Bluetooth + Pandora + iOS 7 Oddity

PaulieORF · Oct 18, 2013

I am an avid Pandora listener. I listen to it in my car through Bluetooth all the time, I have for years. Starting with iOS 7, Pandora will just start playing once my phone automatically connects to my car's bluetooth. Now that's normal and how it also was in prior versions of iOS, but with iOS 7 Pandora will start playing even if the app isn't open on my phone. Even stranger, it seems to happen randomly. It seems like 2/3 of the time when I start my car, my phone will connect and begin playing Pandora. When it does this, I open up multi-tasking and can verify that Pandora doesn't show up as a running task. If I open up one of those battery apps to see which apps are open and using battery, Pandora shows up there. I thought maybe this was some part of the background refresh thing, but it's not. When I go under the background refresh settings on my phone, Pandora is not an app that's listed as using the feature.

I've Googled this extensively and cannot find anything about it. Is anyone else out there experiencing this, and if so any idea how to make it stop?

Thanks.

ufwa · Oct 18, 2013

sounds like your phone is possessed. Did you update to ios7 while standing on an indian burial ground or a pet cemetery?

Have you tried deleting the car from bluetooth menu and then re-adding it?

Do you have an IOS 6 device to test things out and help narrow it down.

Its either IOS7 that's causing it or the latest Pandora app. As it sounds like the app is being opened and auto playing but not correctly showing up as a running task.

PaulieORF · Oct 18, 2013

ufwa said:
sounds like your phone is possessed. Did you update to ios7 while standing on an indian burial ground or a pet cemetery?

Have you tried deleting the car from bluetooth menu and then re-adding it?

Do you have an IOS 6 device to test things out and help narrow it down.

Its either IOS7 that's causing it or the latest Pandora app. As it sounds like the app is being opened and auto playing but not correctly showing up as a running task.

Hahaha!

It's the only device I have (5s), so no others running iOS 6. What boggles my mind is that I cannot find anything else about this anywhere on the entire internet! There are a few people I work with who I believe are running iOS 7 as well as use Pandora, I'll have to see if any of them use it in there car and if they've had any other issues.

I just tried it with my wireless bluetooth headphones (I use them when I go to the gym, which sadly has been over a month since I last did) and the same thing happens with them. Pandora closed, turn headphones on, bluetooth connects, and boom -- Pandora starts playing. I re-paired them and it still did it.

PaulieORF · Oct 18, 2013

A little more info. I just discovered that After I close Pandora, Control Center will show the song that was playing last in Pandora as the currently playing song, and shows it as paused. I can hit play and it will resume. Again, At this point I have closed Pandora and it doesn't show in the task manager.

Additionally I've included a screenshot which shows two things: 1. Pandora is closed, and 2. Battery Maxer (app) showing that Pandora is a currently running task.

benji888 · Oct 19, 2013

Stop looking at the phone and look at the car stereo.

A lot of newer cars and car stereos with bluetooth streaming also have the Pandora app built in. What is most likely happening is that the car stereo is pulling the music through your iPhone using Pandora app in the background without opening it, because the functionality of the app is in the car stereo (it's just using your iPhone to stream the actual music). This is not something you'd see in multitasker or background app refresh (keyword here: refresh) as that is for apps that periodically use one part of iOS such as location services or something else in the background, to keep that app current.

I notice when I plug my iPhone in to a car via USB or BT streaming (not my own), it will start my iPod music going automatically, unless I was just playing Pandora, app is open. I would think you would have this happening, but, maybe you have no music in your iPhone?

You need to either select a different source from your stereo, or go into the settings for it, perhaps there is a switch for auto on/off w/pandora or general bluetooth streaming.

PaulieORF · Oct 19, 2013

benji888 said:
Stop looking at the phone and look at the car stereo.

A lot of newer cars and car stereos with bluetooth streaming also have the Pandora app built in. What is most likely happening is that the car stereo is pulling the music through your iPhone using Pandora app in the background without opening it, because the functionality of the app is in the car stereo (it's just using your iPhone to stream the actual music). This is not something you'd see in multitasker or background app refresh (keyword here: refresh) as that is for apps that periodically use one part of iOS such as location services or something else in the background, to keep that app current.

I notice when I plug my iPhone in to a car via USB or BT streaming (not my own), it will start my iPod music going automatically, unless I was just playing Pandora, app is open. I would think you would have this happening, but, maybe you have no music in your iPhone?

You need to either select a different source from your stereo, or go into the settings for it, perhaps there is a switch for auto on/off w/pandora or general bluetooth streaming.

Not sure if you read my last post but it's not actually related to Bluetooth it seems, as Control Center is keeping the last played Pandora song in memory, and that appears to be where the auto-play is triggered from when I connect to Bluetooth. Also I mentioned that the same thing happens with my Bluetooth headset, not just my car.

benji888 · Oct 19, 2013

PaulieORF said:
Not sure if you read my last post but it's not actually related to Bluetooth it seems, as Control Center is keeping the last played Pandora song in memory, and that appears to be where the auto-play is triggered from when I connect to Bluetooth. Also I mentioned that the same thing happens with my Bluetooth headset, not just my car.

ok, I missed the part about the headset...hmmm...right now, I have nothing in control center (for music). I use pandora often, but I also use Music and Podcast apps (and Shazam). However, I don't have bluetooth in my car. I'm not sure what clears it out. ...when is the last time you gave your iphone a power cycle?

Coryolla · Nov 3, 2013

I am experiencing this issue as well; pretty much to a T as to how you described it in your initial post.

Have you had any insights to the cause and/or a way to fix the problem?

bluedukies8 · Nov 3, 2013

Coryolla said:
I am experiencing this issue as well; pretty much to a T as to how you described it in your initial post.

Have you had any insights to the cause and/or a way to fix the problem?

I don't see it as an issue. I have experienced this and just wrote it off as a music feature. If I am using the music app to listen to my music...close it and end it...the next time I want to start music it picks up where I left off. Pandora is now doing the same. To me this is awesome as I can pick up where I left off. I too use a wireless headset via Bluetooth.

PaulieORF · Nov 4, 2013

Coryolla said:
I am experiencing this issue as well; pretty much to a T as to how you described it in your initial post.

Have you had any insights to the cause and/or a way to fix the problem?

Nothing new for me to report on this. I have yet to find anyone I know with an iPhone who experiences the same behavior. The one thing I haven't tired yet (because it's a bit extreme) is erasing the phone and seeing if it happens when setup as a new phone, rather than a restore from a backup.

----------

bluedukies8 said:
I don't see it as an issue. I have experienced this and just wrote it off as a music feature. If I am using the music app to listen to my music...close it and end it...the next time I want to start music it picks up where I left off. Pandora is now doing the same. To me this is awesome as I can pick up where I left off. I too use a wireless headset via Bluetooth.

If it were a feature one could turn off and on, then I'd say that's great. However if you don't always want your music to start playing as soon as you start your car for example, you're out of luck.

Also, I'm not so sure it's a feature since I've found numerous people (in person and on the web) who use Pandora the same way I do, but do not have this happen.

bluedukies8 · Nov 4, 2013

[/COLOR]

If it were a feature one could turn off and on, then I'd say that's great. However if you don't always want your music to start playing as soon as you start your car for example, you're out of luck.

Also, I'm not so sure it's a feature since I've found numerous people (in person and on the web) who use Pandora the same way I do, but do not have this happen.[/QUOTE]

I see what your saying. I was thinking....and I may be confusing it with the "video's" settings....there was a setting to 'start from where you left off' or 'from the beginning'. (I did check the settings on my phone and I think that is the case....me confusing the two)

Hmm that is interesting. Well hope you are able to find a solution.

Coryolla · Nov 7, 2013

I put the issue to Pandora and will let ya know what, if anything, that I hear back.

Cheers

RichP74 · Nov 7, 2013

I had this issue on a couple music apps, not just Pandora, but I can honestly say it's gotten a lot better since 7.0.3, at least with the stuck song issue. It still doesn't always remember what it was last playing and defaults to the music app, but this happened on iOS 6 as well.

htowniphone · Dec 5, 2013

Any update?

Any update on this? This is actually a much bigger issue than people understand. I have noticed on mine that when I start my car, the iPhone is now playing Pandora through the iPhone's music program in the background. You don't notice if your car is on a radio station. I have caught it because I access the toggle control panel (swipe up) and see I am playing music. This is big for two reasons 1) it is draining the battery 2) it is draining data usage. I as well have confirmed that the Pandora app is closed.

MrMeem · Dec 11, 2013

I'm experiencing this problem too.

gsrmanor · Feb 20, 2014

I just got my iPhone 5S; I have the same problem with Pandora and my music app. Once my car Bluetooth connects - whatever I listened to last will play. The Pandora is bothersome for folks with a limited data plan. I can't have Pandora using my data when I don't want it to. And if it weren't for the random Pandora commercials I'd never know if it was my music app or Pandora streaming. I listen to the same music - I would have never known w/o the commercial.

MackWill · Oct 5, 2014

This happens to me also. It's not necessarily associated with Bluetooth in the car. My phone can simply be lying in my desk with the headphones plugged in and all of a sudden I start hearing music. And I notice that its my phone playing either pandora or from iTunes. It is driving me crazy. Any fixes. Apple, you've got to fix this.

Scott7272 · Nov 25, 2014

This happens when I scroll through the different modes and cross into the Bluetooth.
It doesn't only play last Music app song or Pandora if last opened, but the Rain sound app I listen to at night.
It's annoying and wasteful of data.

Anyone have a suggestion to fix this?

phil2046 · Jan 22, 2015

bluedukies8 said:
I don't see it as an issue. I have experienced this and just wrote it off as a music feature. If I am using the music app to listen to my music...close it and end it...the next time I want to start music it picks up where I left off. Pandora is now doing the same. To me this is awesome as I can pick up where I left off. I too use a wireless headset via Bluetooth.

You are right, it's a new feature of iOS 7. If someone had iPhone running iOS 6, when Pandora is closed, it's truly terminated. While on iOS 7, Pandora is still in the background, suspended.

Auto-play feature is done by Bluetooth accessory though.

SubGunner · Jun 3, 2015

Any fix for this??

SportCenter · Sep 23, 2015

PaulieORF said:
I am an avid Pandora listener. I listen to it in my car through Bluetooth all the time, I have for years. Starting with iOS 7, Pandora will just start playing once my phone automatically connects to my car's bluetooth. Now that's normal and how it also was in prior versions of iOS, but with iOS 7 Pandora will start playing even if the app isn't open on my phone. Even stranger, it seems to happen randomly. It seems like 2/3 of the time when I start my car, my phone will connect and begin playing Pandora. When it does this, I open up multi-tasking and can verify that Pandora doesn't show up as a running task. If I open up one of those battery apps to see which apps are open and using battery, Pandora shows up there. I thought maybe this was some part of the background refresh thing, but it's not. When I go under the background refresh settings on my phone, Pandora is not an app that's listed as using the feature.

I've Googled this extensively and cannot find anything about it. Is anyone else out there experiencing this, and if so any idea how to make it stop?

Thanks.

I am having the exact same issue ever since uploading the new iOS7. It is pretty freaking annoying. I don't have unlimited data and if I m am not careful, the phone will automatically run Pandora in background without me knowing and waste my data. My car stereo will allow the phone to run applications with sound (video, streams, radio apps, etc.). When I try to close the pandora App, it is not even listed as a running or open App. So I cannot prevent this from happening. I have to turn my phone of and back on again to make it go away. This is freaking super annoying. Why the hell would I want a radio app running in the background without my permission wasting my battery. Super disappointed with this. I will have to uninstall Pandora now.

Jleawilliams · Sep 30, 2015

PaulieORF said:
Nothing new for me to report on this. I have yet to find anyone I know with an iPhone who experiences the same behavior. The one thing I haven't tired yet (because it's a bit extreme) is erasing the phone and seeing if it happens when setup as a new phone, rather than a restore from a backup.

----------

If it were a feature one could turn off and on, then I'd say that's great. However if you don't always want your music to start playing as soon as you start your car for example, you're out of luck.

Also, I'm not so sure it's a feature since I've found numerous people (in person and on the web) who use Pandora the same way I do, but do not have this happen.

Jleawilliams · Sep 30, 2015

SO....I went to at&t about this issue because my 5s does the same thing.

All you have to do is get on YouTube or some other type of media and it will bump pandora out of your control center. I would suggest opening up a music app that isn't streaming so that it won't use your data. If you bring up your control center and hit the play button a few times it will play the last media you opened...

Also, make sure your phone is completely updated.

Hope this helps. It did me. It's definitely the phone. Not the Bluetooth.

Goula1 · Dec 22, 2015

When I plug my phone into my car with USB, my pandora automatically starts to play. It is not in my active programs. If i try to play music I get a pandora error message. The only way i can play music from my library is by restarting my phone. After a minute of music playing I get a pandora error message again and i cannot play music at all.

Randallse · Jan 6, 2016

bluedukies8 said:
[/COLOR]

If it were a feature one could turn off and on, then I'd say that's great. However if you don't always want your music to start playing as soon as you start your car for example, you're out of luck.

Also, I'm not so sure it's a feature since I've found numerous people (in person and on the web) who use Pandora the same way I do, but do not have this happen.

I see what your saying. I was thinking....and I may be confusing it with the "video's" settings....there was a setting to 'start from where you left off' or 'from the beginning'. (I did check the settings on my phone and I think that is the case....me confusing the two)

Hmm that is interesting. Well hope you are able to find a solution.

[/QUOTE]
[doublepost=1452096838][/doublepost]I recently purchased a 5s and have the same problem. And it IS a problem for me because my default music player preference is actually Amazon Music. This happens to me when I attach my phone to my car stereo by usb. When I try to transfer over to Amazon Music the radio shows Pandora as being paused and causes issues with playback whenever I adjust the stereo (Pandora takes over). This did not happen prior to the update. If you find ANYTHING out please post!!!!

Goula1 said:
When I plug my phone into my car with USB, my pandora automatically starts to play. It is not in my active programs. If i try to play music I get a pandora error message. The only way i can play music from my library is by restarting my phone. After a minute of music playing I get a pandora error message again and i cannot play music at all.

Bluetooth + Pandora + iOS 7 Oddity

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