Synchronization issues with Chromecast devices on iOS
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I really like Pocket Casts, I even paid for it when it was not yet free. For me, it is the best podcast app out there. There is just one issue I have with it since years: the Chromecast support on iOS.
There are basically three features I’m missing while connected to a Chromecast device (my personal prioritization):
1. Synchronization of the current position when playing an episode
2. Lock Screen control
3. Controlling volume using the OS volume level (inspired by Spotify)I know that, especially on iOS, many developers don’t bother to integrate Chromecast functionality at all. However, there are some good examples of how it might be improved. I assume you are aware of the Spotify integration, but also smaller apps, such as Castbox at least synchronize the position and include lock screen control.
I also understand that energy consumption might increase if Chromecast synchronization is improved. However, it should be up to the user to accept that downside (e.g. by making the feature configurable).
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Hi, @lukasroemer! Let’s go through the Chromecast issues you’ve reported one by one.
1. Synchronization of the current position when playing an episode
Currently, our Chromecast integration works by sending your Chromecast device a URL to play.
Once the URL is sent, the device can stream it, even if you aren’t in the room. Unfortunately, if you go to another app or lock your phone, Pocket Casts is unable to track your progress, which also affects the synchronization of playback position and even the playing of subsequent episodes in the Up Next queue.
This is an issue we’re aware of. For context, we’re only using Google’s built-in receiver for Chromecast. This is in contrast to Spotify, who’s had the resources to build its own Chromecast receivers. We’re rather limited by what Google makes available to us, but we have raised the issue with them. And when an update is available in the Google Cast SDK they provide, we’ll include it in our apps.
In the meantime, as a workaround, you can enable your Pocket Casts app’s “Keep Screen Awake” setting under Profile > Settings icon > General.
2. Lock Screen control
Is your issue that the controls randomly disappear? Or do they not appear for you at all on your phone’s lock screen?
3. Controlling volume using the OS volume level (inspired by Spotify)
This is a bug the developers are aware of: Can’t control volume when chromecasting. We don’t have a timeframe yet for a fix though.
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Thanks for your response, I appreciate it!
I understand that you don’t have the resources that Spotify has, but did you take a look at Castbox, which is also not developed by a large company? They have better synchronization even though the rest of the app concept doesn’t make sense to me.
Regarding the second question: Yes I don’t have Lock Screen controls. They disappear as soon as the podcast episode ist played by the Chromecast device. Frankly, I think this at least is consistent with the first issue (current position not being synchronized), as the Lock Screen controls also show the progress of the episode. What would you show here if you don’t have this info?
Regarding the third question: I think you sent a link to the android repository. On iOS however, as far a I remember, this never worked.
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I forgot to mention that the Google Podcast app also has Lock Screen controls and synchronization. I know it obviously is a big company with a lot more resources. However, since you are using the Google SDK, I wonder how they do it. Don’t they use their own SDK?
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Hi there!
I understand that you don’t have the resources that Spotify has, but did you take a look at Castbox, which is also not developed by a large company? They have better synchronization even though the rest of the app concept doesn’t make sense to me.
Our team will investigate this further and look into making improvements to the way it works :)
Regarding the second question: Yes I don’t have Lock Screen controls. They disappear as soon as the podcast episode ist played by the Chromecast device. Frankly, I think this at least is consistent with the first issue (current position not being synchronized), as the Lock Screen controls also show the progress of the episode. What would you show here if you don’t have this info?
I forgot to mention that the Google Podcast app also has Lock Screen controls and synchronization. I know it obviously is a big company with a lot more resources. However, since you are using the Google SDK, I wonder how they do it. Don’t they use their own SDK?
I can confirm that we have a bug report opened for this, and hope to have it addressed soon! For context, the more reports we receive from other users, the faster this will be addressed. Since our app is open-sourced too, any user from the community will be able to dig into this too.
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