The latest Sonos app update just added a new option that could be the magic bullet you need to solve problems on ‘more complex home network setups’ – but consider it a last resort

Sonos’ new app update allows you to turn off SonosNet mesh networking
The feature may cause conflicts with “more complex” home networks
Available on iOS and Android, but not everyone gets it at the same time

Sonos has released an update to its app for both iOS and Android that may fix a strange network issue for some users. The update, which rolls out today, adds a toggle to SonosNet that allows you to turn the feature off.

According to Liz from Sonos, who posted details of the update to the r/sonos subreddit, turning off SonosNet can “help resolve connectivity issues on more complex home network setups.”

This is a relatively small update – the last one in mid-May delivered several changes, including additional grouping options for the music library, layout improvements in iOS and for US users, changes to advertising customization. But if you’ve been having strange Wi-Fi problems, this might be just what you’ve been waiting for.

What is SonosNet and why should you fear it?

Designed to connect your Sonos speakers to each other, SonosNet was created when home Wi-Fi wasn’t always up to the task of streaming smoothly to your Sonos equipment.

Sonos’ solution was to create a Sonos-specific private Wi-Fi mesh network (before mesh routers were common) that your speakers would share, with an Ethernet-wired Sonos unit acting as the hub for everything else.

That’s good, but as Liz from Sonos explains: “For most modern high-speed routers, disabling SonosNet can actually help things run more smoothly. Newer routers use Wi-Fi technology that can sometimes conflict with SonosNet’s mesh, so if you turn it off, your system can rely fully on your home network instead.”

Sonos has also added the ability to see what’s connected via SonosNet, which in turn can help diagnose speaker-specific quirks.

However, it is worth noting that this technology is turned on by default for a reason – this option may be it accurate what a lot of people need, but I wouldn’t try it until you’ve looked into other possible causes if you’re having problems with the Sonos connection.

The update is a rolling update, meaning not all devices will receive it at once — so even if the new software is live today, your app may not show the option yet.

When available to you, you can disable SonosNet in System Preferences > Network > Disable SonosNet. Of course, if you’re not experiencing network issues, there’s no need to do this – and if you haven’t already, it’s worth trying a different SonosNet channel first to see if that fixes your problem without having to take SonosNet offline.