[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]

I've cancelled my Spotify sub and have also migrated to another service. May consider returning I if Spotify demonstrate they can get their fingers out and fix this quickly. But once I get used to the other service I'll need a reason to migrate back.

This thread is full of folk complaining and explaining their symptoms already. No need restate them unless there's something new. Even one dev suggesting the code that needs to be fixed. 

I respectfully suggest you (Spotify) post a beta for everyone here to test before posting yet another release that's broken perhaps some other way....

[flyingACE]

at first this was just annoying to have the music play in the background and my WAZE instructions be super quite. NOW ITS SUPER FRUSTRAITING!!!!!!!! who beta tested this crap? I am beyond upset over this. my trip took me 30min longer than it should have because I missed a direction and turn. I have now stopped using spotify while driving (60% of my usage)  for the love of music please set it back to the way it was or give me an option to turn it on or off. THE CURRENT VERSION IS BEYOND HORRIBLE!

[dufu]

Please fix this. I mainly use Spotify while driving and now it is useless. 

[damntourists]

@Wibbly: I don't think you understand how development of a major application with millions of users work. They can't just fix this over night, thuroughly test it and push it out to everyone next day. It's been about three days now since you began throwing a fit and spamming this thread. No one cares if you cancel your spotify subscription, it's not like we're going to miss you. Your passive agressive jabs at the company doesn't change anything either, just makes you look like a jerk. Just submit your bug report and wait for a fix. They are aware of the issue. 

[user-removed]

Excellent first post there! Glad to see you've assumed a role of forum moderator already.

"Thoroughly test"? Yes, they clearly inspire confidence in that dept. A major app with millions of users would not have such fundamental bugs if testing of it was not so sloppy.

So far, I've seen enough likes to my posts to indicate others here are sympathetic to my rants. 

[damntourists]

Obviously you're running the show here then, huh? 

Fundamental? Again, it's obvious that you don't know how Application development works. I can guarantee that this is not the only bug they are trying to fix and it's foolish to think that they are prioritizing these higher based on your hissy fit and threats to leave. If you're going to leave, then do it. 

[user-removed]

No not running the show. Expressing an opinion that others are giving me kudos for continuing to do so.

I have already "left"/unsubscribed as I pointed out.

But I think you do have a point insofar as Spotify do not consider this a sufficiently major bug in the app, or they would have pulled it/restored the old version. Big companies and small ones alike do this when they feel the need. I suppose the users complaining are just 'one of the many use cases' that have a problem. You do surely have to admit that Spotify have a less than good record on this kind of stuff....

I guess they wont be prioritising thinking up their next fictitious feature to put on the Google Play Store - they seem to have created an unintentional one! ☺

[FalconFour]

No, damntourists - it seems you're not the one familiar with app development. You get a major bug like this that's called a "Show Stopper", you put ALL YOUR EFFORTS on fixing it and you release an update ASAP to keep your users happy. This isn't a difficult issue to resolve, as another Android developer has pointed out already. It makes the app unusable and arguably dangerous by affecting other apps. This needs to be fixed TODAY. No excuses for this kind of complacency.

[FalconFour]

And yeah, sure, maybe commenters such as me, who are also getting Kudos for pointing out the obvious, may be blowing it a little larger than life. Fact is, there are other things Spotify does that irritates users (like the X thing), but this is such a glaring and stupid issue that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is virtually no testing being done before these major changes are released into the wild. That is a multi-tiered issue that extends beyond just a minor annoyance, and could be a deal breaker for a good many people that don't have the patience to register and post here. For every 1 comment, assume there are 20 or more people viewing this and staying silent... And many more that have the issue but don't know what to make of it (or even that Spotify itself is responsible).

[damntourists]

@FalconFour: That's funny because I am a developer and it's users like you who frustrate us devs the most. We are aware of the issue, it's being addressed, but it's not up to you to dictate what the timeline to issue a fix for this should be so you can stop giving yourself this false sense of entitlement because priorities are set by our superiors, not the users. This is not a "Show Stopper" because there is a small subset of users affected by this bug. Not everyone who uses Spotify is also using Android and not every one of those Android users is also using Spotify while trying to use navigation software or similar software that issues audible alerts. How do you know the difficulty of this fix? Do you posess the Spotify source code? Sure another Android developer chimed in with a fix, and that information is helpful, but integrating that into the code that's already in place is not as easy as you think it is. Any time you introduce a fix it needs to be tested across multiple devices. There are hundreds of different Android phones, all using different versions of Android and different hardware. There will be variance in how these phones operate, so you have to spend time testing or else you'll make another subset of users unhappy. Keep in mind that this is version 0.7.9, they haven't even gotten to version 1 yet. 

[damntourists]

And another thing, assuming your correct because of the number of Kudos you receive doesn't mean you have a popular opinion. There is no down vote option, so you really have no idea how many people disagree with you.

[user-removed]

I thought we'd established Spotify have demonstrated they waste little time doing testing....

My rants are targeted at the 'superiors', not the coders. Its the superiors who need to listen to their customers a little more. I can only vote with my wallet ultimately, and have done so. 

[user-removed]

... And correct, I can only measure kudos relative to posts that have less. Or none.

[FalconFour]

Exactly. I'm more bugged by the higher-ups and what they tell the devs to do, particularly releasing a major change without doing much testing. As for versioning, not being to 1.0 and still charging for the thing (mobile is a Premium feature) is just "... Wow".

I'm a developer-as-a-hobby myself, and I have a product, too - but I don't charge for it, I just pick up donations on occasion. I know about beta before release, and lots and lots of use-case testing. So...

[damntourists]

That's fine, that's your decision. You can return to Spotify if you wish, or you can use another service. Whatever makes you happy. To the superiors, you're basically a drop in an ocean of users. They prioritize fixes around the percentage of users affected by said bugs. If this were affecting a larger number of people, you bet they would escalate this to the top. For now, we just need to be patient. 

[damntourists]

You guys are giving yourself a false sense of popularity based on Kudos. I've viewed both yours and FalconFour's history and you're simply giving Kudos to each other. 

[FalconFour]

Two people that agree with each other and the common sentiment is a lot better than one person voicing an opposing opinion alone, I think...

[user-removed]

Excellent analysis. You'll do well here ☺

[BillNJ]

Same deal -- since abt two weeks ago, Google Maps' instructions, as well as Runkeeper's updates, are barely audible when using Spotify. Very annoying.

[burnfire88]

Still having this happen as well. Using Google Maps, the Spotify song goes quiet, and cannot hear the directions. Using a HTC One. Thanks.