Sonos Brings Tab Navigation, Speaker Sorting and More to Its App

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sonos has rolled out a fresh update to its mobile app, adding a handful of quality-of-life features that make navigating your multi-room audio setup a little easier.

The update introduces optional tab navigation — a new layout that lets users access the System, Search, and Home screens with a single tap at the bottom of the app. The tabs are opt-in: you can enable them by toggling the “Enable Improved Navigation” option in the app settings. For users juggling multiple rooms and speakers, this should make hopping between key sections faster and more intuitive.

Smarter Speaker Sorting

Inside the System tab, users will now see a full list of their Sonos speakers and headphones with new sorting options. You can arrange them alphabetically, by frequently used speakers, or by currently playing audio. There’s also the ability to pin specific speakers or rooms to the top of the list for quick access.

This feature is particularly useful for households with numerous Sonos devices spread across multiple rooms — rather than scrolling through a long flat list, you can prioritize the speakers you use most often.

iOS Gets a Visual Refresh

Sonos is also rolling out platform-specific improvements. On iOS, the volume interface has been redesigned with a dynamic slider that updates in real time. The Now Playing screen gets a visual upgrade too — background colors now dynamically shift to reflect the dominant hues from the album art of whatever you’re listening to.

Another handy touch: users can now swipe to delete items from their favorites list, making it quicker to clean up your saved content.

Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

As with most app updates, this release also bundles the usual collection of bug fixes and performance tweaks under the hood. While none of the changes are revolutionary on their own, they represent a steady stream of polish that makes the Sonos experience feel more refined.

The company is rolling out the update over the next couple of weeks, so not all users will see it immediately. If you don’t see the new options yet, they should arrive soon.

A Steady Recovery

The update arrives a little over two years after Sonos released a major app overhaul that was widely panned — a launch so problematic it ultimately led to a change in the company’s leadership. Since then, Sonos has been gradually restoring trust with iterative improvements. The app is in a much better place today, though it’s safe to assume engineers still hold their breath every time they hit the “deploy” button.

Home Audio on Know the Tech

Sonos Brings Tab Navigation, Speaker Sorting and More to Its App

Smarter Speaker Sorting

iOS Gets a Visual Refresh

Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

A Steady Recovery