Android Auto has no option to refresh at all
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Hi, I’m considering migrating to Pocket Casts with the impending Google Podcasts deprecation.
The problem I have is there is no automatic or manual refresh available on Android Auto when I run Pocket Casts. Google Podcasts always refreshes the newest podcasts available when I connect the phone to the car.
There was another thread here several months ago with a similar issue, but this references a “settings” button in Pocket Casts which is not even visible on my car:
This is on a 2018 Audi. There is no touch screen, so movements in Android Auto are done through a manual scroll wheel.
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To clarify, if it wasn’t clear, Pocket Casts only shows the podcasts from the last time I opened the app on my phone, and there is no way to get updated ones while in Android Auto.
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I have a few questions I hope will get this resolved for you:
- When you say ” Pocket Casts only shows the podcasts from the last time I opened the app on my phone” do you mean you are listening to Pocket Casts on a different device and your Android phone doesn’t show the podcasts you are currently listening to on that device?
- Have you been able to check if the trouble could be your phone switching from home wifi to celluar as described in the thread you linked?
Ifound out that the problem was that the app would load on my phone and try to sync as my phone was switching from my home’s wifi to my cellular connection and, for that reason, the sync would be delayed - What happens if you wait for a minute or two before starting playback after you get into the vehicle?
If there are any other details you can provide on what you’re seeing versus what you’re expecting that would be most helpful.
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Hi,
Thank you for your assistance.
- No. I use PocketCasts only on my Android phone. The same phone is plugged into Android Auto. There is never a refresh of podcasts initiated from Android Auto. Whatever podcasts were on the phone the last time I ran the app (could be days or weeks ago) are the only podcasts available.
- There is no connection issue I can detect. It is basically always on cellular at the time I plug in.
- It doesn’t seem to matter how long the phone is plugged in and Android Auto is running. PocketCasts never updates unless I open the app on the phone directly.
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@wayneislo Just so we have a better idea of what you might be seeing on your Audi, can you please share the following with us?
- The OS version on your device – you can usually find this from your phone’s Settings
- Your Android Auto version – you can usually search for this in the phone’s Settings too, and it will often be in the “About” section
- Your Pocket Casts app version – you can see this from the Pocket Casts app’s Profile > Settings (gear icon) > About
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OS = Android 11, on a Samsung S10e
Android auto version = 10.9.634644-release
Pocket Casts version = 7.54
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Thanks for that, @wayneislo! Can you see if you have an update for Android Auto? For example, on my phone, the one I have is 11.0.635034.
Then, can you see if you now have the option to scroll to the “Refresh Now” section of our Android Auto app?
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Hi,
Thank you for sharing your AA version. I found that my phone oddly had not been notifying me that AA had many updates available.
Unfortunately after updating to 11.0.635054, I find I still do not have a “refresh now” section. Is there a picture/screenshot of this available to confirm?
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Hi @wayneislo
Android Auto does not have a Refresh Button, and the refreshing is done on your device itself.
Please ensure that your device has Pocket Casts set to ‘unrestricted‘ battery usage. Once your device is able to sync and refresh in the background, then Android Auto should be able to reflect those changes too.
I hope that this helps 👍
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Thank you for the suggestion about the battery usage. I’ve checked and I believed it is set to unrestricted. Still having this behavior of no updates showing when connected to Android Auto. :(
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Hi @wayneislo,
Just so we’re on the same page, would you confirm that the Podcast feeds are refreshing on your Android mobile Pocket Casts app?
Then, once connected to Android Auto, would you check if the list of Podcasts shown on Android auto are same as the ones on your mobile app?
Please note, Android Auto is Google’s in-car infotainment solution where your phone projects the UI into your car’s infotainment system. Audio apps like Pocket Casts aren’t allowed to draw their own UI, rather we pick from templates supplied by Google.
Perhaps you’re looking for a user interface that doesn’t exist in Android Auto?
In case you missed it, here is a full help guide on Android Auto and screenshots for your reference.
Android Auto
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Yes, podcasts feeds refresh on the Pocketcasts Android app without issue, on my phone.
The issue is that they do not automatically refresh when I connect the phone to Android Auto. If I haven’t run the app first, and downloaded new podcast listings, Android Auto will only show whatever old podcasts were last refreshed.
I am comparing this behavior to that of Google Podcasts, the app that will stop functioning in 2 days. Whenever I run that app in Android Auto, it will automatically refresh the list of podcasts without any intervention.
I have the expectation that podcast apps would automatically refresh their listing of podcasts, when connected to Android Auto. Is this not the case? Is Google Podcast some sort of unique app that has this behavior?
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@wayneislo I’m a bit confused with this:
The issue is that they do not automatically refresh when I connect the phone to Android Auto. If I haven’t run the app first, and downloaded new podcast listings, Android Auto will only show whatever old podcasts were last refreshed.
I thought you were using Pocket Casts on another device, and would expect the Pocket Casts on your Android Auto would catch up on any progress from the other devices.
But previously, you mentioned:
No. I use PocketCasts only on my Android phone. The same phone is plugged into Android Auto. There is never a refresh of podcasts initiated from Android Auto. Whatever podcasts were on the phone the last time I ran the app (could be days or weeks ago) are the only podcasts available.
So, I assumed you only use Pocket Casts on your mobile device and your car’s Android Auto, is that correct?
Are you saying that when you link your phone to your car’s Android Auto, the Pocket Casts in your Android Auto doesn’t display the same state on your phone’s Pocket Casts app immediately?
Does it show a different (older) Up Next queue or fail to display newer episodes for a podcast?
If you open the Pocket Casts on your mobile device after connecting, does it eventually trigger the sync?
Additionally, do you connect your phone to your car via Bluetooth or with a cable?
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Hello again.
Yes, I use Pocket Casts only on my primary mobile device and the car’s Android Auto.
Android Auto DOES display the same state as the phone’s Pocket Cast at the time of the last refresh, immediately.
But Android Auto doesn’t initiate a refresh of the most current podcasts. This does not occur, no matter how long I wait after loading Pocket Casts on AA.
If I open Pocket Casts by itself, not connected to Android Auto, it does trigger a refresh immediately.
I connect to AA via a cable.
I have not yet tried opening Pocket Casts (on the phone) while connected to Android Auto, but I can. I really hope this isn’t necessary, as wouldn’t this extra step defeat the purpose of having Android Auto integration?
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@wayneislo, can you clarify this part further for us, especially the part that says “doesn’t initiate a refresh of the most current podcasts”?
Android Auto DOES display the same state as the phone’s Pocket Cast at the time of the last refresh, immediately.
But Android Auto doesn’t initiate a refresh of the most current podcasts. This does not occur, no matter how long I wait after loading Pocket Casts on AA.
What are you expecting to see in Android Auto? For example, do you mean you are not getting new episodes from your podcasts/shows on Android Auto?
Android Auto is only supposed to mirror what you already have on your Android app.
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I am expecting Android Auto to show Pocket Casts with all the latest podcasts at the moment. It does not. It only displays the list of podcasts the last time I actively ran Pocket Casts on the phone.
It sounds like, from what you’re saying, that this is what it is supposed to do. And it will not signal a refresh for newer podcasts. I think that’s unfortunate.
Google Podcasts, and their current implentation on Youtube Music, will immediately refresh the latest podcasts after opening up their Android Auto connection. I am searching for a podcast app that mimics this behavior.
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Yes, you’re right. What you’re describing is what the expected behavior is for the app currently.
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Jumping onto this topic because it is related though a little different (let me know if I should start a new thread). I am a former user but am considering switching back.
I just want to note that Android Auto can be standalone and doesn’t require a connected device. I have a car that has built-in Android Auto and I used to use Pocket Casts on it. I am connected to the same Google account, so Pocket Casts is on both devices independently showing my same account data.
Consider the following scenario: I haven’t driven my car yet today so my Android Auto Pocket Casts has yesterday’s data loaded and my progress from yesterday synced. That morning I get new podcasts on my phone and make progress on anything I was listening to.
It was annoying to get in my car and have Pocket Casts not refresh automatically. Usually it would just start playing where I was last time I drove the car. To see any new podcasts, I found a trick to where I had to list the recent episodes twice to force a refresh. Clumsy to do when driving. Even then, progress sync was still an issue.
My expectation would be when I start my car, Pocket Casts is either up-to-date or would be able to know to get up-to-date. I understand there could be delay there because the app may not already be running, but I shouldn’t have to do a clumsy workaround and manually try to advance to my new progress spot because auto refresh and sync don’t work.
Obviously I’m speaking a bit vaguely here as I’m not a current user, but if these kinds of problems are fixed I’d probably switch back. It sounds like my other major issue with sporadic playback skipping might finally be fixed.
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I just want to note that Android Auto can be standalone and doesn’t require a connected device. I have a car that has built-in Android Auto and I used to use Pocket Casts on it. I am connected to the same Google account, so Pocket Casts is on both devices independently showing my same account data.
@thomasjwhitee51821f61c It sounds like you have the Android Automotive instead:
Android Automotive
Unlike Android Auto, Android Automotive operates independently of your smartphone, offering a fully integrated solution right from your vehicle’s dashboard. In contrast, Android Auto requires connecting your smartphone to your car.
If your issue is with the Android Automotive app, instead of Android Auto, isn’t synced, then we can look into it. Please start a new thread and we’ll be happy to help you from there.
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Ok so when I first started using pocketcasts, it would refresh automatically, I would get in, it would connect to android auto and the latest pods would be there. Great.
That has now stopped as of a few months ago…what good is android auto if I have to pull my phone out and navigate the app anyway…..so lack of functionality here is negating the benefit of the auto platforms…
Has the Pocketcast team sorted what might be causing that issue yet?
Pocket Casts Forum 