Web: Playback stops when using a VPN

[AndrewTheTack]

Pandora web stops playing in the middle of any song if not in station mode

Mac OS: Sonoma 14.5

Tested in browsers: Chrome, Safari

VPN used: Perimeter 81

About a week ago, I started experiencing this behavior: when I play any song or album that is not in station mode, Pandora seems to stop outputting sound to my devices. I see that the song keeps "playing" in the web UI, and the connection looks stable, but there is no sound. This happens in both active and inactive browser tabs. I tried clearing the storage and cookies, removing extensions, and listening in a clean new browser - same result. The time when this occurs after the song starts differs, ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

When I play in station mode, everything works great. I have not seen this problem at all.

Moderator Edit: Edited title for clarity

[AdamPandora]

@AndrewTheTack It sounds like you are using a VPN which is rerouting your internet connection. 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. 

[AndrewTheTack]

@AdamPandora but why station mode works great on the same VPN? I never had any problem with stations, are there 2 different streaming modes for stations and albums/songs? Too bad I cannot control VPN settings, it is a workstation in my office

[MariaPandora · Accepted solution]

Hi @AndrewTheTack ,

If this is only happening when listening on your work station, then it's likely related to your connection. Sometimes listeners will be able to use Pandora with an unsupported device or service, like a VPN, but that functionality may unintentionally break due to updates from either our end or updates to the VPN.

While using a VPN should work, we cannot guarantee the performance since a number of VPN providers route traffic to a server outside the US and then back to the US, usually done to compress data. Which may be happening in your case, causing the experience you've mentioned.

If you're not able to modify the VPN settings, I recommend reaching out to your IT department for further assistance. They may be able to help adjust the settings to allow for Pandora to stream.

[AndrewTheTack]

Thank you for the explanation, Maria.

[MariaPandora]

No problem, @AndrewTheTack !

Please let us know if you have any other questions.