Sonos abandons controversial ‘recycle mode’ that bricked older devices
US audio company Sonos has announced that it is doing away with its controversial ‘recycle mode’, a requirement of its Trade Up program that encourages users to take their old devices to an e-waste centre for recycling in exchange for a 30% discount for future purchases. Once turned on, the mode deletes all data from the device after 21 days and renders it inoperable.
The introduction of the ‘recycle mode’ drew criticism as the mode prevents devices from being ‘refurbished, resold, and reused, forcing the electronics to unnecessarily join the growing mountains of e-waste’.
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