TampaRLX-SH

I specifically switched to an Android Galaxy Note 4 to leverage the Acuralink Apps, Aha and Pandora with my RLX.

I have since learned that Android platform is constantly being pushed updates as well as the apps. As a result I find inconsistency in the use of the apps, specifically Pandora.

Does anyone else experience these symptoms?

1) Periodically it seems to drop the streaming and freezes with 'No Data' on the touchscreen. Sometimes it will boot up again, if I wait a minute or longer. Usually I have to reboot the phone.

2) I get skipping in the music play. I uninstalled Pandora, cleared cache and even pulled the battery. The skipping sometimes is there, sometimes not.

3) If I try to jump stations too frequently it drops or locks up ('No Data')

4) As I mentioned once before the Note 4 Bluetooth also transmits the alert chimes through the stereo. The sound level will drop down, play the chime of the alert, and sometimes it returns to the normal volume, sometimes not. If I raise the volume to compensate, the next alert chime will blast the volume after the chime. This seems to be an issue with the Android Bluetooth Streaming on the Note 4. It does not transmit alert tones when the HFL is in use, or when the HDD, FMHD or other audio sources are in place. Pandora, and Aha are the primary streaming apps I utilize.

5) It seems to have increased in the past two weeks and I have received several Pandora updates during this time.

I am pretty certain it is either the Android Bluetooth Streaming and / or the Pandora app. Previously I had no issues and it worked fine after the car was delivered. I make it a habit to reboot the phone before I get into the car, especially on days when I am in and out of the car multiple times.

Any Android users with similar experiences or observations?

TampaRLX-SH

I guess I am the only Android user streaming Pandora???

But if anyone has 'skipping' issues with streaming audio on Samsung devices I believe I found the cause (and solution / work around).

It appears that when the phone goes into sleep mode, the clock speed of the processor drops, preventing it to keep up with BT Streaming speed. Apparently this is inherent to all Samsung devices and a major flaw if you ask me. With BT headsets and music users, Samsung best get on it.

Now for my solution / work around. You need to run an app that keeps the screen on (awake). Best if you find an app that has low power usage. I found some timer apps but what I like is an app called Keep Screen On! It allows you to toggle it on and off and has setting to keep the screen at dim setting. I used it today and no skipping or crashing of Pandora! Further, there was negligible power use.

Malibu Flyer

Tampa,

I use an iPhone but I find the Pandora or other music played through the phone to work much better when you plug into the usb port rather than using bluetooth for music streaming. It is just a better connection and keeping it plugged in keeps the phone charged. Using bluetooth seems to take more battery.

Also, isn't there a place to change the "sleep" function? Once again on iPhones you can set the sleep function to several times or turn it off completely. I can't believe that Android/Samsung doesn't have the same settings.

Am I missing something?

TampaRLX-SH

You are mostly on point with your logic Malibu. Except:

The timeout on the Note 4 only goes as long as 30 minutes. If you are on a longer drive, you would have to fidget with the phone while driving.

And on the Android platform, the Samsung Galaxy series phones only connect with Pandora via BT. You can plug in the USB for charging. I typically get 18 hours out of my Note 4, so I have yet to drain the battery with car use.

Malibu Flyer

So no way to turn off the sleep function on your Samsung?

I guess your work around is fine and gets the job done but incompatibility when the phone is plugged in seems like a software/design problem that needs fixing. The whole world isn't made up of only Apple. I like their products but if things only work for them they are ignoring lots of customers who, like Tampa, happen to use android. Bluetooth just isn't as efficient a way to connect for music streaming. I noticed a big difference when using Amazon Music. At first I only connected via bluetooth. The performance was much better when I plugged the phone in and used the Ipod button.

pcloadletter

Try unchecking screen auto-lock in advance setting in the Pandora app. This should keep it awake. While you're advance settings, make sure higher quality audio is checked.

On the Nexus 5x, I stream Pandora using the Bluetooth input while running Waze and YaV1. I can still skip songs using the steering wheel controls and receive alerts from Waze.

TampaRLX-SH

^^^ Thanks for the tip! I will certainly test it out tomorrow. I already had high quality checked but was unaware of the screen lock disable. It sounds like that is for the very purpose I described.

getakey

make sure the little red light is green

George Knighton

With your iPhone, you get a higher bitrate over the iPod connection, so I do the same thing.

I don't know if Pandora provides a higher bitrate for Android over USB, but it's worth trying.

George Knighton

No. Not the whole world.

Just the part of the world you'll want to be in.

TampaRLX-SH

I tested it out today. It worked...kinda. When I got in the car, Pandora loaded up and played until the screen timed out. Began skipping. Then I launched Pandora on the phone and the screen stayed on with Pandora "Accessory" screen active. No skipping. Sound quality great.

It still requires user intervention and not simple plug and play. I am glad it is not a car issue, but inherent to Samsung Galaxy series phones. But I find more benefit using Keep Screen On! App. 1) This app permits you to set the screen to DIM so very little power is used. 2) For some unknown reason, when I use this app, my audio alerts (txts, email, calendar alerts) no longer transmit through the stereo (YAY!) nor lower the audio volume when doing so. It is not listed as a feature of the app.

So with a finger swipe to toggle the app on....I can live with.

Very odd. Very weird. Very poorly tested.

Oh, and Pandora on the Note 4 (AT&T) does NOT work with USB connection to the RLX.

TampaRLX-SH

Just an update.....

The issue I was experiencing with Pandora skipping or locking is indeed a Samsung Galaxy series issue with BT streaming. I have found it common on the android forums.

The issue is that once the phone goes into sleep mode, the processor clock speed slows and cannot keep up with BT streaming causing the skipping or the app locking up.

The cure was the 'Keep Screen On' app I installed. It toggles on and off easily and has an icon in the notifications bar. Using the 'dim' setting has not made noticeable battery drain. But now with the phone not sleeping, I can put it in the console and connect the USB power line if it were an issue. Before I had to have access to the phone to fiddle with waking the phone.

And I also found a cure for the phone alert tones (including vibrate) transmitting through the stereo. Put the phone in MUTE (no vibrating alert) and no rings and dings will play through the stereo.

I must be the only person encountering this, as I see no other mentions of it.