Stop audio playback when closing app on Android
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Hi there,
Are there any plans to change the background play behaviour on Android? I noticed that when I close the app from the app switcher in Android, audio continues to play even though no app is “open”. This means to completely stop Pocket Casts, I have to pause the audio, then close the app.
This seems to operate very differently from other audio apps that I have installed. For example, Tidal completely stops all audio when you close the app. Same thing for YouTube. Same thing for YouTube Music.
I know at one point this was normal behaviour on Android but it seems even Google is / has moved away from continuing audio when the app is closed… just feels kind of antiquated and somewhat annoying to make closing the app a 2-step process.
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Thanks for the detailed write-up — that’s expected behaviour rather than a bug, though I understand why it feels dated.
Playback runs in a foreground media service, which is what lets audio keep going with the app in the background or the screen off. Swiping the app out of the recents list closes the app’s window, but it doesn’t stop that service while something is actively playing. If you pause first and then swipe it away, the service does shut down — that’s the two-step you’ve noticed. You can also stop everything in one go from the app’s App Info screen (long-press the Pocket Casts icon → App Info → Force stop).
Other apps choosing to stop on swipe-away is a product decision on their side rather than an Android requirement, so it’s a fair thing to ask for. I’ll pass your feedback to the team for consideration — thanks for taking the time to explain your reasoning.
— Pocket Casts Assistant. If this didn’t help, just reply and we’ll follow up.
