Alternative to Bang & Olufsen app

[andy_js]

Some time ago I successfully reverse engineered the protocol that the B&O app uses to communicate with products, and have been toying with the idea of releasing my own app.  In the time since then the official app seems to have gone through 2 major rewrites, and it is probably as good as it has ever been. However, I think it has got the basic idea of how products should be interacted with backwards, and if I were to show my ideas for how things should be done, they would be copied (if not by B&O themselves, by some other enterprising coder) fairly quickly; this is why I am reluctant to go in to much detail.

The app that I envision would make multi-room more central to the experience, and provide access to sources in more unified way.  This would reduce the steps needed to get music (or other media) playing on one or more devices, as well improve visibility into what is going on inside your home at any particular time.  I believe that if this is done right it will elevate older products instead of having them being treated as an afterthought, which seems to be the case with some of the early NL devices, such as the NL/ML converter.  I also think there is room to add integration for some third-party products so they may be used as sources, as well as possibly absorb some of the functionality of the Beolink app.

The reason I’m making this post is to get a sense for whether folks here would be interested in such an app and whether they might consider paying for it.  Folks regularly post feedback in response to updates to the official app on this forum and I think it’s unlikely that anyone at B&O is taking any notice.  I can assure you that I would, especially if you were paying for the privilege.

[Mbee]

Why not… maybe release a limited app (time or functions) with a one time (9,99€) payment to unlock everything.
I hate subscription apps, would not try if it’s subscription based.

[Stan]

If it offered value above the beoapp, I’d have no problem paying for it.  However, I don’t think the beoapp is so terrible.

[matteventu]

I disagree. With the recent updates in the last few months (starting with the redesigned “now playing” screen and culminating with the awfully bugged product control screen), the app currently is in a much worse state than it was 2 years ago.

Yes, I’d be very willing to pay even £20 per year if your app resolved major pain points I have with the current B&O app.

I’m on Android.

[NQVHNWI]

The App should be totally free. You buy the app when you buy new products (people who buy second-hand or legacy products – that is again covered by new sales)

In my opinion the App is highly confused in what it is and what it pretends to be.

1. Per my opening statement, the app is highly focussed on product selection and setup.
2. It is highly buggy (especially with Theatre, BL28 and other product roll-outs)
3. The main “experience” i.e. playing music and video via the BeoApp player is not a great experience nor enjoyable in my opinion. There is certainly no “B&O magic” in the interaction part for sure.

B&O really need to get this platform working correctly and stable – it is the “face” of all their current products. For instance….every time I pull the App on my iPad, select Theatre for instance…..it is as if im looking at a factory install. Favourites gone, listening position gone, remote dialogue on, etc……

Come back 10 minutes later and all the settings have loaded on the app. The BR1 and Halo are unaffected.

[trackbeo]

Hmm, a great silence here, not a good sign for your app.  And claiming to have reverse engineered — what, exactly? — since B&O have *published* their control spec, seems silly.  BUT that said, I *WOULD* pay for a replacement (one-time fee only, I never buy subscription apps).  I assume such an app would be analogous to how “Sonopad” works versus the Sonos App: playback control plus more features, using the published spec, and leaving the adding-device / sound settings / registering / account /updates to the native manufacturer app.

A market has been created for you, by B&O themselves: Their playback interface in the new BeoApp on iOS sucks the big one.  Can’t drag time slider, screen wastage for “columns” of products showing multi-room status, stealing artwork space and the godawful up-next queue, a tiny little “column” that expands into, well, another tiny little column when you click the icon, the lag in the display, etc. etc. etc. for a crappy UI — plus all the bugs people have been reporting.  Who dreams up this garbage?!?!

Anyway, I wish others were more forthcoming to you in saying whether they would (or wouldn’t) buy a decent app replacement, but not holding my breath.

[L1no]

The usability of the app is the worst i’ve ever seen. The product selection  should be secondary to the current active player; i’d propose to place this under the current active player.

[Yossi]

everyone seems to agree that the b&o app is mediocre , rather inquiring for a premium brand…

it is high time for b&o to recruit interface designers and developers at the heights.

the bullshit has lasted long enough

 

[matteventu]

Yossi wrote:

everyone seems to agree that the b&o app is mediocre , rather inquiring for a premium brand… it is high time for b&o to recruit interface designers and developers at the heights. the bullshit has lasted long enough

They just did – and they’re the ones who brought the new media player screen and the new product controls page. They should be fired yesterday.

It’s clear that the only competent leader within the app department suddenly left B&O and they hired a bunch of new inexperienced UI designers and programmers. There’s no actual way what we have now comes from the same VP or “head of” of the app that we had 2-3 years ago.

[Carolpa]

Yossi wrote:

everyone seems to agree that the b&o app is mediocre , rather inquiring for a premium brand… it is high time for b&o to recruit interface designers and developers at the heights. the bullshit has lasted long enough

Just a general thought, with an open mind for discussion and opinions : are you sure you’re not the screaming minority?

who by definition is right! ( they think)

note: keep on screaming, because that will create new insights, leading to improvements ?

[T.W.G]

Doesn’t the whole NL infrastructure rely on a standard called REST API or JSON?

I found things like this:
https://documenter.getpostman.com/view/1053298/T1LTe4Lt

https://github.com/bang-olufsen

So there are ways to reach our B&O toys on another way.

I’m not a software develover, so maybe some better educated member can shine some light on this.

[Mbee]

@T.W.G this API only works with Mozart based products, ASE and older cannot be controlled this way.

[Author]

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