Sonos S2 compatible products
Sonos S2 compatible products
This post explains which Sonos products are S2 compatible, which are not, and which require S2. The information is mainly based on the official Sonos information regarding the Sonos S2 compatible products found here. I have added some notes and made a contact sheet of Sonos products not compatible with S2.
Sonos S2 app
Sonos S2 is a new app and operating system (OS) that powers the next generation of products and experiences. In addition to new features, usability updates, and more personalization moving forward, Sonos S2 enables higher resolution audio technologies (if this is the case for Spotify is not clear) for music and home theater.
Most of Sonos products are compatible with S2 (not the oldest ones like Play:5 Gen 1). If all of your products are compatible, you can download the app and get started when it’s available in June 2020.
Some of the older Sonos products (previously referred to as “legacy” products) will not support the advances of S2 due to memory and processing power. If you own any of these products, you can according to Sonos continue to use your system as you do today (at least for now).
S2 compatible products list:
- Play:1
- Play:3
- Play:5 (Gen 2)
- Playbase
- Playbar
- Connect (Gen 2)
- Connect:Amp (Gen 2)
- One (Gen 1)
- One (Gen 2)
- One SL
- Beam
- Amp
- Port
- Boost
- Symfonisk
- Move
- Sub (Gen 1)
- Sub (Gen 2)
- Sub (Gen 3)*
- Arc*
- Five*
* Sonos S2 required
Sonos Products not S2 compatible
- Zone Players
- CR200
- Bridge
- Connect (Gen 1)
- Connect:Amp (Gen 1)
- Play:5 (Gen 1)
This post will be updated when any new information and changes is available regarding Sonos S2 compatible products.
Why I don’t agree with the S2 OS not being compatible with legacy speakers
In principle, I do not agree with not supporting older products like Sonos Play:5 Gen 1 in S2. My preference would have been to allow controlling all speakers with a single app, even if that means the OS needs to be adapted to work with all the speakers. Just like a USB hard drive that is > 15 years old still works in Windows 10.
I don’t mind so much not having new features in legacy speakers, but at least allow using a single app and seeing all the speakers and grouping them, for audio. Making the OS requiring so much memory and processing power that older speakers no longer work, I think is not customer friendly.
This I think means that in some years, there could be an “S3” OS that makes Play 5: Gen2, Playbar and more speakers becoming “legacy” and no longer work to upgrade to S3 and would require using a separate S2 app. So then, there would be 3 apps needed, S1, S2, and S3. And my worry is that the S1 app may eventually be removed from Apple Store and/or no longer be available.
A speaker is not a laptop, it needs to be compatible with future OS upgrades. Even if that requires more work for Sonos to make it work, at least for sharing the audio and grouping all speakers in a home, even if some will not have the latest features, they still should be able to play music.
Worst of all, is that if you upgrade compatible speakers to S2 (even by mistake), there is no way to reverse this! That is not acceptable in my view. There is no reason why this should not be made reversible. It then forces using two apps and makes keeping the current system you have set up not working anymore as a S1 setup. I think a lot of people will be unhappy about this. If it is possible to downgrade to S1, then it would be more acceptable to have an S2 OS that does not support legacy speakers.
Sonos S1 vs S2 FAQ
This short list of S1 vs S2 FAQ is based on the official information from Sonos available here.
Do I have to update to S2?
No. If you have products that are incompatible with S2 and would like to keep your system as is, you can. The app you are now using will be renamed the Sonos S1 Controller, and it will continue working with your existing products, music services, and voice services. When prompted to update in the app, simply confirm that you would like to continue with your current experience. If all of your products are compatible with S2, however, we recommend you update so you can enjoy the new software features.
If I continue using the S1 Controller app, what does that mean for my future experience?
You can continue listening with your system as you do today. Your system will receive bug fixes and security patches, but it will not receive any of the new software features found in S2. We will work with our partners to keep your music and voice services working with our oldest products for as long as we can given their memory and processing power limitations. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we will let you know.
Is Sonos ending support for older products?
No. You can still use older products with the S1 Controller app. The S1 Controller app will receive bug fixes and security patches, but it will not receive future software features.
Are any products incompatible with the S1 Controller app?
Products released after May 2020, such as the Sonos Arc, Five, and Sub (Gen 3), will not be compatible with the S1 Controller app. Product compatibility will be noted on sonos.com.
Will new colors and limited-edition versions of current products be compatible with the S1 Controller app?
New colors and finishes of existing products will be compatible with the S1 Controller app. Product compatibility will be noted on sonos.com.
What if some products in my system are S2 compatible and some are not?
You can continue using the S1 Controller app to control your system. You also have the option to create two separate systems: one with products that are S2 compatible and one with products that are not. You can also upgrade incompatible products. Learn more here.
What are my options for upgrading to S2 compatible products?
If you have products that are not compatible with the S2 app, you have the ongoing option to upgrade through our Trade Up program and save 30% on a new compatible product. Learn more here.
How do I get the new app?
You will receive a notification that the new app is available. You can simply click to download it. All of your settings and preferences will update automatically.
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