joe quinnMay 4, 2024
Jonathan Mosen
It appears Sonos is about to become less useable by screen reader users. The CEO should stop it now, but here’s how to protect your investment if he doesn’t
https://mosen.org/sonos2024/
Sonos has broken accessibility for its blind users. Now they must repair the app and repair trust

Revision History 3 June, updated progress on accessibility  improvements, and commented on the BBC radio 4 In Touch interview. 15 May, added a section covering recent developments including the AMA…

Mosen At Large
May 4, 2024 at 4:16amWeb
Show threadLynetteMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen I am heartbroken and angry that this is happening. Is there anyone at Sonos I can contact about this issue? Also, thank you for the instructions for turning off auto updates for the Sonos firmware. I have had iOS app auto updates turned off for a long time. One thing to consider is will the Sonos app update itself during an iOS upgrade? I'm thinking this is quite possible, so I may have to stop updating over the air for the foreseeable future.
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 4, 2024
@Lynessence An iOS upgrade should be fine, but an upgrade to a new iPhone will definitely update it, which is nuts. I have been talking to someone from Sonos called Keith on Reddit, but while helpful, I think he’s more of a coms guy. Hopefully I will make contact with someone influential soon and I can pass it on.
Show threadjoe quinnMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen @Lynessence I hope me getting new Sonos devices wouldn’t force me to update… I really wanted an arc as you well know…
Show threadMarco ZeheMay 4, 2024

@JonathanMosen Wow, what an absolute disaster! And I thought in 2024, we finally would be past such grand fuckups! Excuse the language… But there is no other word that can describe how I feel about this. We have 12 Sonos devices in our household as well, and many of them are already the second generation devices, after the first gen we bought ten years ago started breaking down or no longer receiving updates.

As for Sonos’s commitment to accessibility: This was definitely true for the iOS and Android apps in the past, but never for the Mac app. The Mac app is the same rubbish that I downloaded ten years ago, and my reports on the easy to fix labeling problems totally went unheard. So while it is appalling, this newest round of accessibility fuckup doesn’t totally come as a surprise.

Show threadvictor tsaranMay 4, 2024
@Marco @JonathanMosen And I was hoping… I know there is no such thing as “commitment to accessibility”, especially for such a small company, but I was at least hoping for “attention to accessibility” and a bit of sentiment! :)
Show threadDavid HarveyMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen Does this breach our Com Com laws given the system as a whole would not be fit for purpose under CGA?
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 4, 2024
@DHarvey Possibly, but I'm not sure what sanctions they can impose.
Show threadDerry LawlorMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen Hi Jonathan thanks for this Blog I have taken your suggestions on board, do not want to lose the use of my Snos speakers.
Show threadDale ReardonMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen Do you know if the Windows PC software to control your system is also being altered in a similar way?
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 4, 2024
@dalereardon I think the intention is to phase it out in favour of the web app.
Show threadDale ReardonMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen So it will just buy us a little time then. We may have to support our US friends to bring a DDA action if Sonos really ruins accessibility as it currently seems the case
Show threadNick Giannak IIIMay 4, 2024

@JonathanMosen Hey. So I have a thought on future strategy.

Is your access to the research team by some means like email or other longform communication?

Show threadJonathan MosenMay 4, 2024
@nick I don’t have any yet, no one has contacted me, there’s only the promise of contact.
Show threadNick Giannak IIIMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen Ah, gotcha. Sorry for the misread.
Show threadRobin Kipp (old account)May 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen Thanks for the blog post. I’m also a loyal Sonos customer of over 10 years and this is absolutely shocking and disappointing, especially since I personally have had really positive experiences reporting accessibility issues to Sonos and seeing them get fixed within reasonable time. Would it be possible to link the Reddit thread in the blog post? I’ve already reached out to Sonos engineers who I’ve been in contact with in the past regarding this with no response so far, I’d like to send them this post as well but think it might help if it linked to the Reddit conversation.
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 4, 2024
@robin_kipp Unfortunately the only public statement on Reddit I’ve seen from Sonos was the standard “basic accessibility” response. After that, things moved to DM.
Show threadjoe quinnMay 4, 2024
@JonathanMosen @JamminJerry Post this thing far and wide… I love my Sonos devices and want more!
Show threadKevanMay 4, 2024
Reply to last boost: That's why I don't like devices that rely on apps which change their layout. Often times "new layout" means screen reader challenges.
Show threadChris DanielsenMay 5, 2024
@JonathanMosen This is disappointing, but in retrospect, I should’ve known it was coming. It was not a big deal, but the Sonos radio app for the web has been inaccessible for a while, or at least it was the last time I tested it. This is only a problem if you use Sonos is dedicated radio service at all, which you don’t have to, and only if you want those stations on devices other than your Sonos speakers. But it’s a hot mess.
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 5, 2024
@BaltimoreChris interesting, I’ve not looked at that. But I suspect this new app is highly HTML-based so the bad practices will have carried over.
Show threadChris DanielsenMay 5, 2024
@JonathanMosen We’ll see what happens in the next little while, but this whole situation may be a candidate for an Nfb resolution.
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 5, 2024
@BaltimoreChris absolutely!
Show threadK. StanleyMay 8, 2024
@JonathanMosen Thank you for the very useful information as always. Nowhere's what I am considering, I do not have automatic uidates turned for anything unless there is absolutely ne choice, so I'm safe there, but ... I have the Sonos app on both my iPad and my phone, however I rearely use it on my phone and primarily control my system from the ipad. (1/2)
Show threadK. StanleyMay 8, 2024
If I update the app on my phone so I can take a look at it possibly even on an older ipad that I have tucked away, would that force me to update the speakers and make it no longer possible to control them from the old app on my main ipad? I wouldn't mind having a look at this new mess but I don't want to loose control of my system. (2/2)
Show threadJonathan MosenMay 8, 2024
@kgs49 If you have automatic updates off on both devices, there shouldn’t be a problem with that