Baltimore, Maryland (May 7, 2024):  The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the transformative membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans, today expresses deep disappointment concerning a recent redesign of the Sonos smartphone apps that has significantly degraded their accessibility to blind users. Blind people who have experienced a beta version of the new app are reporting that these changes significantly disrupt their ability to operate Sonos’ audio systems. 

“Many blind people, including me, have made significant investments in Sonos speakers and equipment, as has the National Federation of the Blind at our Baltimore headquarters,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “As paying customers, we have a right to expect equal access to all functions of these unique, high-quality audio products. While we are now hearing that remediation is planned, Sonos never should have released an app with significant accessibility regression in the first place, as it would never so degrade the user experience for sighted customers. Furthermore, remediation efforts will be meaningless unless it includes user testing by blind customers. If Sonos values us and is committed to accessibility as it claims, we urge the company to collaborate with the National Federation of the Blind as it implements its plan to bring the new app experience to the high accessibility standard of the S2 app that blind users have loved for years. Together, we can ensure that the new app’s full functionality remains accessible to everyone. We are ready to provide user experience feedback informed by the expertise of our Center for Excellence in Nonvisual Access and the lived experience of blind customers to help Sonos reinstate and enhance the accessibility of their products going forward.”