date, over a year after its release, the App Redesign still does not have all of the features that were included in previous App versions, and users continue to experience significant performance problems,” the case says.

As the complaint tells it, Sonos encouraged consumers to update the app for compatibility purposes. In some cases, users were forced to download it when their device’s firmware automatically updated and they could no longer use their product without the new version of the app, the filing shares.

After installing the redesigned app, Sonos consumers found it was plagued by numerous glitches, the lawsuit says. For example, the app was prone to crashing, lagging or triggering unexpected audio playback, and frequently lost connection to user devices, the suit claims.

In addition, the new update lacked certain functions that had existed in previous versions, including an “alarm” feature that allowed a user to schedule music to play at a specific time, the case relays. Sonos did not inform consumers that this and other functions would be missing when the update was rolled out, the complaint asserts.

The filing alleges that Sonos misrepresented the redesigned app and failed to disclose material information about the effect it would have on the quality of performance and customer experience.

Users would not have installed the Sonos app update had they known it would substantially degrade device performance and cause the loss of previous features, the lawsuit argues.

“Sonos did not warn users about these performance problems and thus deprived them of the ability to make an informed decision about whether to download the App Redesign despite these many flaws,” the suit charges. “Despite [Sonos’] promises that it would promptly fix the App, performance problems caused by the App Redesign continue to plague users to this day.”

Per the lawsuit, the updated, problematic Sonos app was rushed to market to “avoid delaying the launch of [Sonos’] first headphone product,” which investors were told would be a “blockbuster product.” In the wake of the Sonos app “debacle,” hundreds of employees were fired, and Sonos’ CEO, CCO, CPO and CMO stepped down, the lawsuit shares.

The lawsuit looks to represent all purchasers, owners, users or lessees of any Sonos device in the United States whose Sonos app was running any version of the app redesign.

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