Sonos is preparing a significant refresh of its mobile app experience, introducing a series of interface and usability changes aimed at fixing long-standing friction points around volume control, system navigation, and content organization. A beta version will be available this week for users who want early access.
In a post shared on Reddit, Sonos CEO Tom Conrad said the team spent “hundreds of hours watching real customers use the Sonos app,” identifying recurring pain points—especially moments of confusion for new users and everyday frustrations like “trying to change the darn volume.”
The result is not a complete redesign, but a rethinking of how users move through the app. Conrad described the effort as less about building something new and more about reshaping how people navigate what already exists.
Early reactions have been largely positive, with one of the top Reddit comments reading: “Never thought I’d say this but I’m hyped for a better volume control.”
What’s changing in the Sonos app
The upcoming beta introduces a streamlined interface built around reducing complexity and eliminating the app’s more idiosyncratic design choices.
According to Conrad, much of the friction came from “proprietary patterns” that made the experience harder to learn than necessary—layers of content cards, hidden swipe gestures for switching speaker layouts, and custom UI elements that didn’t behave like standard iOS or Android apps.
To address this, the app is being reorganized into three primary tabs: Home, System, and Search. The new structure leans more heavily on native mobile design conventions, replacing much of the previous gesture-heavy navigation with clearer, more predictable controls.
Volume control, one of the most criticized aspects of the app, is also being rebuilt. The update introduces a more tactile main slider designed for precision adjustments, alongside simple tap-based buttons for incremental changes. It also adds a new mechanism for syncing volume across multiple rooms, aiming to make group playback less cumbersome.
The changes are not being forced on users immediately. Instead, they arrive as an optional beta feature that can be enabled manually through an “Enable Improved Navigation” toggle in settings. Even after the beta period, the redesign will remain opt-in while Sonos continues to gather feedback and refine the experience.
The beta program is open to users willing to test early builds, though Sonos cautions that instability and bugs are always possible with pre-release software.
The shift reflects a broader cultural reset inside the company under Tom Conrad, who took leadership in early 2025. In earlier comments, he acknowledged the fallout from past app issues, emphasizing the need to rebuild trust through execution rather than promises: “You just have to show up in people’s life with some humility and do the hard work of earning their trust back through great execution, great product, great software, great experiences, and never forget what you put people through.”
