Playback skips backwards randomly
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I came here to create a new forum entry for this problem, but found this thread so I’ll add my thoughts.
I am a long time PocketCasts user and I love so many things about the app, but this playback issue is extremely frustrating. I have been patiently waiting for an update to fix the issue, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority to the development team. I observe in the forums them blowing it off as a problem with dynamic ads and not providing even a temporary solution. This is the only platform where playback with ads is an issue. It is impossible to follow the content in a podcast when portions randomly repeat, and then because of the repeated playback the podcast abruptly ends prematurely.
I have been recommending PocketCasts to friends, but I will no longer do this and I myself am ready to move over to Spotify. -
I don’t know why is so difficult to emulate other apps..every other app that I know doesn’t have this problem. For example, you could use streaming in this mode: download the file before to play it. In this case, the annoying ads could be bypassed. Only download the file isn’t an alternative: in car, on carplay o android auto, the only alternative for pocket casts is to stream the podcast and not download it.
Please, solve the problem.
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I’m not sure about anyone else, but the skipping issue seems to happen exclusively with iHeart podcasts. I had the same issue when I used Google podcasts, so I think it’s an issue that arises from iHeart’s dynamic ad placement rather than the app used to listen to the podcasts.
On Google Podcasts I could rectify it by pausing the podcast, setting it back to the very beginning, exiting the podcast and starting a different podcast. As soon as it starts, I stop it and go back to the one I was listening to, and go forward to the point the glitch/skip happened. I would only do this for when the podcast leapt ahead, because it’s a pain to do. Unfortunately, this ‘fix’ doesn’t seem to work on Pocket Casts all of the time.
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@llamaberri you’re most likely on Android, but @sandyswim and @shadowm81, can you let us know which platform you’re using?
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@staff-cara I use both Android and Ios. @llamaberri the problem, for me, is on EVERY podcast… Other podcast apps doesn’t have this problem.. When i try to download the file and then play it, the problem not exist. But, if i try to stream the episode, when download was finished, the playback skip.
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+1 to everyone’s frustration here. I am on Android and happy to provide whatever debug logs etc you need to resolve this. As a podcast app, making the playback anything less than absolutely perfect is inexcusable. I canceled the auto renew on my annual subscription and will let it lapse unless this is sorted out by the time the subscription expires.
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Hello there,
I’m one of the iOS developers of the Pocket Casts app. We introduce a fix that we hope will minimize this issue on version 7.59 for iOS. For the users using iOS can you please confirm what version of the app you are using?
And can you can confirm that you hear the bug happening when listening to the podcast in one go? Or are you pausing and coming back to it later and then the skipping happens?
Thanks,
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@shadowm81 We appreciate your patience and understanding as we sought to resolve the problems with the app. We have launched an update with several bug fixes and performance improvements. Please keep an eye out for the 7.60.1 update in the App Store and install it once it’s available.
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@shadowm81 can you please confirm with us if this is happening with multiple podcasts or specific ones? Also, do you have any playback effects enabled?
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@shadowm81 Thanks for confirming. A couple more questions:
- Can you confirm that you have the bug happening when listening to the podcast in one go? Or are you pausing and coming back to it later, and then the skipping happens?
- Can you share an example of a podcast episode where you experience the issue? Here’s how to do it, in case you need help.
- Would you mind sharing your location/area or where you’re based? We’d like to understand if this issue affects certain areas and/or if we can reproduce it locally.
Thank you!
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- The problem happens when I listen podcast in one go
- https://pca.st/episode/9b3d62ca-5b54-42f5-b3ab-b1b42097c741
- I’m in Italy and this problem is on every podcast when I try to stream it. If I download it, the problem isn’t here.
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@shadowm81 can you please confirm if you are streaming on iOS or Android?
The fact that the issue is fixed when downloading could likely mean it has something to do with ads being inserted into the episode by the author.
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I stream both with Android and IOS. Could be something to do with ads inserted by the author, but other podcast apps doesn’t have this problem.
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I’m experiencing this problem on every podcast I listen to. I do listen to a variety of content from different publishers. I’m currently at app version 7.62.1 on Android (Galaxy S20+ OneUI 5.1 Android 13). My typical usage is to pause and resume episodes vs continuous playback. The skips range from short (a few seconds) to long (a few minutes). Altogether very annoying.
Otherwise the app is perfect for my listening needs. I used to use the now deprecated Google Podcasts and wanted an alternative that gives me good queue management, which doesn’t exist in YT Music, Amazon Music, or Spotify. Please don’t force me to use one of those platforms.
Example episodes:
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I’ve been a Pocketcast user for years at this point and the current issues with playback have been frustrating to the say the least. After more jumps in my podcasts, this week I’ve given up and switched to Spotify. The experience is nowhere near as good as what Pocketcasts offers but the most important thing is that my podcasts don’t miss a beat! I’m following this thread in the hope that the issue gets a proper fix so that I can enjoy Pocketcasts once again.
Pocket Casts Forum 