Pause spoken audio not working in iOS 10

This feature has been broken for me since updating to iOS 11. 11.1 does not fix it. I use an iPhone 6s on T-Mobile.

I drive a 2014 BMW 320 and I have this problem when playing audio over bluetooth or over USB. Sometimes spoken nav doesn't work at all over bluetooth—the audio just pauses where a direction would be given and then resumes without giving directions at all. My wife has a CarPlay receiver in her car and everything works fine in that scenario. I recognize the bluetooth implementation in my car might be wonky, but this feature did previously work consistently when I had the phone plugged in over USB.

I typically use Overcast for playing podcasts, but yesterday I tried the same podcast in Overcast, Castro, and Apple Podcasts. Plugged into USB, using the two third party apps, the audio pauses briefly and the nav directions start speaking, then the (podcast) audio resumes while directions continue speaking over them, making it hard to listen to either. In my brief test, Apple Podcasts (the app) worked fine—it paused when spoken directions were given, and remained paused during the full duration of the directions.

I'm not switching podcast apps just for this... Has there been an API change in iOS 11 that podcast app developers need to implement? I haven't heard about this bug anywhere else. It's super frustrating...

Yep, I have pretty much exactly the same issue:

1. Podcast stops playing
2. No audio at all
3. I hear the last 1 or 2 seconds of Siri's directions (which is obviously useless)
4. Podcast resumes playing

It's a great feature for listening to podcasts, so annoying that it doesn't work.

If you're like me, pause spoken audio works when wired in via an auxiliary cable. It does not work over Bluetooth. The failure over Bluetooth is exactly as everyone else on this message board has described.

I have the same problem over bluetooth for both apple maps and google maps.

The same problem does not occur when I connect by bluetooth to my home stereo as a test. Could this be a problem related to the car bluetooth system? (mine is a 2017 Subaru Forester, and somebody else mentioned an Outback)

The workaround I use is to deselect "Play voice over Bluetooth" in the navigation settings of google maps. Then the directions are played over the phone speaker while the podcast is temporarily muted on the car speakers.

Hi paogorman, you most likely have a similar sound system to me.

It may be a Subaru audio system issue as I tried it on a Hyundai i30 and the audio did pause as expected with Navigation instructions as opposed to my Outback which only pauses spoken audio and then gives up waiting for the navigation instructions to kick-in.

Same here in ‘17 VW Passat. I get the first few seconds of BT Nav during podcasts but then it cuts out.

Disable pause spoken audio and it’s fine. I just hate the inconvenience of missing a few sentences of my podcasts while Nav is active.

I’m using iOS 11 Apple maps but it does it with waze and google maps.

HFP works while radio is active and does fine over streaming music.

Hoping for update.

I have the same problem.

I noticed that if I don't enable "Pause Spoken Audio" the navigation instructions can be heard on top of a podcast.

Same thing happens with the default Apple Podcast app as well as Downcast and Pocket Casts apps.

In addition, I have the same problem with Apple Maps as well as the Navigon app.

Thirdly, I can hear the Navigation instructions when listening to Music via the Apple Music app.

Appears to me to be either a problem with IOS ver 10.1.1 or with the bluetooth audio system in my Subaru Outback.

Can anyone else add light to the situation?

Yep. That pretty much sums it up for me too. Very annoying. Hope someone finds a solution

Yes this is exactly my problem. Happens just as the original poster says. I no longer use my driving directions in my car, which is really frustrating. How does something like this happen?