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(RESOLVED) Android: Player controls become unresponsive

Leonlav77
Local Performer

why wont my pandora pause or skip? And i have to restart my phone to get pandora turned off after newest update

 

mod edit: changed title for clarity

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412 Replies

MusicFan9027
Local Performer

Save thing here on S22 ultra.  It will even start playing two instances of the app (I'll hear two songs playing at once from Pandora). That means the app is going into a background sleep mode but still playing. Fix it it in canceling my 7 year subscription

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Honey_Dee
Local Performer

The same issue has been going on with mine for quite a while. A fun bonus is that if I choose a new song or playlist without closing the app first, both songs will play on top of each other.😂 

 

Phone info: 

Galaxy S24+

ONE UI: 1.6

Android version: 14

Kernal: 6.1.25

Carrier: TMobile

Connection: both wifi & cell

Pandora: 2406.1 (android-tuner: 2406 1002)

No error codes

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Princess70454
Local Performer

Has been an issue for over a year, with no viable solution in sight. Pandora doesn't care about it's consumers, just about the money. I'm sick of paying for a subscription that no longer benefits me and will be switching to Spotify, just like so many others. 

Supernal
Underground
  • Model: Sm-S906U1
  • Carrier: TMobile
  • Android version : 14
  • Pandora version: ver 2406.1
  • Environment setup: Android
  • Pandora App info: ver 2406.1
  • Battery: unrestricted
  • No error messages
  • Player control buttons grey out.
  • This happens regardless of internet connectivity. This happens when using wifi, cellular, and when app is in offline mode.
  • This only happens when using Bluetooth. I primarily use Pandora over bluetooth.

Steps to reproduce Behavior:

  • Connect to Bluetooth headphones / car head unit
  • Start Pandora
  • Start a Playlist by clicking play.
  • * If Pandora is on screen "in focus" then everything works without issue. This is not how folks driving or listening to tunes walking around use their Pandora account.

To reproduce issue, connect Bluetooth headset, start playlist. Bring any other software up so Pandora looses focus, aka running in the background.

Let track play through till end, when next track ( track 2) starts with Pandora in background, Pandora's main interface screen cant control track 2. Using headset controls no longer work. Bringing up Pandora's main screen, and trying to click next greys out the player controls.
*( You can Also start a playlist, bring a browser window or anything that is not Pandora into focus, use bluetooth to skip to next track. Next track can now NOT be controlled by greyed out player controls, or bluetooth controls. )

At this point, onscreen controls do not work. Previous song button, Play / Pause, Next song buttons are all greyed out and do not work.

  • The only controls that do work, will be the playlist dialog.
  • Click MyCollection icon.
  • Hit the Play button for a different playlist.
  • This will start playing the new playlist, without killing off previous playlist.

At this point, you have two songs playing at the same time, and you can only control one of them, the newer one. If you check android's "media output" in settings, it will list the 2nd newer called playlist. If you the stop playback of the second playlist, and swipe right, it will then display the orphaned playlist, that is still playing, and is still unresponsive to controls. Only way to kill the orphaned playlist, is to goto Pandora's "app info" screen, and force stop, or wait for song to end.

To summarize: When Pandora is in the background when the next song automatically starts, that player instance gets orphaned from Pandora's main screen. This also causes issues with Pandora not responding to Bluetooth connectivity changes, when i turn off my Bluetooth device. Pandora normally stops playback. When the current song playing has been orphaned, that command to stop playback doesnt work, song is still playing, it then plays out of the phone's speaker a few seconds later. You then either have to kill Pandora's processes, or turn volume down, or wait for song to end.

Please fix this issue!

 

mod edit: format

reign
Underground
Perfectly put.
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cyb3rAuto
Local Performer

Has there been any update to this, as the solution was a logged investigation that is nearly 6 months old.  Long time pandora user and premium subscriber, but finding it hard to maintain this service when critical features are unavailable. 

reign
Underground
None that I know of.
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Supernal
Underground

I hope Pandora will address this issue.  In reviewing previous posts, everyone complained,  but no one put together a procedure for recreating the issue. I'm hoping this helps ...

 

That said, it should never have taken this long to acknowledge such an obvious issue with production software. Pandora is clearly lacking quality control,  or regression testing, or both.

 

Time to hire more folks?

Time to fire a few managers?

Something needs to be done. 

Otherwise,  as others have stated,  consumers of this product will fire Pandora.

It's sad to see an otherwise great company fail....

=(

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Carguy4002
Underground

I'm having same issue for a while now. Only on my S24 Ultra and wife's s22. My old note 20 ultra had 0 issues. Please give me that model app 

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rharlow2
Local Performer
  • Model: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
  • Carrier: Verizon
  • Version: 14
  • Pandora Version: 2406.1
  • Cellular
  • No error messages
  • In addition to bluetooth. 

Does not happen to same song all the time. Does not happen at same time or location. 

Same with me - continues to play after shutting off vehicle in addition to above information on my Galaxy Z Flip3 - even when outside of vehicle.

 
mod edit: merged comments + format
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AlyssaPandora
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi, @Carguy4002. 👋

Sorry to hear that you're having trouble with Pandora on your phone.

Could you share a few more details about what you're experiencing?

  • Have you received any error messages? If so, what exactly does it say?
  • Are the controls greyed out when you attempt to listen to Pandora via Bluetooth enabled device
  • Did you get a chance to try clearing your app data using these steps?

Let me know, and I can follow up with you. 🎧

Alyssa | Community Manager
Let's talk music in Community Chat
Share yours here: Q: What song fits your mood today?
Check out new tunes this week:New Music: Picks of the Week (09.30.24)

Carguy4002
Underground

No error code but the controls are grayed out like its no app control. Even during videos let's say in Instagram or YouTube it'll still be playing in the background of that. I've done all recommended troubleshooting steps 

AlyssaPandora
Community Manager
Community Manager

Thank you for confirming, @Carguy4002. Based on your message, it sounds like you're encountering this known issue: Android: Player controls become unresponsive - and to keep things organized, I moved your posts over to that thread. 

This issue and all reports shared on this thread have been passed along to our tech team for further investigation. At this time, I don't have an update share on this specific issue and am still waiting for more details from our tech team. Thank you for your patience during this process. 🎧

Alyssa | Community Manager
Let's talk music in Community Chat
Share yours here: Q: What song fits your mood today?
Check out new tunes this week:New Music: Picks of the Week (09.30.24)

wooties
Local Performer

Hello, I have had pandora since pretty much day 1, and this has become so frustrating I am ready to cancel my subscription. 

For as long as I have had this phone and my previous, I have an issue where Pandora becomes unresponsive unless the app is open on my phone. If the phone locks or its in the background, say I am using my GPS, the app will freeze.

So far, I have disabled all battery optimization / sleep settings as suggested in the "troubleshooting for android" article, cleared all cache / data, and reinstalled the app. This phone does not have an SD card. This is happening on every bluetooth device I own. Any help would be appreciated.

  • Model: Samsung galaxy s23
  • Carrier: 
  • Android version (Settings > About Phone): 14
  • Pandora version: 2405.1 (ANDROID-TUNER 24061002)
  • Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening? Either
  • Have you identified any other patterns or notable information? It happens as soon as my phone locks or the app goes in the background. I am unable to skip songs and no buttons on the app work. When I shut off the bluetooth device, such as my car or headphones music will keep playing but come out of the speakers on my phone and I have to force close it. It also seems random. The problem seems intermittent, sometimes it is working as intended but more often than not it feezes. EDIT: I forgot to mention, pandora function will resume if I wait until the song is done playing, but will eventually freeze again.
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Carguy4002
Underground

Did they help you? 

Any update? I see others have had this issue longer. A fix should have been here. Gonna lose a long time subscriber here. 

mod edit: merged comments
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kevinarth
Local Performer

Nope. I've already canceled my subscription and moved over to Spotify Premium. Can't continue to use a product that's been broken for so long with no resolution, workaround or even communication. 

Carguy4002
Underground

I appreciate your prompt response. I guess ipl be joining you lol. How's your experiences there? Can you still search a song and a Playlist will be made from that? Easy to switch to explicit to clean? I've only heard bad reviews of Spotify and I also heard their library isn't extensive

Still no response for my player freeze? Can I have customer support number I need a refund

 
 
mod edit: merged comments
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Supernal
Underground

AlyssaPandora

Did you miss my post?

I gave you procedure for reproducing this issue.

Please include my writeup in whatever ticket the developers are working.

This isn't an android issue,  this is a Pandora issue.

 

Vlc media player doesn't have this issue, amazon music, or podbean etc. This is the ONLY music app on my device that has this issue. There are no settings that need to be adjusted on local devices.  Pandora's player just needs to be fixed. 

In case it got missed, your "Advanced Android Troubleshooting guide" doesn't help. .. at all.

 

One thing that does help, a little ..

Enable "Developer Options"

Turn on

"Don't keep activities"

 

That way when you swipe Pandora off screen to shut it down, it will actually kill the orphaned background task that runs. A bit more streamlined then having to go to app details to "force stop" the app every time.

Supernal
Underground

Oh man ...   I think I figured out why Pandora doesn't have support for their product anymore. 

"Sirius XM, a broadcasting corporation, owns Pandora, a music streaming service based in Oakland, California. In February 2019, SiriusXM acquired Pandora for $3.5 billion in an all-stock transaction." So, likely the folks who built the company no longer are involved,  or now have to work with far less resources as the parent company doesn't care so much about Pandora... they can always sell it off .. right?

It's like when AOL bought WinAmp and ICQ. It just kills the product....   =(

looks like spotify supports the radio concept ...  not sure what this looks like or behaves on spotify, but they have one.. Family plan costs the same as well. A few conversations with my wife and we will likely drop this membership. What's the point of having a media service you can't use 90% of the time ?

lol, I just filed a support request.

Case #05155660 has been created

We appreciate your patience in the meantime

... in light of the fact i shouldn't have to try this hard for Pandora to fix their product,  they have precious little time indeed.  

 

mod edit: merged comments + removed 3rd party link

 

 

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jyoung
Underground

Too late for me. I've waited over 7 months for some form of communication. I've reached out by phone, email and even X (Twitter) and got nothing! Today I made the switch to Spotify. Not only did I switch, but I upgraded to a second acct for my daughter. Pandora no longer deserves my money as a premium subscriber for over 15 years. The switch was easy and I paid $4.50 and used Tunemymusic to transfer all my Playlist. Only lost 3 songs and it was because pandora didn't carry them anymore. Good riddance and thanks for nothing. And I must say...the sound quality seems much better. ✌🏾

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