Sonos S2 OS Set to Launch in June 2020

Today, Sonos is detailing the future of its multiroom home audio strategy, which revolves around a new app and operating system called Sonos S2 OS that will run on many current Sonos products and be the foundation for all of the company’s future devices – kind of a big deal.

Sonos S2 will be released in June of this year and will power “the next generation” of Sonos products and experiences. However, this advancement also represents the problem of older, legacy hardware that will be left behind and forgotten about when it comes to updates and receiving new features.

Switching to a new OS will result in ‘expanded capabilities,’ according to Sonos. Sonos S2 will allow for higher-resolution audio, whereas, right now, the company’s speakers are limited to CD-quality lossless audio. The revamped software underpinnings could let Sonos go hi-fi in the same way as Amazon’s Echo Studio. It could also finally result in Sonos adopting Dolby Atmos for home theater sound in the next Playbar, Playbase, or Beam which is definitely something to look out for.

Come June 8, when Sonos releases S2, it’ll rename the existing Sonos app. That “Sonos S1 Controller” will still give all the same functionality that you have today, and it’ll be compatible with any Sonos product released before the Arc, Five, and Sub (3rd Gen) arrive on June 10. The company says it’ll continue pushing out bugfixes and security patches as long as it can, though you won’t get any new features.

Those who have been with Sonos for the long-haul are going to find themselves in the trickiest situation with S2. The company’s earliest products are still going strong musically, but their compete hardware just isn’t up to running the new OS. The below chart/list shows you the current compatible and incompatible Products that Sonos offers:

Which products are compatible with the new S2 app? 

Which products are incompatible with the new S2 app?