Expected behaviour:
When the app loses internet connection, the playback stops, but when the connection is established again, after some buffering it continues playback.
Current behaviour:
When the internet connection is restored, the apps shows buffering (the blue light is circling the play/pause button), but rarely continues the playback. It is buffering for minutes, the app needs to be force stopped and restarted for the playback to continue.
First occurred: (e.g. about x days/weeks ago)
This has been happening since weeks.
Steps to reproduce:
Start playback (stream)
Phone loses internet connection
The playback stops
Internet connection is restored
The app cannot resume the playback, but is buffering forever
Environment: (Settings you have changed (e.g. Auto Download). “Unusual” devices you use (e.g. Bluetooth headphones). Did you select another media player?)
I haven’t changed anything.
I agree. I often drive in areas where the signal disappears. I would like to have a bigger buffer at first, but the second problem is one described in this bug report. When a car comes to the signal, AntennaPod doesn’t start playing.
This is why I always download my podcasts except on the rare occasion I am out and about and a hot topic sports review drops. The only time I stream stuff is for live sports commentaries and the occasional Spotify playlist (but only after checking I won’t be anywhere near the patchy coverage area round some local villages near where I live.
Downloading episodes is a workaround, but other apps (e.g. Newpipe) can manage continuing playback after a lost and recovered connection without issues, I don’t think that this would be impossible with antennapod. In the flat I live there are spots with poor wifi coverage and I am signed up with a mobile provider that has spots with poor/zero coverage, so it is really annoying that I need to force stop an app, because it will not reconnect when there’s internet again. In the meantime I switched to Spotify for podcasts, because I was so annoyed by this bug.
Is there any chance that a developer will spot this bug report?
Edit: Another reason I don’t like downloading episodes is that I forget to delete them and it is another thing to manage. I live in a place, where I always have wifi or 4G (with blind spots), so it should not be necessary to download episodes.
I see downloading not as a workaround but the preferred mechanism whenever possible. None of the several apps I sometimes use for streaming are much cop at resuming after an interruption to the connection with Spotify being one of the worst in this respect.
I tried to see if this issue exists in Spotify and chose a 1 hour long podcast way at the bottom of the list (definitely not cached), started it and disconnected from wifi. Playback stopped after a while, then it resumed when I turned wifi back on. This is exactly how it should work. I have never had this resume issue with Spotify, or even Newpipe (!) with background playback. This problem came to AntennaPod after an update, but unfortunately I can’t remember which. I think an app of this kind should expect internet loss for short periods of time and should be able to resume playback, when the connection is restored.
I can confirm this. I often drive in an area where the mobile signal is weak (or even lost) in some parts (deep valleys, rural and mountain areas). AntennaPod is the only application (on my phone of course) that has problems with (small?) buffer and resuming playing after the signal is back.
Don’t understand me wrong. I’m a big fan of AntennaPod and congratulations to the team.