[1.0.0.70/82][0.7.9]Inaudible volume levels after notification triggers audio ducking

[RRL]

Since the latest update on the Spotify app the music will no longer get interrupted by notifications. This functionality is far from useful when using other apps simultaneously.

Often I use Spotify in the car in combination with my GPS and an app which warns me (legally) for speed traps. Before the update Spotify briefly paused for a GPS instruction or an alarm for a speed trap, which made them clearly noticable.

The apps in this case are Sygic and FlitsNav (Dutch). They use respectively the media volume and alarm volume, both are giving problems.
- The media volume is briefly lowered when Sygic has an instruction. Because Sygic uses this volume too, the instruction volume is lowered as well. This makes that the instructions are pronounced on a lower volume than normally and let the music kick in hard again after the barely audible instructions.
- FlitsNav uses the alarm volume, the same as used for the alarm clock. Even though the warnings are noticable, they are far less clear than they used to be. This makes that this app becomes far less affective compared to a total interruption of the music.

Is there a possibility to have the music interrupted for notifications again?

Phone: Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini
Android version: 4.1.2 (latest)
Spotify version: Latest update (automatically installed on April 10, 2014)
Sygic version: 13.4.2
FlitsNav version: 3.0.4

EDIT: I amended the subject/title to distinguish theis thread from http://community.spotify.com/t5/Help-Android/Music-interrupted-by-notification-ring/m-p/235200#U2352...

EDIT: Temporary solution here: http://community.spotify.com/t5/Help-Android/1-0-0-70-0-7-9-Inaudible-volume-levels-after-notificati...

[user-removed]

@jwylot I think this topic may have been marked 'solved' by accident? Can you "unsolve" it - like you were able to change it's tilte?

[Joe]

Done.

[romana]

Spotify + Sygic + Kitkat (N5) = inaudible directions. Nice 1.If you need to hear notifications then can't listen to music. So 2014.

[Windy]

@damntourists: Nobody asks you to submit a fix in 24 hours. But I do not understand two things here.

First, how can such a bug escape the testing process? I mean, this is not a feature interaction. The release notes clearly state that a cange has been made to the audio ducking. Obviously, this has not been tested once with popular applications like Google Maps, Waze or TomTom.

Second, why is is not possible to revert back to an old APK version? There seem no other "show stopper" bugs in the release notes, so why keep this faulty release online until a fix is available?

[bowrolio]

I've also been experiencing issues with notifications becoming almost inaudible when using spotify, this is on a galaxy S3 Android 4.3 using spotify 0.7.9.1170. I use sygic in the car, audio over bluetooth, whenever a notification is made the audio drops to almost silent, then back to normal when finished. Don't experience the issue with other music apps such as di radio or Subsonic.

[Jaguwar]

I'm gonna have to join the chorus here.

Using Spotify on Google Nexus 5 with Waze OR Google Maps Navigation.

SoundCloud doesn't have the same issue, it implements ducking properly.

I understand what you were trying to do when you "fixed" what is a feature when used with navigation in the car. The solution is to temporarily go BACK to the previous version, then implement a more flexible feature. Either we should customize apps that "can" interrupt, or it needs to recognize navigation apps by default and treat them accordingly. After all, it recognizes both my MagicJack app and the phone's internal system as well.

I hope something I've said will help a dev see what needs doing. meantime... please FIX this! It's important to be able to get the GPS working, but my car riders prefer to listen to music from Spotify, so... Thank you!

[Havoc70]

Add another to the mix. Samsung Note 3, KitKat on T-mobile.  Guess I'm going back to Pandora since Spotify can't seem to either fix or roll back. It's been over a week. Obviously Spotify prioritizes iOS over Android.

[SagaciousB]

This was also a problem for me this weekend when navigating on a roadtrip for Easter. While I'd much rather have audio ducking than pausing, its not terribly useful if all audio volume gets lowered. I'm surprised this was allowed to be released.

[deechtewberspot]

Another user popping in here to report.

I was perfectly happy with Spotify music just pausing when Waze would give me directions or FlitsNav would warn me for a hazard on the road. No need to keep playing music at a lower level at all.

Pleas repair it as soon as you can devs! Thanks.

[Richard]

Hey guys, sorry we haven't posted an update in a few days.

Just letting you know that this is something we're aware of and are continuing to look into.

As soon as there's more info to share, we'll let you all know.

[user-removed]

@Richard

Meanwhile, can Spotify please post a link to the APK of the last version, so at least those motivated to do so can sideload it and get something that's usable until there's a release that has this fixed?  

[Peter__]

It is worth checking the version you get from the install manually link on m.spotify.com - sometimes it can be a release behind.

[Windy]

The APK provided on m.spotify.com is dated from April 10th. Since this is the day when this thread started, I doubt that it is different to that on the Play Store.

[FalconFour]

It would be super-ultra-mega-dandy-useful if we could actually downgrade to the last version that didn't have this bug... It's the latest version that created this issue, and if the Play Store actually let me stay a version behind (with a revert option), this would be far less of an issue than it is. Forcing us all to use a buggy version makes the problem as big as it is...

[user-removed]

Does anyone happen to have the 0.7.8 APK saved in a backup?

[lachie_h]

This is a version from a titanium backup I made 8 months ago. It's from a fair while back - version 0.6.6.270, but it doesn't have this bug: instead of fading the audio during an audio notification, it completely pauses but the audio notification stays at full volume.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0d21rvxviry5xgl/com.spotify.mobile.android.apk

I'm going to stick with thus version until this bug is fixed.

[lachie_h]

Just FYI, you'll need to uninstall the newer version before you can install that version.

[1bhattad]

same problem here :(.... Please come up with a fix

[flyingACE]

Stock Galaxy s4 on at&t os 4.3 using waze 3.7.8.0 phone connected to car audio via bluetooth. Current version of spotify makes directions from waze very quiet so they cant be heard most of the time. I greatly preferred the old version of spotify that would mute the music, then play the directions from waze then resume the music.
I would gladly join the beta team so things like this dont happen again.

[SentineL_VDX]

Same problem here... I'm unable to use my phone in the car because of Spotify. I must turn off music if I want to hear my phone's notifications or GPS indications.