Sonos has begun rolling out a mobile app update that reintroduces tabbed navigation to the bottom of the app, alongside speaker sorting options, a dynamic volume slider on iOS, and several interface refinements. The update is deploying gradually over a couple of weeks, according to Engadget.

The headline feature is the return of tab navigation. Sonos itself characterized the tabs as "reintroduced," confirming that a bottom-tab layout existed in earlier versions of the app before being removed in a prior redesign (Sonos Release Notes). The tabs are not enabled by default. Users must go into the Sonos app settings and toggle on "Enable Improved Navigation" to activate them (Engadget).

Once enabled, the tab bar provides single-tap access to three destinations at the bottom of the screen: the system view, search, and home. The tab buttons are designed as clear, visually distinct elements that indicate which tab is currently selected (Sonos Community). The system tab specifically surfaces a list of the user's speakers and headphones (Engadget).

Enabling tab navigation is also a prerequisite for accessing the new speaker sorting options. With tabs turned on, users can sort their speaker and room list alphabetically, by frequently used, or by currently playing. Additionally, users can pin specific speakers or rooms to the top of the list for quick access (Engadget; Sonos Support). The update also introduces new product orientation options for speakers and rooms, where "orientation" in the Sonos app refers to which room or group the app is currently connected to (Sonos Release Notes; Sonos Support).

On iOS, the update introduces a new volume interface built around a dynamic slider. The Dynamic Volume Slider is initially available on iOS only, with Android support listed as coming later (Sonos Community).

Several visual and interaction refinements round out the release. The Now Playing screen's background colors now dynamically reflect the album art of the currently playing content. Users can swipe to delete items from their favorites list. The update also includes unspecified bug fixes and performance improvements (Engadget).

Alongside the mobile app update, Sonos released accompanying player firmware and software updates for its hardware devices (Sonos Community).

The decision to reintroduce a navigation pattern that was previously removed carries an implicit acknowledgment that the earlier redesign's navigational model did not fully serve users who manage multi-room systems. For households with several speakers across multiple rooms, the ability to sort by frequently used or currently playing, and to pin specific rooms, directly addresses the friction of scrolling through an unsorted device list. Making tab navigation opt-in rather than default is a cautious deployment choice that lets Sonos gather feedback from self-selected users before a broader rollout, though whether the feature remains optional or eventually becomes the default has not been stated.

The staggered iOS-first delivery of the dynamic volume slider is consistent with platform-specific UI work that depends on different rendering and interaction APIs. Android users waiting for that feature will need to watch for a subsequent update.

For system integrators and users managing larger Sonos deployments, the practical impact is incremental but meaningful: faster navigation between system settings and playback, better device discoverability through sorting and pinning, and a more polished Now Playing experience. None of these changes alter the underlying Sonos architecture or networking stack. They are interface-layer improvements aimed at reducing daily friction.