Pandora pauses without "Are You Still Listening?" message

[Xarlon]

I have a Pandora Plus account, and lately the music has been automatically pausing without the "Are you still listening?" message popping up.

OS: Win 11 Home - Build 26200.8655
Browser: Chrome - Version 149.0.7827.201 (Official Build) (64-bit)
VPN: P.I.A. - Seattle access point

I honestly have absolutely no clue why the music is pausing. In the past I could play music for days without any pauses. Now, sometimes it'll play for long periods of time as normal. Sometimes it'll stop after an hour or two. BUT just now it stopped after ONE SONG. 

ONE SONG

I don't want to constantly babysit pandora to make sure it keeps playing music. That's half the reason I have a subscription in the first place.

[manda40475]

I honestly don't know the answer, but I've had that happen more the past week on my mobile app.  Sometimes it will say buffering and sometimes I can't get it to play at all

[LeonPandora]

@Xarlon Sorry to hear that the music is stopping at every song.

If you haven't already, try opening it in an Incognito Window. If it works there, the issue may be caused by a browser setting or extension.

You can also try the following steps to troubleshoot Pandora on Chrome:

• Update Chrome to the latest version.
• Delete Browsing Data (history, cache, and cookies).
• Allow pop-ups for Pandora under Settings > Privacy & Security > Site Settings.
• Turn off extensions like Disable HTML5 Autoplay, Adblock, and NoScript, or allow www.pandora.com within them.
• Check VPN settings to ensure Pandora isn’t blocked.
• Try a different browser like Firefox.
• Restart your computer and try Pandora again.

If you continue having troubles after trying these steps, please let me know.

Let me know how it goes.

[Xarlon]

Rather than my VPN blocking Pandora, I think it's Pandora blocking my VPN. This tends to happen when too many connections from a shared IP address flood into a website. (It's a DOS protection mechanism that unfortunately gets triggered by VPN services with lots of users.)

My VPN doesn't block any websites. It simply encrypts my connection and masks my IP address. The main focus is having my connection encrypted, because my ISP can't selectively slow down encrypted packets. It ensures I have a stable connection. Even though using a VPN increases the ping time by a couple dozen milliseconds, it is far better than having a connection that randomly changes speed, or pauses, in the middle of doing various tasks.

[LeonPandora]

Hi @Xarlon,

Unfortunately, using a VPN while trying to stream Pandora is not supported.

We recommend making an exception for Pandora or adjusting the location in your VPN settings. For further assistance in managing these options, you may want to contact your VPN's support team. 

Let me know how it goes.