Possible workaround / observation: Older Sonos S2 app 16.1 still works after current forced update
I may have stumbled into a useful Sonos workaround and wanted to share what I found.
Like many others, I was hit with the newer Sonos app requiring an update before I could use the system. On my Android phone, the app presented the familiar hard stop:
> “Update required. In order to use this system, you need to update it.”
The only real options were: Enable auto update or Update once. No skip, no continue, no “I enjoy my system functioning as-is” button.
I selected **Update once** from the Android phone earlier today, which appears to have updated the Sonos system/speakers. After that, I deleted the Sonos app from the Android device.
Here is where it gets interesting.
I found an old iPhone X running iOS 15.5 with the older Sonos S2 app version 16.1 already installed. I had all automatic updates already turned off as my standard default settings for all devices.
* iOS automatic updates: off
* App Store automatic updates: off
* Sonos app updates: off
* Background App Refresh: off
* Cellular: off
* Android Sonos app: deleted
When I opened the older Sonos S2 app on the iPhone X, it displayed a banner saying:
> “The OS on this device is no longer supported”
However, the app still worked.
Current confirmed setup:
* Controller: iPhone X
* iOS: 15.5
* Sonos app: S2 version 16.1
* Sonos app build: 78151030
* Not signed into a Sonos account on that phone
* System is still detected and controllable
After the Android “Update once” event, the Sonos system now shows mixed device firmware versions:
* Sonos Arc: version 18.3 / build 94176070
* Play:5 surrounds: version 17.2.4 / build 86675110
* Sub: version 17.2.4 / build 86675110
Despite the mixed versions, everything shows as connected and functional.
What still works from the older S2 app 16.1:
* System discovery
* Settings access
* Room/system control
* Volume control
* Arc/Sub/surround visibility
* Kodi music server detection with zero configuration
* Sonos Radio playback
* No sign-in required
The Kodi server detection was especially interesting because the older app immediately found it with no setup gymnastics. Sonos Radio also plays, which suggests the old S2 app is not limited to purely local LAN control. It can still interact with at least some Sonos online service functionality.
My takeaway:
The older S2 app may be unsupported, and I understand it may not be a universal fix for everyone, but in my case, **Sonos S2 app 16.1 still works with an updated S2 system**.
That seems to complicate the idea that the old S2 app is simply technically unusable because speaker software and cloud systems have changed. A more accurate explanation may be that Sonos does not want to support two app paths, not that the old app is completely incapable of working.
For now, I am treating the iPhone X as a dedicated Sonos controller and avoiding any further app/iOS updates.
In short:
Sonos app 16.1 acts like a remote control.
The newer app feels like it wants to hold a committee meeting before changing the volume.