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Random Pauses in Audio since 5.1 update

jsh1120

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I have a problem that has surfaced since installing the latest OS update on my iPad 2. The audio in various apps (Pandora, Slacker, Tune-in and other radio apps) frequently pauses on its own. At first I thought I was having a wifi interference/dropped signal problem. But the wifi is both strong and fast. The router is about three feet away from the iPad and the same apps on my Kindle Fire and Android smartphone (Droid Razr Maxx) don't suffer from the same problem. Even tried changing to the 4G/LTE network with my mobile hotspot as the data source. No dice. Same problem.

My next thought was that notifications were somehow to blame since they typically mute the audio briefly when I receive email or news updates. But I've tried turning off the notifications (even dropped the email accounts to see if they were somehow causing the problem.) Again, no dice. The problem continues. However, it does seem more likely to occur when a notification or calendar update occurs.

In some cases I've found if I leave the iPad alone the problem sometimes fixes itself with the audio returning. But not consistently.


I've only noticed this problem since installation of the latest 5.1 OS update. Given that that update has some audio-related features I'm wondering if that's where the problem lies.


Anyone else having a similar problem?
 

Skull One

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I would try the simplest solution first. Just power off the iPad and then restart it. Test Pandora first without anything else being launched.
 
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jsh1120

jsh1120

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Sorry. I should have mentioned that I've been through a variety of other basic tests including, of course, rebooting the iPad. That doesn't help, either. Moreover, since the problem is not limited to Pandora and I haven't installed any other software since the problem surfaced I'm led back to the hypothesis that it's the 5.1 OS update. It does, however, appear to be frequently, though not exclusively, associated with incoming email, calendar notifications, etc.

P.S. Just because there are so many variables involved in this sort of thing, I followed your suggestion. Rebooted the iPad and started (just) Pandora. Music stopped 30 seconds later when an email came in.
 
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Skull One

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Have you tried doing another back up and then full restore thru iTunes?
 

nychandsome

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My iPad battery life runs very short these days....., or maybe.... I just never really focused on it, what can I do?
 
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jsh1120

jsh1120

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Have you tried doing another back up and then full restore thru iTunes?

No, I haven't. But I have checked the internet for audio problems associated with 5.1 since I last posted and there are some suspicious though not definitive clues. There are numerous complaints and threads dealing with audio drop offs with 5.1. None I've seen exactly match what I'm experiencing but that may be because the vast majority of all reports focus on the iPhone rather than then iPad. At least at the moment it does not appear that the 5.1 "audio" fixes claimed by Apple have resolved all problems and I'm more and more convinced that this is one of them.

Would still be interested to hear if anyone else is experiencing the problem. I've been able to reduce its frequency significantly by eliminating every notification I can find and turning off "push" email but that's not a workable long-term solution.

Update: Well, it appears the problem may have been "solved" by radically reducing the number of notification-enabled apps and eliminating "push" email. I've now gone about 12 hours without sudden, unexpected pausing of audio streams. Not an ideal solution but it does appear that either notifications or email downloading was the culprit.
 
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dgtlfnk

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Not alone!!!

Finally I've found someone else who is not only having this same problem... but has done enough investigation to eliminate some more obvious, yet false solutions.

Yes... I too have this exact issue. And with both my iPad 2 and my iPhone 4. With my iPhone, I use a dock in my car to stream Pandora... and I've found that if I have the audio switch to 'On', so that alert sounds can be heard (sms, email, alerts, etc), Pandora will stop outputting sound (but not stop playing!) when such an alert comes in, until I unplug the cable and plug it back in.

Now, my iPad is doing the same thing... but obviously there's no audio switch as on the iPhone. So when I'm listening to my music (iPod app) or Pandora, while not being connected to anything... just playing through the built-in speaker, the audio will cease playing whenever an alert/email occurs, or even when I type in a text box and my 'tock' sound occurs with keystrokes. And in the iPad's case, I have to press 'pause' on the audio player, and then 'play' again, and the sound returns.

These are both VERY reproduceable. And as you, jsh1120, I am at a loss as to how to prevent it or fix it.

IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!!! >.<
 

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