Sonos CEO says legacy products will continue getting security patches and bug fixes

Earlier this week, Sonos made waves by announcing that its legacy products would stop getting support.

That obviously did not go over well for a lot of people. However, it turns out that it might not be as bad as it all sounded just one day ago. Or maybe the chief executive of the company wasn’t a fan of the feedback, and, as a result, has decided to change routes.

Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos, has just published a public statement on the matter, saying that legacy devices will no longer be getting the axe for future software updates. Sonos’s original plan was to stop software updates in May, but it turns out that will no longer be the case.

Starting off the message to those interested, Spence says the company “heard you”, and adds that “we did not get this right from the start”. Spence apologizes, and then adds, most importantly, that the legacy devices will “continue to work as they do today”. That includes the original Sonos Play:5, the Connect and Connect:Amp devices, and Zone Players that were manufactured between the years 2011 and 2015.

First, rest assured that come May, when we end new software updates for our legacy products, they will continue to work as they do today. We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away. Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honor that investment for as long as possible. While legacy Sonos products won’t get new software features, we pledge to keep them updated with bug fixes and security patches for as long as possible. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we’ll work to offer an alternative solution and let you know about any changes you’ll see in your experience.

Spence says the fears of having a household with both newer and legacy devices, and therefore a potential split in support, have been heard. As a result, Sonos says it’s trying to figure out how to “split your system”, so that they can coexist under the same roof. However, nothing is finalized just yet.

Secondly, we heard you on the issue of legacy products and modern products not being able to coexist in your home. We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state. We’re finalizing details on this plan and will share more in the coming weeks.

Basically, Sonos isn’t ending support for legacy devices just yet, and it sounds like the company is trying to figure out a way to make it all work nicely together.