Apple TV: Logged out after each use - must reboot or uninstall to log in

[Raif]

Apple TV 4th Gen: It happens that the Pandora App launches with no way for me to log in. If I delete and reinstall, I can then successfully log in, see all my songs and lists, but then after a couple of days, Pandora goes back to the basic app with no way to log in. Reinstall fixes the problem for another day or two and then bam, it's gone again.  Has done this three times so far. 

Moderator Edit: Changing title for clarity

[johnmnagy]

The new patch (2305.5.2.2) is working but wonky...

About half the time I start the app, I again see the "FTUX/TRAP" page for up to 5 seconds - long enough to be discouraging... then it does proceed to the normal logged-in page with my stations.

I'm sure this isn't what you had in mind. Maybe a patch v3 sometime?

[johnmnagy]

OK DavePandora, guess what's back. FTUXed again. After a few days of just using Pandora on my AppleTV, I watched a movie on my PLEX. Then back to Pandora... and FTUX is back. But with no choices, and search does nothing. So I used the HOME trick to close the Pandora app. Run again, no change, FTUX with blanks. So I try UNLOAD. No changes when reloaded. So I DELETE THE APP and go to reinstall. Can't, the app store is also blank. Try to search there, get no results, just a spinner. Reboot the AppleTV, now the app store works again (after a new log-in), reinstall PANDORA (after yet another AppleTV login) and log back in to Pandora, and things are working again. For now. It seems that a re-enter of Pandora after another app has been running crashes the AppleTV. So the agony continues. Pic of the page attached. No change in AppleTV or Pandora versions since last report. Arg.

OK, now the IMAGE attach in the forum isn't working. Not my day. Imagine the FTUX page, with no choices showing below in the black BROWSE STATIONS area.

I'll post again if it happens and there's new detail to share. This is getting really old.

[DavePandora]

@johnmnagy Apps are sandboxed within the Apple ecosystem, so an app can't take down the whole system like that. It's an internet connectivity problem -- perhaps not with your router or ISP, but rather with the Apple TV operating system. That surfaced first in the FTUX screen not showing any tiles since it couldn't load the images, then the FTUX not disappearing as it would if you had internet (hence it couldn't pull down stations, which meant it was never auto-dismissed). Then the App Store app wouldn't load anything either due to the same underlying internet connectivity issue.

That said, we are aware of ongoing issues stemming from the patch -- most notably around issues accessing the tab bar, but also as you mentioned in an earlier post, the fact that FTUX hangs around for ~5 seconds before auto-dismissing -- and we'll be working on another patch to get to a state of stability.

[johnmnagy]

OK, but my other apps (youtube, Plex) that require live internet continued to work while the pandora page and subsequently the appstore page did not. So. Something. You know I'll share more if there is more.

[DavePandora]

Thanks. If it happens again, please also file a bug report with Apple as this would represent a serious operating system flaw. Third party apps shouldn't be able to mess with operation of the OS or other apps, even if they're actively TRYING to hack your system. (For the record, we're not trying that, I promise! 🙂 ) They'll want a sysdiagnose from the Apple TV, but it looks like you can file it from the Feedback Assistant app on your iPhone, per this page: https://developer.apple.com/bug-reporting/

[johnmnagy]

Yeah... if I had an iPhone. I'm an Android guy other than the AppleTV. So no. And the website expects me to have developer credentials and logs to share, so, again probably not. I think you are all I have.

[GawdyTucan]

I was mistaken. Mine has continued to be a problem but I was traveling and hopeful it would get resolved. Alas, no. I have the same issue as above. 

Please let me know if you need any info from me. 

Since I’m needing to delete and reinstall the app a few times a week and each time I’m asked if I want to keep my subscription, you all picked a wild time to raise rates. 

thanks 

[bhhales]

if you cannot connect to the internet with Pandora and the App Store, but other apps can, it sounds like the issue is with your Internet connection and not the Apple TV, certainly not with the Pandora app. Have you changed your internet gateway recently? Or any firewall settings? I would try rebooting everything on your network, not just the Apple TV.  I'm talking a hard reboot. Unplug it, count to 20, then plug it back in. Start with your cable modem first, then do any other equipment between it and the Apple TV. Reboot the Apple TV last.

I also run Plex and I am able to move between it and any other app on my Apple TV then back to Pandora and they all work.

Also note that contacting Apple support you do not need to be a developer or have a developer account. If you were getting those prompts you were on the wrong page.  The support forums may ask for an Apple ID, but I'm assuming you created one when you set up your Apple TV.

Good luck!

[johnmnagy]

Simultaneously able to do anything on any app except PANDORA and the APP STORE on the AppleTV, no that's not a local internet issue. If I had made other changes, I would include that in the report. And per my message, rebooting only the APPLETV got Pandora findable in the store again, and able to install again.

I'm happy for you that you aren't having my issue. I am. The struggle continues.

[rlh37]

It is getting to be late July, any update on the fix? My wife listens to Pandora on my AppleTV 4th gen all the time and it goes into lock out mode too often, once again over the weekend. She is not computer literate and has to get me to fix it constantly. I am getting really tired of this. I am a software developer and understand pull requests, patches, regression testing and all but this is taking a long time. Very frustrating.

[DavePandora]

I understand the frustration. To date, we have issued two patches, which ultimately surfaced underlying bugs that were just as bad as the original experience. Reproducibility of this issue has been the primary challenge and the reason why we have, to an extent, been fixing in the dark. I just got off a call with one of our lead developers, who confirmed that this is his top priority right now. He has some guidance on taking a more holistic approach to the problem as neither you nor any of us want to need a fourth patch and the ensuing delays. I cannot provide a specific timeframe, but it is being actively worked on as a high priority.

[johnmnagy]

In addition to whatever is being developed, I feel compelled to once again suggest adding a LOG IN button on the FTUX page. How hard is that and what could it hurt?

[DavePandora]

Our broader approach is to never, ever show the FTUX screen unless you literally logged into the app during that same exact app launch (and meet the other criteria for FTUX).

[johnmnagy]

And how's that been working out so far? A pragmatic approach is "if you can't beat it, join it." Also "Fake it til you Make it." And maybe "First, do no harm." Just saying that the elegant solution often comes long after the problem has taken its toll.

I note that this issue/topic is still marked "SOLVED" here.

[johnmnagy]

The big wheel has turned, and tvOS 16.6 (20M73) is now on my AppleTV as of a couple days ago. Still the Pandora patch v2. Things have changed, and other things remain:

1. Remains: The log-out and FTUX trap still occurs if I leave Pandora for another app for a significant time (minutes to a return to Pandora may not trigger it. Hours nearly always do).

2. Remains: Pause works for a time after a reinstall cure. Then no more.

3. Changed: The left/right arrows while Pandora plays and the AppleTV screen saver is up cause the screen saver to advance or reverse to the next or prior clip. I last saw this behavior many months ago, and briefly then. For the rest of my experience, the right arrow does a SKIP to the next music selection in Pandora. The left arrow did nothing. Now there is no way to pause or stop or skip while the screen saver is up. (Clarification on method: I typically MENU/MENU out of Pandora while it plays in order to show the Apple Screensaver clips. I must MENU/SelectPandora to return to the app to do a skip now.)

4. Changed (maybe): if Pandora is playing but I am in AppleTV settings (or some apps), a simple Pandora screen saver appears after a time - just a centered cover art and the song name on a dark background. Any navigation clears it and I remain in the non-Pandora app or settings. I THINK this is new. I don't recall seeing it before and feel like I would have.

5. Changed: The Pandora Now Playing screen (not in the animated AppleTV screensaver nor in the possibly new Pandora static screensave) now shows an enlarged and half-dimmed background image of the current cover art behind the Cover and info. This was previously just plain dark grey. It's a nice improvement, and it arose with the new OS, not with the patch. Hmmm.

Since the Forum now seems to allow it, a screenshot is attached showing the new look. Hope this is some help as the goalposts find their newest locations.

Hope this helps in some way.

[DavePandora]

The latest patch is currently waiting for review with Apple. This fixes issue 1 (we believe for real this time).

Issues 2 and 3 are not being addressed at this time, as our focus has been on the issue from this topic.

Notes 4 and 5 are very interesting. The basic music screen saver (point 4) may come as a result of compiling our code against a more recent operating system. We first noticed this pop up internally as well, and it was new to us. Issue 5 is how we intended the look to be in the first place, with the background album art. Perhaps the changes related to these patches has changed the view hierarchy in a way that has allowed the background art to shine through again; like you, I'm glad to see the change.

[johnmnagy]

Thanks Dave. It's ironic that I have come to use my AppleTV exclusively for Pandora, as the flaw has made it too tedious to reinstall after using other apps. Not a recommended marketing strategy.... I leave Pandora loaded and running (since it can't be stopped!) and use a R**u for Youtube and Plex and such. Not my preference, but it's saving effort. I will be happy to get this behind us. Not happy, however to now be unable to skip in addition to not stop without going through menu hoops. It Bytes.

[DavePandora]

The latest patch, 2305.2.3, is available in the tvOS App Store as of this morning. We're letting it sit at 1% *automatic* updates for a day so it won't auto-update quite yet, but anyone can update by going to the Pandora page on the App Store. Tomorrow, we'll evaluate metrics to ensure things look good -- plus will keep an eye on this thread -- then ramp to 100% if so. Thanks everyone for your patience through this process. Please report back if this addresses the lockout issue, or if you still experience that particular problem.

[AlyssaPandora]

Thanks so much for the updates, @DavePandora. We appreciate you taking time to jump in here share those details and also for your diligent work behind the scenes. 👍

[johnmnagy]

So far so good!