[1.0.0.70/82][0.7.9]Inaudible volume levels after notification triggers audio ducking

[RRL]

Since the latest update on the Spotify app the music will no longer get interrupted by notifications. This functionality is far from useful when using other apps simultaneously.

Often I use Spotify in the car in combination with my GPS and an app which warns me (legally) for speed traps. Before the update Spotify briefly paused for a GPS instruction or an alarm for a speed trap, which made them clearly noticable.

The apps in this case are Sygic and FlitsNav (Dutch). They use respectively the media volume and alarm volume, both are giving problems.
- The media volume is briefly lowered when Sygic has an instruction. Because Sygic uses this volume too, the instruction volume is lowered as well. This makes that the instructions are pronounced on a lower volume than normally and let the music kick in hard again after the barely audible instructions.
- FlitsNav uses the alarm volume, the same as used for the alarm clock. Even though the warnings are noticable, they are far less clear than they used to be. This makes that this app becomes far less affective compared to a total interruption of the music.

Is there a possibility to have the music interrupted for notifications again?

Phone: Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini
Android version: 4.1.2 (latest)
Spotify version: Latest update (automatically installed on April 10, 2014)
Sygic version: 13.4.2
FlitsNav version: 3.0.4

EDIT: I amended the subject/title to distinguish theis thread from http://community.spotify.com/t5/Help-Android/Music-interrupted-by-notification-ring/m-p/235200#U2352...

EDIT: Temporary solution here: http://community.spotify.com/t5/Help-Android/1-0-0-70-0-7-9-Inaudible-volume-levels-after-notificati...

[redrum21]

Please.... I don't understand this mistake AT ALL because IT WAS NOT TESTED.... any simple test would have shown the error right away.  So when you say mistakes happen, I agree, but testing MUST BE DONE before releasing any updates, and this CLEARLY was not done.

[Eradicatore]

redrum21,

   Clearly the engineers didn't understand audio ducking, and I'm sure they tested this with alerts and notifications.  Those are a different audio stream with their own volume setting.  

There is a simple reason they didn't catch this issue.  They never thought "media" stream could interrupt "media" stream.  That coupled with the fact that they didn't know about a major test case like navigation means they just dropped the ball.  Note that if you do a quick and dirty test audio does appear to duck with navigation also.  Its just that they turned the wrong knob.  They turned the GLOBAL media volume.  Not just their media volume.  So the engineer testing just didn't understand what ducking is, and didn't know what to look for when he tested it.  And depending on the environment you're listening in (studio or a noisy car) you can still hear the nav overlay. 

So I have no problem with how this was missed.  S... happens.  Requirements aren't always understood.  Test cases aren't always complete.  At least we're not life and death on the moon here, or losing a mars lander because of meters versus feet.  🙂

[damntourists]

We're beating a dead horse now. We are all aware what should have happened. Throwing internet tantrums won't make their devs work any faster.

[RichardBronosky]

My original message is now buried so I'm going to post a reminder:

I have found the apk for version 0.7.8.566. I have scanned it with Lookout Security and installed it. It works for me and restores the app to the state that it was in before the bug was introduced.

The downside is that you have to uninstall the version you have and lose your offline/downloaded content. It's easy enough to redownload, but if you don't have access to WiFi this may be a problem.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/310759/u/Spotify_0.7.8.566_com.spotify.mobile.android.ui.apk

[Koeniekoenie]

Thanks for the older APK. I will indeed try installing it. The new UI will be lost, but at least it works 😛

Another problem I am experiencing since the latest update is a constant high pitched beep when connected to my car. Google Play All Access doesn't suffer from it.

[mehau]

Today I have checked how Deezer app works with notificications.

Notifications and music have the same volume, but not lowered.

Suprisingly this combination is fully understandable and is good enough for me.

Maybe such behaviour might be a work around/solution for Spotify developers?

[smashed]

I'm here to pile on. I go to LA for work occasionally and when I start getting close to my destination, I have to kill the music to hear the directions. This is with both BT and wired audio patch cord plugged into car's Aux port.

Phone is HTC One, Android 4.4.2, Spotify 1.0.0.82, on Verizon, Premium account with a not Facebook login.

Edited to add: Wow it's been over a month and also a new release came out and this critical bug hasn't been addressed? 😞 That's pretty bad. If it's not fixed on my next trip to LA, Spotify will get itself fired. Someone already mentioned Deezer. Heck, I'd rather suffer Pandora again so I can hear my Google Navigation directions. 

[Matze · Accepted solution]

Just got an update from the Play Store (1.0.1.981): at least according to the changelog it should be fixed now. I didn't have time to test it yet.

[Daniel]

Suggest people checkout the latest changelog on the Play Store 😉

[Grib8s]

thanks for the work !

I've not tried this for the moment, but I'm sure you've made it 😉

[robo251]

I tried it and it's working properly now for me (with Tomtom but should work for other apps too)! At last. Thanks to the hard working developers! 🙂

[Grib8s]

tested with waze. Works perfectly !

Many thanks spotify 🙂

[lachie_h]

Confirmed working on my phone too. Finally.

You know what I find ironic about this? There is still no update from the spotify team. I only found out that there is a new version because if this thread.

The spotify staff surely would have known that this version was going live and still not even a peep to say "we have resolved this issue in the beta channel and we will be releasing it soon after a bit more testing."

Thanks for fixing the issue, Spotify, but you really need to work on your absolutely pathetic communication.

[user-removed]

Who dares press the 'solved' button again ;-)?

[Havoc70]

This has now been fixed on my device as well. Tested with Waze and Maps.

Subscription renewed.  Though it would have been nice for someone from Spotify to respond here. Regardless, it's fixed, and I'm good with that.

[flyingACE]

Just got the notification that spotify had an update. I tested waze while walking the dog and it appears they fixed the ducking issue. TODAYS release of version 1.0.1.984 is the fix!!!

[Darwa]

Now working as intended, but the battery drain has seriously increased, with Spotify taking up 57% of the battery drain on a 2 hour drive, whereas it would be around 5-10% usually. 

I've rebooted now and reinstalled from scratch, so maybe that'll help 😕

[CodeeCB]

Thank you! Now please add chromecast support.

[M25]

@CodeeCB

you may be interested in this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nop.spoticast

Also, thank you spotify devs, I too can confirm the fix.

[cHagHi]

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@M25 wrote:

@CodeeCB

you may be interested in this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nop.spoticast

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Sorry, but any "solution" that relays on the phone for actually streaming Spotify, is not proper Chromecast support. Kudos to the Spoticast developer, and I know he has done as much as he could with the current Spotify API and libs, but the biggest selling point of Chromecast is that I can even turn off my phone if I want to, and I'm not wasting bandwith and battery while casting.

Spoticast might be a nice hack for some, but It's not proper Chromecast support. And it is not developed, supported or endorsed by Spotify. And you must give to a third party app your full Spotify credentials (username and password). And it works only on Android. And so on.

Please, can all the Spoticast fans just stop promoting it as something it is not? Thank you!