Muted audio on next track VLC 3.1.2 on iOS 12

[dwh]

Playing a music album in the background (i.e. screen is blank) causes the next track in the list to be muted. The sound returns if you wake the screen up (to the lock screen). The lock screen music app shows that the track has still been playing, just without sound. The sound returns immediately on waking. It seems to always occur regardless of track length. I only noticed this after upgrading to iOS 12; not sure if it was this or a VLC update, though.

Also just tested in iOS 12.0.1 with same result.

[dwh]

Update: problem persists in VLC version 3.1.3

[fkuehne]

Thanks for the report. We will have a look!

[klwk]

same here, iPhone SE IOS 12.0.1, VLC 3.13, no sound when playing next song, unless turn on screen. But there is no problem when I use bluetooth headset.

[Knallemannen]

Hi, I was actually using VLC on iOS for Live Performances and since this bug/feature came around I have had to change player entirely.
I really hope there will be an update soon which addresses this issue!

Thanks!

[Pygmy]

I have the exact same problem since updating to iOS 12.0.1 (skipped previous update to 12). Using VLC for iOS 3.1.3.

[DudeZer0]

Got the same problem when i switched to ios 12 & vlc 3.1.3.
Only when plugged in the mini jack. While using bluetooth the problem does not occur.

[gerov]

Same problem on iphone SE, ios 10.2.1, VLC 3.1.4 and m4a/mp4 audiofiles with cover and aac codec

P.S. Also in MKA files vlc don't show cover

[patpatriot]

Same problem here on iphone 7 plus since ios 12 update. Next track is playing, but with no sound. No problem on bluetooth, just headphone jack.

[Carola]

could you give me step by steps to reproduce.
I tried it here with iPhone X iOS 12.1, headphones plugged in, background the app and have an album also m4a files. I skip to next song in the album from the lock screen and I have sound.
I'd love to fix it but struggle to reproduce it. btw I also have sound if I just let it play and it goes to the next song automatically

[dwh]

VLC 3.1.4, iOS 12.1.1 iPhone SE, bluetooth turned off, standard headphones plugged in, 'raise to wake' turned off.

This occurs for mp3 and m4a files. I have not tried any other file types. It also happens with bluetooth turned on (although I have not tried bluetooth headphones), and also if the iPhone speakers are used instead of headphones.

Oddly, it does not always occur; sometimes the next track jumps into life at some point during the track (including right at the beginning). I have not been able to correlate this with anything, except, perhaps, some loud point in the track.

Although it works on music albums, to reproduce it I would first try some spoken tracks.

I tried deleting an album where I knew there was a problem, then copying the same album from another computer back to the iPhone. I played across the transition between two tracks where I knew there was always this problem. The problem had gone! I have not tried this with other albums yet - this one had been copied to the VLC folder before the iOS 12 update. However, copying a new album across now still suffers from this problem, so it is not a solution.

Lastly, to copy albums from a computer to the iPhone, I first copy the album folder to iCloud, then using the 'Files' app on the iPhone copy (as a complete folder) from iCloud to the VLC folder. So, the albums I have tested this on are in subfolders within the VLC app folder. I have not tried an album within the main VLC folder, only within a subfolder.

[p3kka]

This error still exists on iOS 12.1.4 / VLC 3.1.6
This thread is all i found about it via google.
Is there any workaround? Is there anybody working on this?
Its annoying af.

[dwh]

I also still have this problem in the latest versions of iOS and VLC.

There is no workaround that I can find (apart from reformatting an album into a single mp3 file). However, I am now getting quite adept at waking my phone up at the end of each track of an album.

[cvmiller]

I am also "hearing" this problem on an iPhone 6 with VLC 3.1.6 iOS 12.1.4, playing Ogg files.

I suspect it is the OS that is shutting down speaker/headphones when the track ends, since VLC is still playing. I am hoping the Devs can reproduce this problem, as others have mentioned, it is irritating.

[cvmiller]

I have created a BUG ticket for this issue, as I saw no other ticket for this issue, and clearly people have been seeing it for the past 6 months. Feel free to comment on the ticket. Please give iOS, VLC, and iPhone version info to help the Devs.

https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/22021#ticket

[unidan]

Hi, actually the ticket already exists here: https://code.videolan.org/videolan/vlc-ios/issues/339

[dwh]

Details of a recent experiment, as this problem persists in the latest versions of VLC and iOS. (I have only tested this on an iPhone SE with either headphones (3.5mm jack ones) or using the iPhone internal speaker.) I extracted a few half-hour m4a files from some youtube videos and edited the tags so that they formed an album (put into a subfolder in the VLC folder in the Files app). Then I left the album to play it in the background (screen off). After the first track, the following 6 (3 hours+) were silent, after which I woke up the phone. The 'current' track then could be heard. Looking in the VLC app, the tracks that had been completely mute were still showing as 'New' whereas the first and seventh (when I woke up the phone) showed finite playing time. (I assume the bug is already known where the playback time position on the lock screen music app does not sync with the time shown by VLC; the only way to sync them is to pause the playback on the lock screen - the progress bar then skips to the 'correct' point.)

The effect remains a difficult one to quantify as, occasionally, the next track plays immediately even when the screen is blank; sometimes it is silent for a few seconds and then comes to life; other times, as above, the silence lasts until you wake the phone up. I have still found no pattern to this behaviour.

[mirancar]

i have 2x iphone SE, they both have the same problem

also sometimes it will actually work and not mute it self. I am trying to find out a pattern but failing, there is no logic
the steps to reproduce is (on speaker or 3.5mm jack, dont know about bluetooth):
-make a folder
-put some songs inside
-play song, put song to around 30 sec before it ends
-lock screen
-the next song will be muted
if it does not happen (sometimes it really does not), then try it again
I would really like to see this fixed :/ I am failing to find a normal simple working free music player. Apple music and google music have failed me and vlc has this bug, while the other features are appealing!

[dwh]

Update: problem persists in VLC version 3.1.8 and iOS version 12.2

[wilfric]

I have the same problem. I suspect it is due to some problem with the audio jack because if I just use the iphone's speakers it plays the next item fine regardless of the state of the phone. Please please fix it.

[buconjak]

iPhone SE same here, iOS 12.3.1 and VLC.
So bug goes like this: album sound stops at next track when iPhone locked, stays in pocket and headphones jack used. Time muted sound varies from 2 to 30 sec of next track. I think this is iOS auto wake screen when move device in hand thing.

Until this bug resolves listen one track album.

[klwk]

seems solved? updated to iOS 12.4.1, no more this problem, works fine now.