Sonos Ace app for iOS: Headphone setup only with precise location sharing

People who are very concerned about their privacy will have to think twice about buying Sonos' first headphones, which were released last summer: the manufacturer requires users of its official iOS app to share their precise location – for rather flimsy reasons. Worse still, if you would rather not do this, you are excluded from the application for the headphones, which is highly controversial anyway. So you can neither set up the headphones with additional settings nor update the devices to a new firmware.

Surprise during setup

Overall, as the test by c't also showed, the Ace headphones from Sonos make a decent impression. The look and feel are good, albeit slightly reminiscent of Apple's AirPods Max, and the sound is excellent. The active noise suppression also comes close to the competition. There is also nothing missing from the usual technology: there is a transparency mode, an integrated EQ and spatial audio support. If you're already part of the Sonos ecosystem, you can also get soundbar sound from the TV directly to the speakers via Wi-Fi. At most, the price is a little hefty at 500 euros, but on a par with the AirPods Max. The devices are also available in stores (starting from 299 €) for significantly less.

When you connect the Ace to an iPhone for the first time, you are prompted to download the official app. This then requires a few approvals the first time you start it. It is clear that the app requires Bluetooth access – is used to communicate with the Ace. The release for the internal network is necessary to realize the mentioned soundbar transfer function, but it is not mandatory for the app use, you can simply omit it if you do not want or need it. Precise location sharing, on the other hand, is mandatory: if you do not allow it, you will be stuck in the setup – or, if you switch it off later via the iOS settings –, in the app itself. The window can only be closed once the precise location has been approved.

Weather and non-existent assistance

"Sonos requires access to the exact location for setup. Tap on "Location" and "When using the app" in the iOS settings and then return to the Sonos app," it says succinctly. In a callable explanation box, it goes on to say that the location is used "to find and connect Sonos products nearby and to check what the weather will be like with Sonos Voice Control". Why Sonos products cannot be recognized via Bluetooth and/or WLAN alone – and how "Sonos Voice Control", a kind of "Hey Siri" or "Hey Google", is supposed to work at all without other Sonos devices – is not revealed by the manufacturer.

Nevertheless, during our experiments, it was possible to deactivate location sharing at a later date and still use the app. However, this did not work all the time; apparently the program seems to regularly check whether it is still allowed to track the user. If you want to use the Ace without telling Sonos your home address or your routes through the city. You have to set it up at a different location and regularly play around with location sharing in the hope that the app won't go on strike meanwhile. In normal operation, the app is actually no longer needed, but changes to the user interface or EQ and loudness settings are only possible with it. Another question is whether the company can also do other things with the data – such as use it for advertising purposes or sell it on, as marketing companies do. We have asked Sonos why the requirement for precise location sharing has been implemented and will publish the answer as an update to this article as soon as it is available.

(bsc)