[Android 4.4] Strange sounds when screen is touched

[JohnGregory]

Description: After upgrading Android to Kit Kat on my Nexus 7 (2012) and streaming music online from
my premium Spotify account (which I access via WiFi) or playing back music downloaded to my tablet
and then send to my stereo receiver via Bluetooth in either case, there are odd sounds that happen
whenever I touch the screen. This occurs if I touch an icon to open another app or a browser, to skip
to the next track or even if I touch a blank area of the screen. The noise is a rapid series of tones
or beeps that lasts a two or three seconds.

Steps taken: I tried to reproduce the problem by playing back music from Google Play and the problem
did not occur. The problem did not occur either when streaming from Pandora. Then I restarted Spotify
and went to settings, Audio effects. When I turned off the equalizer, the sounds still occurred when
I touched the screen UNTIL I skipped to the next track. After that, all tracks play and no strange
sounds occur. If, however, I go back to settings and touch the menu item Audio effects again, the
sounds return. They stay until I skip to the next track and then all is well.

I have 2 GB of storage space left on my device.Af
My mobile Spotify version is 0.7.3.629.g3619d704
Mu user name is 1262868260

[Joe]

Hi. I'm going to see if I can reproduce this on my Nexus 7 (2012). Just a thought......do you get the same issue when listening without using bluetooth?

[Joe]

Hi, it's me again. I can replicate the issue but only over bluetooth.If you could confirm it is the same for you, I'll escalate to the spotify staff.

My system:

Nexus 7 (2012)

Android 4.4 build KRT16S

Spotify 0.7.2.402

Steps to reproduce

Connect a bluetooth output device and start music playing

In spotify settings, touch audio effects - audio oscillation occurs

Touching anything after that causes the same sound

Fix

Skip to next track

[JohnGregory]

Hi,

I can confirm that it is the same with me. In addition, after I disconnect from Bluetooth so that the sound is coming from my Nexus 7 only, the audio oscillation does not occur.

In terms of your fix, however, the skip to next track does not stop the oscillation for me until I have turned off the equalizer in audio effects, then returned to whatever track I was playing and THEN skip to the next track.

[Joe]

Ah OK, thanks. I don't actually use the equalizer so I missed that. I'm escalating this to the spotify staff.

[JohnGregory]

I didn't really know that the equalizer was on to begin with. I guess that it comes enabled by default.

[Greg]

Thanks for reporting this guys, you've given us some really helpful information.

I've let the team know about this bug and they're looking into it.

[Peter__]

Is this still happening on the most recent update guys?

[JohnGregory]

I have had a couple of updates since my original post and I still have the problem. I continue to use the work-around of turning off the equalizer.

[Joe]

It's not screaming at me any more.

Spotify 0.7.4.606bunch of characters...

[Joe]

Actually I lied. It just came back but I actually had to go into audio effects and turn them on then off for the oscillations to start. 

[user-removed]

I have the same issue. Recent updates of Spotify do not help. Any action inside Spotify - Search, skip Track, whatever - makes the oscillating sound. Can confirm it only happens when listening over Bluetooth.

I don't know how to turn off the equalizer in Android. One can only choose wich Equalizer app to use, but I find no option to choose none.

[JohnGregory]

eigentor: You turn off the equalizer in Spotify, not Android. Open Spotify in your device, press on Settings, scroll to Audio Effects and set Equalizer to Off.

[JohnBury]

Hi, I have had what seems like the same issue tho it comes on over headphones and device speaker too. I have disabled equaliser and going to next track seems to stop it (so far).

By the way it doesn't seem to be an issue on my Nexus 4/kit kat - same version of OS & Spotify.

[tawoody]

I've been having the same problem since I started using Spotify in the last month! It's annoying to the point where I'm going to stop paying for it! Anytime I'm playing music through Bluetooth, anytime I turn my screen on or off, or use other applications, or randomly in the middle of a song, the music plays a horrible buzzing screechy sound for a second or two then resumes.

Please fix! I don't want to go back to Pandora

HTC One

Bluetooth

Android 4.4.2 via Cyangenmod11

Latest build of Spotify

DSP Manager has ALL settings disabled

[JohnGregory]

While this is not the ideal fix, you can eliminate the noise by opening Spotify in your device, pressing on Settings, scrolling to Audio Effects and setting Equalizer to Off. You then may have to skip to the next track to stop the noise. Then you can join the rest of us waiting for Spotify to give us a definitive solution.

[tawoody]

Hey John, sadly that does not help. My loud buzzing noise is not constant, it just randomly occurs. Sometimes it happens 5 times during 1 song and othertimes it's fine for a few songs.

In Spotify Equalizer settings, it is nicely integrated with Cyanogenmod and instead of seeing the On or Off option, it actually directs me to the built in DSP Manager. But like I said, all settings in DSP Manager are disabled for me.

[JohnGregory]

Hi Tawoody,

I am not familiar with Cyanogenmod or its advantages over the regular Spotify app. Still, would it be possible to replace Cyanogenmod with the latter on a temporary basis while waiting for a fix from Spotify? This is not an elegant solution, but it could eliminate the irritating noise problem.

[JohnGregory]

Oops, I just realized that Cyanogenmod is a mod for Android, not Spotify. So, I'm not sure how relevant my suggestion is.

[tawoody]

Yeah, Cyanogenmod is a complete replament for the stock Android operating system.

And unfortunately, after doing more research, this issue seems to be related to all Android devices running 4.4 and higher and listening to music through bluetooth. So it's not related to Spotify at all. It's happening on different phones and music streaming services like Google Play Music.