New Phone 17 randomly mutes songs and videos while listening/watching

What are you doing when it mutes? Often a website or other appp requires access to the audio channel, like opening Camera, or YouTube.com in Safari. Then it takes precedence to Music or Spotify or YT running in background.

If playback worked fine on your iPhone 14 Pro but not on the iPhone 17, that suggests the issue is device‑specific rather than affecting the model line as a whole.

Where are you listening to music or watching videos—through Apple Music and/or the Apple TV app?

If you’re using a third‑party app, please make sure your subscription has been properly transferred to this new device from your iPhone 14 Pro.

musicngelato wrote:

All I'm doing is simply playing a video on YouTube, Spotify, or a streaming app. What does a subscription have to do with it randomly muting the videos?

Subscriptions in youtube are the difference between being able to listen off screen and not being able.

Spotify and Music usually will play without subscription provided you don't try to open another audio channel, which is why I asked what else are you trying to do in the foreground when the background music stops.

if you cannot answer a simple question I am out.