Sonos Unveils AI-Powered App, New Soundbar and Headphones

Sonos's latest announcements come after a turbulent period. In 2024, the company's app updates broke features like volume control and accessibility tools, angering almost all app users. This led to an apology from new leaders and a CEO change. Now, Sonos is doubling down on software and AI as it seeks to rebrand from a speaker company to an "audio operating system." The new app integrates generative AI via Sonos 27voice, which can take music requests based on mood, and Custom Agents that can trigger speakers at set times. The company also introduced new hardware, the Beam Ultra soundbar and Ace Ultra headphones, the latter of which can link with the speaker system via Wi-Fi.

However, the rollout is not without caveats. Sonos 27 will not work with older S1 app hardware, and the company has not detailed compatibility for each product. The AI features are opt-in, and Sonos says it is listening to customer feedback. It remains to be seen if this new approach will repair the damage from 2024, but Sonos is clearly betting on AI and a more holistic ecosystem to move forward.