It’s been a rough few months for Sonos, so much so that CEO Patrick Spence now has a preset automated reply for customers who email him to express dissatisfaction with the redesigned app. But as the company works to turn things around, restore trust and get the new Sonos Ace headphones off to a strong start, it’s found itself mired in yet another controversy.
As repair technician and consumer privacy advocate Louis Rossmann highlights, Sonos made a significant change to its privacy policy (at least in the United States) by removing a key line. The updated policy no longer includes the previous statement that “Sonos does not and will not sell personal information about our customers.” That commitment persists in other countries but is nowhere to be found in the latest U.S. policy that took effect earlier this month.
Now, some customers are already annoyed by the shaky performance of the new Sonos app and are complaining about what they see as another poor decision by company leadership. To them, it’s one more unforced misstep from a brand they once recommended without hesitation.
The following is the relevant portion of the “How We Share Personal Information” section of the 2023 Privacy Policy:
Sonos does not and will not sell personal information about our customers. However, certain data practices described in this Privacy Statement may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of data under the laws of California and/or other U.S. states. Please see the California Addendum below for additional information applicable to California residents. We want you to understand that information about our customers is an important part of our business. We will only disclose your information as described in this statement.
Certain data practices described in this Privacy Statement may constitute the “sale” or “sharing” of data under California and/or other U.S. state law. Please see the California Addendum below for additional information applicable to California residents. We want you to understand that information about our customers is an important part of our business. We will only disclose your information as described in this statement.
edge Sonos has been contacted for clarification on what this change means and whether the company will now handle customer data differently than before. As part of its redesigned app platform, Sonos is rolling out web-based access to all customer systems, giving the cloud a greater role in the company’s architecture. Unfortunately, the web app currently lacks any kind of two-factor authentication, which also annoys users. All you need is an email address and password to control your Sonos devices remotely.
Things are gradually improving with the app—alarms and sleep timers have recently been restored—but after a top-down software overhaul, contacting Sonos customer support still takes a very, very long time.
