Set up separate S1 and S2 Sonos systems
Some older Sonos products are not compatible with the latest Sonos app and require the use of the Sonos S1 Controller app. You can find a list of these products in our compatibility article.
If you have a combination of Sonos products that require different apps, you can use each set of products as its own separate system. This article provides information on using two separate systems and how to split your current system if necessary.
What to know before you split your system
What are the known limitations of running a split system?
Each Sonos system is separate from the other and controlled with a different app on your phone. Because of this, it’s not possible to group Sonos products from two different apps in order to play the same audio. Sonos products in the latest Sonos app will not show up in the S1 Controller app, and vice versa.
There are also considerations regarding voice assistants, direct control, and music services with stream limitations. You can read more in our article about known limitations of separate S1 and S2 systems.
Can I downgrade products so they work with the S1 Controller app?
Yes, some Sonos products will work with either the latest Sonos app or the S1 Controller app. In order to use these products with the S1 Controller app, they must go through the downgrade process using the latest Sonos app.
You can find a list of products that can work with either Sonos app in our compatibility article.
How to split Sonos products into a separate S1 system
These steps assume that you have a Sonos system running in the S1 Controller app that you’d like to upgrade. You’ll remove products that are incompatible with the latest Sonos app, update your compatible products, then set up a new, separate S1 system.
- Remove your incompatible Sonos products using the Product Removal Tool in the S1 Controller app.
- Once the incompatible products have been removed, you can follow the directions in our article on setting up a separate S1 system.
- Use the S1 Controller app to control your separate S1 system and use the latest Sonos app to control your updated products.