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Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

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Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#21
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* Shared playlist/queue between all users of a household. * No need to have a second device present to stream music. That is, I can start up music with the controller on my phone, and go to the store, but the music still plays since all the streaming is handled by the sonos speaker. * No need to pair your phone/computer to the device every time you come home. Just get on the wifi, and you're set. Those are the big on…

Why would you need to play music at home while you're going to a store? Also, activating Bluetooth is as frictionless as activating WiFi.

Because you aren't the only one enjoying the music at your home. The most annoying thing about being at a party where bluetooth audio is being used is when the person paired gets too far away from the speaker.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#24

Is there a use case for Sonos that good Bluetooth speakers don't address more simply?

You can setup a network of them so they can play the same thing throughout the house. Phones can usually only stream to one bluetooth speaker.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#25
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you need to play music at home while you're going to a store? Also, activating Bluetooth is as frictionless as activating WiFi.

Because you aren't the only one enjoying the music at your home. The most annoying thing about being at a party where bluetooth audio is being used is when the person paired gets too far away from the speaker.

Configure a tablet in guided / single app mode for music playback. Trivial stuff.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#26

It seems like nobody actually owns anything any more - that we're all just digital serfs living on someone else's land. I really don't know why anyone would willingly make such a deal.

It doesn't seem like a terrible deal (http://www.sonos.com/en-us/legal/privacy).

What part of the privacy policy do you specifically have an issue with?

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#27

Is there a use case for Sonos that good Bluetooth speakers don't address more simply?

If you are only interested in having one speaker, I would probably agree that bluetooth is the better choice. Much more flexibility. Sonos is better when you've got a whole house full of speakers. Grouping rooms together, playing different stuff in different rooms, and the ability for anyone on your network to interact with all of it is where Sonos shines.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#29
post #9

Sale of goods act (and similar consumer protection laws in so many countries around the world)?

That was my first thought as well. It's clearly not reasonable to assume a customer bought a product without any knowledge of arbitrary future changes in the legal terms but understood that the product could cease to provide the same functionality they bought it for later if they didn't accept those unrelated changes. This ought to be grounds for returning these devices to vendors as unfit for purpose and demanding that either they are fixed to continue working properly or some fair level of compensation is paid.

Also, since we're getting some new data protection laws across the EU next year that are heavily weighted against organisations that process data, someone who is upset by this could probably annoy Sonos by doing things like accepting the policy, getting whatever updates they need to keep their device running, and then immediately giving notice that they withdraw their consent for processing any personal data.

In the long term, I think consumer education may be the best solution to the problem of normal devices depending on fragile remote facilities. It is illegal to sell cigarettes in my country without showing very obvious warnings about how smoking is harmful to your health. Perhaps it's time that any software or electronic devices that rely on someone else's servers or remote hardware to function have to have 1/3 of their packaging (including 1/3 of the total screen area for any web pages or app purchase screens) used for a big statement that this may cause the software or device to stop functioning at any time, or to give an actionable guarantee about how long such support will be provided for as a minimum, and that any advertising for such things has to describe the "purchase" in terms of being a rental rather than buying something.

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