Level 1

117 points

Audio playback stuttering/skipping iOS11.4

I have an issue with my iPhone 7 where during audio playback, whether that be podcast, music or while on the phone, audio will drop out for approximately 1 second. After the dropout, the audio will stutter, much like a CD skipping. This is with the display off, waking the phone will change the issue to where the sound becomes very distorted and will repeat sections of what was just played.

I, and many others, have seen this issue since iOS 11.3. iOS 11.3.1 has not corrected it, nor has the recent release of iOS 11.4. From other people with the issue, closing the app in question, rebooting the phone, nor resetting the phone corrects the issue.

Please correct this as soon as possible as having dealt with it for two months is unacceptable.

iPhone 7, iOS 11.4

Posted on May 30, 2018 1:30 PM

Top-ranking reply

dkentley

Level 1

24 points

Posted on Jul 23, 2018 5:48 AM

Just a general observation; I'll update if something changes.

A few days ago I turned off "background App Refresh" in Settings -> General -> Background App Refresh. This has serious drawbacks, no doubt. But so far I have not had the problem when this feature is disabled. This dovetails with what I had figured it was since it started happening: background tasks locking up the CPU (or the sound subsystem) such that it can't continue to feed the output buffer fast enough, so the DSP repeats the last buffer (since it would just run in a continuous fast loop).

I reported the problem - with OS logs - at developer.apple.com in the bug reporter. There are instructions on how to generate the log, do it as soon as possible after the problem occurs (press both volume buttons + lock, you should feel phone vibrate; don't hold or the phone will reboot). After 10-20 minutes, sync the phone with your computer and a diagnostics file will be copied to your hard drive:

On a Mac it's here: ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice/[Your_Device_Name]/sysdiagnose

On a PC it's here: C:\Users[Your_User_Name]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\Logs\CrashReporter\MobileDevice[Your_Device_Name]\

Seems like a good thing to know in general for any iOS bug you come across.

[Edit: switched the labels for Mac and PC locations, but that was probably obvious, lol]

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429 replies

Sep 6, 2018 8:31 PM in response to fromer_13

OK. I am pretty frustrated. I have had a stuttering issue in my iphone for the last few months. In working with Apple support, I made three trips to the authorized

OK. I have had a stuttering issue in my iphone for the last few months. In working with Apple support, I made three trips to the authorized dealer, spent many hours on the phone with customer support and went through three additional replacement phones ...and the issue kept coming back. Apple continues wanting to run diagnostics without any end in sight. And, of course, while I have been able to re-create the issue once while on the phone with Apple, it has been challenging to always re-create the issue. Clearly, from the other posts on this community, this is an issue.. What do you recommend, I try to speak to the supervisor For customer support, and he (my contact) would not let me speak to anybody. I have spent many many many hours with this issue. It interferes with my business as it affects my phone calls as well as listening to things on my iPhone. Anyone have any advice? Apple has been less than helpful.

tvn2one

Level 1

12 points

Sep 7, 2018 9:45 AM in response to fromer_13

I'm using a 64GB iPhone SE. Have the exact same problem. I've noticed it on phone calls too (i do long phone calls with my fiance). I noticed the stutter atleast once a day with different apps (music app, podcast, spotify, phone). It happens through bluetooth, headphone jack, and carplay. It's annoying and makes iPhones look stupid during music playback in public settings. I hope Apple fixes this in iOS 12 or are atleast aware of it, seeing that so many people are complaining about it.

Veveriza

Level 1

8 points

Sep 11, 2018 1:14 PM in response to fromer_13

Any solution to this? My iphone 7 has developed a mind of its own since the update. It drops my calls, starts automatically playing a podcast I was listening to before the call, then skips to the next podcast. Soon, it will start placing its own calls. This happens only when moving (walking) even though the screen is locked and I turned off the shuffle to undo feature. What's going on? My phone has become unusable.

Sep 13, 2018 11:02 AM in response to Buckeye_Knight2

This article was posted in April 2018, and is about the time that I started having the issues. Apple should be fully aware of this issue.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2018/04/26/apple-ios-11-3-1-release-aud io-skipping-iphone-calls-podcasts-faceti…

sp1n

Level 1

4 points

Sep 13, 2018 11:08 AM in response to fromer_13

I also am having this issue. 128 gb iPhone 6s iOs 11.4.1 but the issue started around iOs 11 update. As someones had mentioned I disabled shake to undo but that did not solve the issue. There is an embarrassing amount of people with this issue to have zero acknowledgement from Apple. Has anyone else filed a bug report?

Sep 14, 2018 12:58 PM in response to Steve A.

Thank you, Steve for sharing that find. Interesting! I will have to test that this weekend. That might explain why the issue has been intermittent. I personally do listen to my 6s with headphones while charging (which is why I don't like the idea of no headphone jack).

Steve A.

Level 3

724 points

Sep 14, 2018 2:16 PM in response to Buckeye_Knight2

Buckeye_Knight2 wrote:

Thank you, Steve for sharing that find. Interesting! I will have to test that this weekend. That might explain why the issue has been intermittent.

Also should note that it seems not to matter whether it is a minute after disconnecting the power source or an hour after disconnecting - it occurs the first time audio is played through the lockscreen since being disconnected and the battery in a state of discharge.

Just another observation...

Sep 14, 2018 2:45 PM in response to fromer_13

I’ve got the same issue, whether VOX, Pandora, SiriusXM, Radio.com, etc.

I’ve tried a full restore from backups but not a fresh restart.

I hope Apple resolves this problem. It’s a shame they can’t get the basics right anymore.

dhsmusic

Level 1

4 points

Sep 15, 2018 8:26 AM in response to fromer_13

Same problem for me with my iPhone 6. When listening through headphone jack it almost always starts occurring. Playback will stop and then come back on but terrible skipping/stuttering sound. Same problem through the phone's speakers. However, it NEVER has the problem while watching a downloaded movie through headphones. And it also doesn't occur when listening in the car via lightning cable...very frustrating!

Sep 15, 2018 8:28 AM in response to fromer_13

I have this same issue with my iPhone 8...it does appear to be tied to movement that initiated the skipping which is really stupid since this is digital tech and it’s acting like a DiscMan from 1998. I thought we were past this. When waiving the phone it activates Siri as well, on top of the skipping. Is it the Dongle connection causing this? I just upgrade to the 8 from the 6...this is making me seriously consider the Samsung Galaxy... the iPhone camera ***** in comparison and now the basic music function is busted... I have to use my wife’s galaxy to take family pics even. Get it together Apple.

Sep 15, 2018 2:35 PM in response to ChristosAZ

Well somebody from Apple reads these comments, obviously, because they deleted my comment because they said it contained information about iOS 12, which is BS cause I made a general statement about comments others had made. Please note I am NOT a beta tester, although I signed up to be one, I was too chicken to test it out. I don’t have ANY direct knowledge of iOS 12 or whether the bug is fixed or not. Read below and tell me if I divulged any top secret info!

This is the email I received from Apple:

Thanks for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

We removed your post “Audio playback stuttering/skipping iOS11.4 because it contained information about beta software.

To comment or ask questions about beta software, go to our Apple Developer Forums page:https://forums.developer.apple.com/welcome

Here you can share your Audio playback stuttering/skipping iOS11.4 post, make comments, and ask questions.

For more information, see the Apple Beta Software Program page:https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram

We’ve included a copy of your original post below.

Thanks,

Apple Support Communities Staff

Somebody posted a link to an article on a site stating it’s a known issue starting with iOS 11 that launched earlier this year. Others have said its fixed in iOS 12 that launches next week. I think we can probably stop trying to pinpoint the issue since it’s known (although not acknowledged), occurs in many different settings, positions, models, modes, and it’s fixed in the beta 12.

Sep 17, 2018 8:30 AM in response to fromer_13

Yes, I've been having this problem all year. It's across all audio platforms: Audible, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and even some weirdness when I'm on the phone. A fix would be appreciated. It's very annoying and interrupts my normal use. I do not see these issues with my iPad.

Sep 17, 2018 10:25 AM in response to Buckeye_Knight2

I tested removing the lightning cable for a while, and it made no difference. Stil have garbled and repeating audio issues.

The new version of iOS was just released today, version 12. Has anyone with this audio problem upgraded yet? If so, did it resolve the issue?

Thank you.

antipoet

Level 1

10 points

Sep 18, 2018 10:53 AM in response to sp1n

iOS12 has only made the problem more pronounced for me. With 11 my music would go glitchy for a moment, but with 12 now it's giving me just blank space (instead of the glitchy) PLUS now sometimes it will pause completely or skip ahead to the next track.

Sep 24, 2018 8:05 AM in response to fromer_13

Issue persists with iOS 12.0. Sigh...

Steve Jobs was known to reply to customer email personally, if you can imagine! He is likely rolling in his grave these days. Apple just doesn't give a sh*t. So very sad.

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Audio playback stuttering/skipping iOS11.4