Sonos Ace headphones get much-needed improvements thanks to huge app update

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

It’s no secret that we found the Sonos Ace headphones a frustrating release from Sonos for a number of reasons, not least because it felt like – even after years in the making – that they’d been rushed out before they were really ready.

Now, a new app update takes them one step closer to the product Sonos had likely intended them to be in the first place, by making its TV Audio Swap feature all the more useful.

In case you aren’t familiar, the TV Audio Swap feature routes the sound from your Sonos soundbar to the Sonos Ace for private listening. At launch, it only worked with the brand’s most expensive soundbar – the Sonos Arc – but this new update adds in support for the Sonos Ray and the Sonos Beam too, reports Digital Trends.

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Android users are in luck as well, as the new update brings the TV audio swap feature to Android devices as well as iOS, which was a huge omission at launch.

This all comes as part of a wider focus on improving the redesigned Sonos app, which has been plagued by bugs and complaints from users since it launched earlier this year. CEO Patrick Spence finally apologised for the "disappointing" issues last month and promised updates were coming, so this is probably the first of a few planned to get it back on track.

Other improvements that this update promises include reduced latency for group volume controls, group volume controls on the now-playing screen, improved performance in large queues, the ability to easily clear the queue and mute controls for individual speakers.

Speech enhancement and night mode settings are also now reportedly more reliable.

This chunky update comes a day before Sonos is set to announce its second-quarter 2024 earnings, which should give an idea as to how the Sonos Ace have been received by the public.

To access the new app features, users will need to update their Sonos app and ensure their Sonos system is on the latest firmware – we will be sure to do this too, to check all the improvements are there and then update our review accordingly.

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Verity is a freelance technology journalist and former Multimedia Editor at What Hi-Fi?.

Having chalked up more than 15 years in the industry, she has covered the highs and lows across the breadth of consumer tech, sometimes travelling to the other side of the world to do so. With a specialism in audio and TV, however, it means she's managed to spend a lot of time watching films and listening to music in the name of "work".

You'll occasionally catch her on BBC Radio commenting on the latest tech news stories, and always find her in the living room, tweaking terrible TV settings at parties.