Sonos will delay two major product releases that were originally planned later this year in order to focus on improving the quality of its app, according to the company's CEO.
Speaking on his third quarter earnings call, Sonos chief Patrick Spence told investors that it was "deeply disappointing for me personally" for the company to be on track for the first three quarters of the year, only to revise its expectations for the fourth quarter due to "challenges with our new app."
Sonos in May released its redesigned app with customizable home screen and a more personalized listening service, but Sonos customers quickly found that the app lacked several key features, and suffered from multiple bugs. Complaints across social media called the app a "step back" for removing playlist management, alarms, and other features.
As a result of the app problems, the Sonos chief said two major product releases – one of which was likely to be the successor to Sonos' flagship Arc soundbar, according to The Verge – would now be delayed to focus on improving the company's software.
Spence told investors:
"The app situation has become a headwind to existing product sales, and we believe our focus needs to be addressing the app ahead of everything else," said Spence. "This means delaying the two major new product releases we had planned for Q4 until our app experience meets the level of quality that we, our customers and our partners expect from Sonos. While this has the painful effect of reducing our Q4 sales expectations, we believe it will set our future products up for greater success over the medium to long term."
Spence reiterated an outline of future feature plans that he previously laid out in an apology to users last month, with Sonos planning to push updates on a bi-weekly basis. Among the scheduled plans, alarms are set to be addressed in September, while edit mode for playlists and a queue will come in September or October.
Spence said that Sonos is working hard to earn back customer trust through the continual app improvements. "I want to reiterate again that the entire team and I are committed to making this right with our customers and partners," he added. "It's my #1 focus, and I will not rest until we're in a position where we've addressed these issues and have customers raving about Sonos again."
