Founded in 2002, Sonos is an American company that specializes in audio devices, including wireless speakers, home theater systems, and headphones.

Sonos
Basic information
Founded 2002
Type {{{Type}}}
Industry Audio Equipment
Official website https://sonos.com

"Recycle mode"

In 2019, Sonos rendered formerly perfectly working devices, such as Connect, Connect:Amp, ZP90, ZP80, ZP100, ZP120, and Play:5 (Gen 1) into paperweights by disabling them altogether because those devices were no longer receiving software updates. Customers were offered a 30 percent discount on a new Sonos device if they accepted Sonos to intentionally remotely bricking their existing device. Once a device is in Sonos' "Recycle Mode," it can no longer be used.[1][2] Sonos later ended this highly controversial and environmentally unfriendly program, but the damage was already done to otherwise still working hardware.[3]

However, since 2023, an open source project was created to recover devices that Sonos had put into "Recycle Mode."[4]

References