iOS: Stops While Using Airplay

[bltrsf]

Pandora is skipping and stopping while playing from airplay from either iPad & iPhone (iOS 15) to HEOS.  My internet is fiber optic and very fast a reliable.  I would like to play Pandora continuosly without jumping around. 

mod edit: changed title for clarity

[AlyssaPandora]

Hi there, @bltrsf. 👋

Thanks so much for letting us know about your experience.

I've experienced a similar issue when using Airplay to connect to my TV (with a different app). I found that disabling Bluetooth helped as a workaround to prevent freezing / stopping. 

I’ve enabled a trace on your account to help us better understand what’s happening. For this trace to be useful, we’ll need you to run through our troubleshooting steps and replicate the issue for the trace logs.

You can find those steps here: iOS Troubleshooting

++

If the issue persists, could you share a bit more about your devices so that I can share this with our engineering team?

• Device & Generation: (e.g. iPhone X, iPad Air (3rd gen), etc.)
• Carrier:
• iOS version: (Settings > General > About > Version)
• Pandora version: (Pandora > Profile tab > Settings gear & scroll to the bottom of the screen)
• Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening?
• Did this issue start after updating to iOS 15 recently?

Let me know how it goes. Thanks for your help with this. 🤝

[Jmayer]

I have an iPhone X and have the same issue.  We have WiFi hard wires in our backyard and our signal is great also. 

[Rockfordrt]

I have this same issue. No problems with Apple Music only with Pandora. It would be great if someone could look into this.

my devices

iPhone 14 Pro Max iOS 17.0.3

Apple HomePod second Generation 

carrier

Verizon

Running Over WiFi (1GB home internet)

Pandora version: 2310.1

this issue has been happening for a while (Multiple months) and finally got tired of it and found this.

Thanks,

Austin

[AdamPandora]

@Rockfordrt Can you please try updating your iPhone to the latest version of iOS to see if that resolves the issue?

If not, can you please confirm if the app only skips when using AirPlay, or if the app also skips when listening directly through your phone speakers/headphones?

Let me know.

[Rockfordrt]

Hello Adam,

I don’t have any problems using Bluetooth or playing directly on my phone. Only over AirPlay. I will try updating my phone and getting back to you. As I said have been having this issue for months though and have updated my phone quite a few times in between there though so I don’t have high hopes.

Thanks,

Austin

[Rockfordrt]

Hello Adam,

Updating my phone fixed it for a while but it’s back again. I just updated my phone and the app and it is still showing up. 

version of iOS is 17.2.1

app version is 2310.1.1

thanks,

[kwailin]

I am having the same issue as so many others had previously. The music stops playing after an hour or so. App still running... have to open app and hit play.

iPhone 6s, iOS 15.8.

It's a dedicated device only for playing Pandora in the house AirPlaying to an AppleTV 3. The iPhone is not running anything else. For a few months now it has shown this annoying behaviour. It used to work for many years, playing music all day.

The app does not disappear/crash, but it stops playing music. I have to open the app and hit the play button for it to continue. It's about an hour or a little more until it does it again.

After a few searches here and there is was suggested to clear cache or reinstalling the app. Cache clearing doesn't seem to be a feature on iOS.

Removing the application or resetting the phone only solves the issue for a day or two. Then it goes back to this behaviour.

My renewal is up this in a few days… after many years of being a pandora user it has gotten really annoying.

Is there anything else i can try?

Thanks

K

[AdamPandora]

@kwailin Could you tell me a bit more about what is happening?

Is this only an issue when using AirPlay?

Or does the music also stop playing after an hour when playing directly through your iPhone?

Could you tell me more about your device?

• Pandora version: (Pandora > Profile tab > Settings gear & scroll to the bottom of the screen)
• Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening?
• Have you identified any other patterns or notable information?

Thanks for your help with this.

[kwailin]

Hey Adam, thank you for your swift response. It is much appreciated.

We use Pandora only over AirPlay in our house. It’s an older iPhone dedicated as our music player. It plays to an Apple TV Gen3 (A1427), which then distributes the audio to multiple amps throughout the house via analogue audio connections.

The Pandora version is 2310.1.1. Reinstalled multiple times (last time 01/01/2024, still running ok at the time of writing this message). The device is connected to Wifi only (no SIM installed).

Apple TV OS 7.9 (8163) (latest); The Apple TV is hard wired to the network.

Wifi is a selfhosted Unifi UAP AC IW Pro (Network version 8.0.24), approximately a meter away. Broadband is a 210Mbps HFC connection managed by a pfsense 2.7.2 software router running on Proxmox host. Any device within the local network is always using a VPN. I have tested various VPN locations and providers. The VPN for Pandora was set up within pfsense as well as via an app on the Pandora phone itself (most recent setup). As mentioned, this has worked for many years and only in the past few months we have had these issues. No exact time frame, sorry.

Other patterns. A schedule is setup on the phone to open Pandora and playing one of our selected stations, followed by an immediate automation setting the AirPlay destination to the designated Apple TV every day at 0600hrs. Then it would play music until we go to bed. During those days of playing music Pandora would randomly stop playing. After a re-installation, Pandora would work properly for a day or two until we experience the interruptions again.

Please let me know if you have any further suggestions…

Thanks for your time.

K

[kwailin]

Further to the above...

I decided to temporarily move the Pandora-playing iPhone connecting it directly to the 'distribution-point' to the amps via its 3.5mm audio jack. No more Apple TV and no more Airplay as possible culprit.

So far I had to open Pandora four times today in order to continue listening to music... It stops every hour or so. While the app is still running, it has moved into the background. Usually upon pressing the home button it would be right there... once selecting the app, it comes up and starts playing a new song... as i am writing this, pandora stopped again. I took the opportunity to take a video of how it looks in this state... OneDrive Link to video 

Any suggestions?

[AdamPandora]

@Rockfordrt Thanks for providing that info.

I've passed this along to the appropriate parties for further investigation. We'll follow up with you if we need any additional details.

Thanks for your patience in the meantime!

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @kwailin. 👋

Sorry for the continued trouble with the music stopping during your listening sessions.

It sounds like you've run through all of the standard troubleshooting steps here. 

Something to note: I noticed you may be using a VPN on your device. Unfortunately, using a VPN while trying to stream Pandora is not currently supported. We recommend checking if you can make an exception for Pandora in your VPN settings, or if you can safely disable any VPN connections while listening to Pandora. 

In the meantime, I've shared your feedback and experience with our tech team. We will follow up with you if we need any additional information. Thank you so much for your patience during this process. 🎧

[kwailin]

Thank you Alyssa,

Forgive me, but that's an easy way out for Pandora saying 'VPN connections are not supported'. I have tested it with different VPN destinations and providers.

VPN or not... How do you explain that it works well for days after the app is re-installed... and previously has worked well for years. I mean, I have been a Pandora customer for more than 10 years.

Thanks for your support.

K

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey, @kwailin. 👋

Sorry for any confusion regarding my message as I completely understand where you're coming from. 

I wanted to bring it to your attention so that you're aware of the potential limitations. While we don't support them (Ideas: Allow for VPN), you mentioned that this issue popped up very recently. It may not be related to the VPN at all but sharing that info could be helpful to rule it out as the cause of the issue you're experiencing. I hope this helps clarify. 

Please rest assured your feedback and experience has been shared with the appropriate party on your behalf. We appreciate your patience during this time. 🎧

[kwailin]

Thank you Alyssa,

I really appreciate your support. Feel free to keep me posted if you find out what it might be.

However, since my subscription was coming up for renewal at the end of January, I have decided to cancel my Pandora membership.  

Thank you for your efforts.

K

[Rockfordrt]

Hello everyone,

Sorry just catching up on this one since I was out of the country. Just wanted to add some information in my situation. I don’t have a VPN on my network so this won’t be the cause my case (trust me I work in IT and I would know).

thanks,

Austin 

[kwailin]

Thanks Austin,

I appreciate your feedback and totally concur. I too work in IT for the past 30 years, in the cyber-security area.

Further to my last details, I have far more important connections running that really rely on un-interrupted internet/network connections... none of them show disconnections. I am fairly certain that something in the app is not set properly, maybe some memory management.

After cancelling my Pandora subscription last week I have signed up with Spotify Premium Duo and Apple Music (3-months trial; never used either of them, always had Pandora). 

Neither of them have stopped playing, Spotify has now been going for days. Even though Spotify is pretty good, I do miss the simplicity of Pandora... thumbs up, thumbs down and my stations.

Anyway, if Pandora finds something I can try, send me a message. I do miss Pandora.

Cheers,

K

[lgd]

I have the same problem.  I'm using iPhone, iOS 17.2.1, pandora 2310.1.1 and using Airplay to go to my appletv to play songs.  It will play a song, and then the feed stops going to airplay.  I can see the song is still playing on my iPhone, and when i switch speakers on iPhone from airplay/apple tv back to iPhone and then back to appletv it will play again on appletv.  This happens for every other song.  I've rebooted my phone and re-downloaded the app.  I am using wifi.  

Please help.  It started about 6 months ago.  

[AlyssaPandora]

Hi there, @lgd. 👋

Sorry to hear about your experience while using AirPlay and Pandora. To keep everything neat and organized, I moved your post over to this existing thread: iOS: Stops While Using Airplay

Thank you for taking the time to provide a detailed description of the issue as well as your device information. 

Based on your message, it sounds like you've run through the standard troubleshooting steps to no avail: iOS Troubleshooting

That being said, I've shared your feedback with our tech team for further investigation. Thank you for your patience during this process. 🎧