iPod Shuffle 4th/5th Gen not remembering last play position

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iPod Shuffle 4th/5th Gen not remembering last play position

My relatively new iPod shuffle (Dec. 2013) has developed, or has always had, an issue of not remembering its last play position if it sits for over 24 hours without being turned on. It may actually be less than 24 hours, but it doesn't happen if I switch the device back on a few minutes later. I tend to use it around the same time each day (hence the 24-hour time lapse). The problem happens in both shuffle and continuous play modes.

Here's an example of what is happening:

Day 1: New MP3's are loaded on the iPod
Day 1: Music is played (let's say tracks 1-5) and iPod is turned off
Day 1: Later in the day, iPod starts at track 6 and I listen through tracks 6-10 and turn the iPod off
Day 2: [more than 24 hours later] iPod starts at track 6, I skip ahead and play tracks 11-15
Day 3: [more than 24 hours later] iPod starts at track 6, I skip ahead and play tracks 16-20
Day 4: [less than 24 hours later] iPod starts at track 20

Does anyone have any ideas on what could be causing this bug and how to fix it?

Thanks!

iPod shuffle, Other OS, 4th/5th Gen 2GB Space Gray

Posted on Mar 18, 2014 9:58 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 18, 2014 12:41 PM in response to _z_

I'm don't know the reason for what you describe. And I'm not sure if what you describe is actual (it happened exactly that way and your wrote your post after a 4-day "experiment"), or a hypothetical, based on what you recall from past experience. But note the shuffle Reset procedure shown in this document

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1655

The procedure to "reset" the shuffle is to turn in OFF for at least 10 seconds. That means every time you turned the shuffle OFF in your example, it was being reset. So, it's probably not a "bug." On other iPods, doing a Reset means the iPod restarts and the iPod does not remember what it was doing previously.

Other iPods models do not actually have an ON/OFF switch. They are always ON (as long as the battery is charged), and they go into an energy-saving mode when there is no activity for a brief period (similar to a computer's sleep mode). When you press a button, they are immediately usable again. The shuffle has an "off switch."

What you can do is NOT turn your shuffle OFF. I use my shuffle that way, because I don't want to constantly mess with that tiny switch, and I don't want to wear it out either. The shuffle also goes into an energy-saving mode when inactive for a brief period. From my experience, in terms of battery life per charge, I can't tell the difference between turning it OFF (with the switch) and just letting it "sleep" when I'm not using it. The battery probably lasts a little longer if you turn it OFF, but for day-to-day use (if you don't wait a week before using it again), it seems to work fine.

If you don't turn it OFF, it should remember the place where it stopped playing. I always use my shuffle in shuffle mode, and I don't really care what it was playing previously, so I'm not sure about that, but if the switch is ON when you stopped playing and you leave it ON until you play it again, it should remember where it stopped.

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Answer 2

_z_ Author

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Mar 18, 2014 12:59 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Kenichi Watanabe:

Thanks for the reply. If this was by design, it is an incredibly thoughtless design. I also have a 2nd Gen iPod shuffle that does not have this problem when I turn it off.

The problem with leaving it on all the time, aside from any extra battery usage, is accidental button presses, especially when clipping it on and off. Leaving it on all the time is not an option for me and I don't think this is by-design behavior.

I too listen to it in shuffle mode a lot, but it gets old listening to the same few songs day after day (shuffle mode doesn't actually play songs in random order - it loads your items into a playlist in random order and then plays them continuously just like a playlist after that). What's the point of having 2GB of storage if it's going to repeat the same 5 songs over and over?

I'm definitely still looking for an actual solution to this. I've tried resetting it through iTunes several times, but that has had no effect.

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Answer 3

_z_ Author

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Mar 24, 2014 9:42 AM in response to _z_

I called Apple Care last week and they told me to reset it three times, which I had already done. Then, they offered to exchange it for a new one since it was still under the 1-year warranty. I went to the nearest Apple Store that day and exchanged it for a "new" one (they say it was new, but it came in a plastic sleeve in a mailer which makes me think it's more likely a factory refurbished model).

Anyway, I've tested it over the last few days and so far haven't experienced the issue. I'll post back here if the problem returns.

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Answer 4

Mar 24, 2014 12:57 PM in response to _z_

NOTE: For the suggestion of leaving it ON, instead of constantly turning it ON and OFF throughout the day (and wearing out the power switch over time), you can use the Hold feature (if you have a problem with accidentally pressing buttons).

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22774

So, when you are not using it (but plan to use again within a day), leave it ON. Pause playback and put it on Hold. Now, the shuffle will go into its power-saving mode (which is what the "big" iPods do when you are not using it) and accidentally pressing a button will not have an effect. To use the shuffle again, take it off of Hold.

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Answer 5

_z_ Author

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Mar 25, 2014 9:21 AM in response to _z_

Nevermind -- problem is still not solved. The new iPod is now exhibiting the same behavior as the last one. Is there a way I can unmark the thread as solved?

I've thought all along that this might be an iTunes issue, since the problem didn't start until a couple of months after I got it. Now with this new one the problem started almost right away, and it's using the same (current) version of iTunes as the last one.

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Answer 6

_z_ Author

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Apr 4, 2014 8:02 AM in response to _z_

The real solution can be found here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6034122

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