After repeated backlash, Sonos is tossing Recycle Mode in the trash.
As first reported by The Verge, Sonos is eliminating the controversial part of its trade-up program, known as Recycle Mode, which made older devices unusable in exchange for a 30-percent discount on a new Sonos speaker or device.
To be clear, the trade-up program and the discount still exist, and customers who have legacy products can still use the program. The difference is it’s no longer a requirement to “brick” devices that would otherwise still work. Instead, customers will be able to choose what happens to their older gadgets should they decide to “trade up.” That includes keeping it, giving it to someone, recycling it at a local e-waste facility, or sending it to Sonos to allow the company to recycle it themselves.
Under the original Recycle Mode, when customers chose to participate in the 30-percent deal, their older speakers and devices would start an irreversible 21-day cycle, with the speaker losing all functionality at the end of the cycle. Despite Sonos saying this process was to ensure that customer data was being erased on these recycled products, the company faced heavy criticism over the policy.
These legacy Sonos products — which include the original
In January, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence apologized to Sonos customers who were frustrated at the announcement that their speakers would stop getting updates, and assured listeners that every
According to The Verge, a Sonos spokesperson confirmed that the plan to split customers’
Recycle Mode has been removed from Sonos’ mobile app, and is expected to leave the website in the coming weeks. The company is expected to provide more details in the next few weeks about how legacy and modern products will be able to work under the same roof.