Sonos

Sonos is a maufacturer of audio devices.

"Recycle mode"

In 2019, Sonos rendered formerly perfectly working devices into paperweights by disabling them altogether, just 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 brick 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 there is an open source project to recover devices that Sonos has put into "Recycle Mode" [4].

References

• [1] https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/unable-to-set-up-a-sonos-product-in-recycle-mode
• [2] https://www.engadget.com/2019-12-31-sonos-recycle-mode-explanation-falls-flat.html?guccounter=1
• [3] https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/5/21166777/sonos-ending-recycle-mode-trade-up-program-sustainability
• [4] https://github.com/dbmaxpayne/Sonos-DSP