Desktop: Music Stops / Buffering Issues

[pamelarae05]

My boyfriend cancelled his subscription for this exact reason.  I experience as well on a desktop computer and my android phone as well.  None of the troubleshooting steps makes any difference. It just started happening a couple of months ago and is something Pandora should look into on their side and get corrected.

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @ClockwrkOrangeS. 👋

Thanks for getting back to us with those details. 

Since you're using Chrome, I would recommend running through these steps to see if it helps resolve the issue you're experiencing. 

If you're still having trouble, please try using a different browser to help us determine whether this is browser-related. You can also try troubleshooting your network here.

Let us know how it goes. 🎧

[amyj67074]

I have tried all the fixes I know how to do. This is now so frustrating, I am cancelling. I shouldn't have to work so hard to listen to just 2 songs and then the buffering starts up.

[AlyssaPandora]

Hi, @amyj67074. 👋

Sorry to hear that you're having trouble. Could you share a few more details about how you're listening? 

• Which web browser are you using?
• Have you encountered any error messages other than "buffering"? 

I would recommend through the troubleshooting steps based on how you listen. I've included links below: 

• Edge Troubleshooting
• Chrome Troubleshooting
• Safari Troubleshooting
• Firefox Troubleshooting

Let me know. 🎧

[hileanamacias]

right I thought I was the only one 

[AlyssaPandora]

Sorry to hear that, @hileanamacias. 

I would recommend checking out my post here to see if those steps help. 

Let us know how it goes. 🎧

[csfree12]

I'm about to cancel for the same reason. Why do we pay money for a service when they can't make it work after years of having this issue? A problem like this shouldn't take this long to fix.

[lester8r]

Hello. Pandora is playing relatively uninterrupted on my iPhone, considering that there are occasional "shadows". I attribute those to my cellular connection. As for the iMac, I disconnected some speaker devices (Airport Xpress), and the signal now appears to be solid. Thanks!

[MariaPandora]

Hi @lester8r , thanks for letting us know.

We're glad to hear everything seems to be working better now.

Please let me know if you need help with anything else!

[Tree_Boy]

I've been experiencing buffering issues on my computer for a few months now. It started at random and I had to click off the site and back onto it. It would play like half the song and cut out. It only doesn't work on my computer since I don't experience these issues on my phone.

[LeonPandora]

@Tree_Boy Welcome to Community!

Could you tell me a bit more about what you're experiencing?

• Which web browser are you using?
• Have you encountered any error messages other than "buffering"? 

If you haven't already, could you try the troubleshooting steps below? 

• Edge Troubleshooting
• Chrome Troubleshooting
• Safari Troubleshooting
• Firefox Troubleshooting

Let me know. 🎶

[Tree_Boy]

It if I don't refresh pandora it will stop mid song and talking about "we are experiencing issues" and I'm using a Chromebook browser

[Tree_Boy]

Also sometimes it straight up won't play the song

[LeonPandora]

@Tree_Boy It sounds like the issue may be related to the network you're using to connect to Pandora.

Please try connecting your device directly via an Ethernet cable and see if that helps.

If there is no change, try rebooting your connection: 

1. Shut down your device completely;
2. Unplug your modem and router, wait one full minute, and then plug them back in;
3. Wait five more minutes to allow the modem and router to fully boot back up;
4. Turn your device back on and try Pandora again.

If Pandora still isn't working, could you check if you're able to connect to your network using another streaming service, such as YouTube?

You might also try connecting your device to an entirely different network, or using a different device on your current network, to see if your streaming improves.

Let me know how it goes.

[ChiTownCA]

I love how all solutions are always "Reboot" 

Why ... because even the idiots working at MS don't have a clue. If you search the Web with a Windows problem ....99% of time your told to Reboot .... INSTEAD of MS fixing their **ahem** software !

[ChiTownCA]

Everything works fine on my PC (7950X3D & 4090) and I can stream YT at 4K flawlessly.

Have uninstalled & reinstalled Pandora and can not get it to play more than 5-6 secs before it goes silent.

Yes, can close the App, open again, and then get another 5-6 secs, but that's it.

Used to email Tim back in the day when he was starting Pandora 👍 

[MariaPandora]

Hi @ChiTownCA , welcome to the community!

From what you mention, it seems like you are streaming from the Pandora desktop app. 

Can you tell me which OS are you using? Is it a Windows computer or do you use another OS?

Let me know!

[TroyMagnum]

I am having the same problem and been having to research this issue for over a month. I use a PC connected through a VPN since I do not live in the US. It has worked flawlessly for a year , at least. Until recently, its pausing, buffering, not sure what it is doing. the music starts, in a minute or so it stops. I wait long enough it will pick back up where it left off, not later on in the song. then, it stops again. Looking at the "Currently Playing" page I can see that the progress bar is still active, but i do not hear anything. To quickly get back on tunes, I would have to click on "next" or F5 to refresh, but that's only good for another min before it does the same thing. I use the website on Chrome to listen. Network connection is impressively fast here, so its not an issue with connectivity or accessing the internet. I can stream YT, XM radio, BlastTV, and PLEX simultaneously without hesitation or buffering. If I use the app on Android, there is no issue, Just only on PC. I tested with BING, IE, Chrome...all doing the same thing. Clearing any cookies, resetting any browser yields no positive results. Restarting routers, switches, using a different PC, was all a waste of time. Something deeper is happening using Pandora website that is causing Pandora to have "epileptic seizures" and then come back normal for just a few minutes. I know the simple answer is to use my mobile device only, but its not the solution to the issue regarding streaming on PC. I am 90% PC use and 10% mobile...I hardly ever use a mobile device for anything. I'm sure someone will point fingers at my VPN but I have isolated that as a potential issue as I can stream pandora on VPN on their app, mobile devices, and it handshakes and connects fine with Pandora on PC. Logs indicate no problem and no packets lost. At first, this problem seemed to have taken place after Chrome updated a month ago, I assumed chrome broke Pandora. But when I switched to other browsers (Bing , IE, Firefox) it does the same thing regardless. It could be that Pandora is no longer playing nicely with Windows 11. Maybe I am over looking something, so I'm reaching out for any help or solutions. Seems one has not been found yet. I have used Pandora for close to 8 years.. Maybe its time to move on. I will make 1 more valiant attempt to troubleshoot in the mean time. My last test is to build a windows 10 PC and try on that OS.

[TroyMagnum]

Streaming Pandora on Windows 10 works fine. Must be something with Windows 11 interfering or restricting with the streaming service.

[MariaPandora]

Hi @TroyMagnum , thanks for posting.

We can only legally offer Pandora services to listeners located in the United States. This applies to free and paid accounts on all supported devices. Unfortunately, using a VPN while trying to stream Pandora is not supported. 

Sometimes, folks will be able to use Pandora with an unsupported device or service, but that functionality may break unintentionally due to updates to the app or OS meant to address other issues.

Hope this helps clarify.

[TroyMagnum]

I managed to resolve my mystery with Pandora Pausing frequently while streaming on a PC, running on Chrome/Windows 11. Turns out, a recent Windows update conflicted with a security setting. Previously, I never had a problem with streaming on VPN anywhere outside the US using the app or website. So that was never my issue.