Sonos has just sent its latest software update live for Android, bringing us round to version 5.3.
It’s not technically the full release – it’s beta, currently – but it’s available for Android users to download nonetheless.
Sonos told us that an update for iOS would be available ‘in the coming months’, along with a full release for Android too.
So what’s new in the latest version of Sonos’ multi-room audio software? First up is a long awaited change – improvements to the tablet app.
A long-lived criticism of the Sonos controller app was that the tablet version felt a bit unloved, but that all changes in 5.3.
There are new dedicated screens for what music is currently playing on the tablet version, as well as a screen for music discovery, both of which should make toggling feel more intuitive.
Aside from tablets, Sonos says it’s also made it much faster and easier to manage different audio zones across your home. This is thanks to a ‘more accessible’ rooms menu, which you can now access by tapping the top of the screen in the app.
You can also swipe left and right to switch between screens now too, as well as swiping up to get to the ‘what’s playing’ tab.
Related: Sonos Play:1 review
There are some audio-specific enhancements too – namely a track progression bar (for on-the-fly rewinds), as well as a return to the info button for shuffle mode and crossfade.
This is all part of Sonos’ effort to make it plenty easy for you to create your dream audio environment across an entire household.
You can download the beta software through the Sonos website from today.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
