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Help New Atrix and Pandora is 'skipping' with screen off... best solution?

I'm looking for a way to contact support, but I just followed the troubleshooting steps on the Pandora site.

Pandora | Trouble Streaming Pandora on Android

Trouble Streaming Pandora on Android
If you're having issues using Pandora on Android, try the following steps:

1. Uninstall the app: From the home screen, press the menu key and select Settings then Applications. Select Manage Applications. Scroll down and select Pandora. Then Uninstall.

2. Power down the phone and pull the battery out. Put the battery back in and turn the phone on.

3. Reinstall: Go to the Android Market and search for Pandora.

4. Clear data for Pandora: Press the menu key and select Settings then Applications. Next select Manage Applications. On that page select Clear data.

5. Switching from High Quality audio to Normal Quality audio. From the Now Playing screen, press the phone's menu button and select Preferences. Change the Cell Network Audio Quality to Normal instead of High.

Note: We do not support Pandora on rooted or unlocked phones, unofficial OS releases, or custom ROMs.
 
Yep I just sent off an email. Thanks for the link though. :)

I want to clarify something I mistated. Pandora doesn't pop the way that Radio.com does. Pandora just pauses jarringly with dead silence for a split second as if someone is is tapping the pause button on and off several times a song. Radio.com's app is the one that was popping. Sorry to muddy the waters with that.

Well after the reinstall Pandora is behaving the same way. I wonder if a factory reset would help?

Here's the email I sen on the web form:
I have used Pandora for years on my iPhone 3g with no issues, but this week I picked up a new Android based Motorola Atrix 4G on ATT's network and Pandora on this phone will stutter, or pause as if the phone is too busy to play the streaming music.

It happens quite regularly (1-5 times per song)and can be replicated at will by starting a new application. The thing is that the phone is idle with either the screen locked or with Pandora open in the foreground. It doesn't seem to matter whether the phone is asleep or awake, locked or unlocked. It starts immediately when I start streaming music and doesn't stop or get better over time.

I have followed all troubleshooting steps here:
Pandora | Trouble Streaming Pandora on Android

I have a thread going on some Android user forums at AndroidForums.com here with some system process reports taken while the issue was happening:
http://androidforums.com/atrix-4g-s...ing-screen-off-best-solution.html#post3241023

I can't seem to get to the bottom of why Pandora on the new (much faster phone) is 'stuttering' as if the phone is too busy. I'm ready to return the phone over it, but though that I would try reaching out to support before I give up.

It happens regardless of whether I on cell or wifi networks and I think the connectivity can be ruled out as I've used an iPhone 3g for years with the same connectivity with no issues.

Can you help?
 
As I was typing the post above the Atrix spontaneously rebooted while I was listening to Pandora's stutter get progressively worse.... then silence.

I looked at the phone and saw the "AT&T Rethink Possible" screen flash by and then the Android phone OS come up slowly as it started services.
 
That sounds like the Pandora app crashed the phone. Just like if an app caused a windows PC to "Blue Screen."

The problem is, it's going to be really hard to return a phone because one app does not work right.

As for a factory reset, as long as you have everything backed up, and don't mind going through the process, it certainly won't hurt. I can't promise it will help.
 
I just performed a factor reset following these steps:


Or even better try this. This is more like a master reset.
1. Power Phone off
2. Hold volume down and power button
3. When it says Motorola and Fastboot let go of power button and volume key
4. Press down volume until you see android recovery
5. Press Up volume to select
6. Press Up and down volume simultaneously when you see Android guy and Triangle
7. Scroll to wipe/reset data option
8. Use power button to select
9. Confirm reset with power button
10. Select reboot with power button

I then logged into Motorblur, setup my marketplace information, and downloaded only Pandora.

So far not a single skip!!

I'm suspecting the ESPN Scorcenter and Fantasy Football apps spike the phone and interrupt the sound system that Pandora seems to leverage more heavily than the other internet radio apps. That's a real shame because I love those apps!

One interesting this is that the Markeplace looks complete different than when I first got the phone. Does this mean I am running a different version of Android?

Edit: Well now Pandora is crashing with "Force Stops" at the second song it's trying to play.
 
brainwashed said:
One interesting this is that the Markeplace looks complete different than when I first got the phone. Does this mean I am running a different version of Android?
Click to expand...

No, they started pushing out a new version of the market a while back. The reset probably triggered yours to download the new version. I'm surprised it hadn't already.


brainwashed said:
Edit: Well now Pandora is crashing with "Force Stops" at the second song it's trying to play.
Click to expand...

Don't be discouraged, this is progress... yes, PROGRESS. Make sure you send the reports. This means Pandora is getting crash logs about the app into their system. This will tell them more about what's going on. And, if there is something wrong with the phone itself, they'll be able to tell you.
 
Thanks Wolfman!

Okay I power cycled and removed the battery and moved the WAP that I was using to get better line of sight to the phone and Pandora is now playing again, but need to actually do a little work before I can test it out. Pesky jobs.... :)

I'm going to set my corporate account back up and hopefully the phone will be stable.

Stay tuned.
 
I'm cleaning up my home screen and each time I move an icon Pandora will do a little stutter. It's definately when the phone does something else besides Pandora that it stutters.

It totally makes sense... Pandora is demanding, it's just when there are processes that I can't control in the background that there's an issue that makes it unlistenable.
 
brainwashed said:
It totally makes sense... Pandora is demanding, it's just when there are processes that I can't control in the background that there's an issue that makes it unlistenable.
Click to expand...

You are seeing why I laugh when people say we don't need task killers on Android anymore.
Sure, the OS is great at managing the tasks. The problem is sloppy developers that think their is no harm in leaving their app running in the background, or as a service. After all, the OS will manage it.

I'm dealing with that very attitude with one of the app developers I beta test for. He see's no harm in his app, something I might use once or twice a week, to remain running in the background, loading at system boot, eating up 20MB of Ram, and occasionally cycling up a couple of % of CPU.

You get 3 or 4 apps like that on your phone, and suddenly, there goes 100+ MB of ram, and 10% of your CPU for nothing. And, this defeats the OS task management. WHY? Because it makes the app/service look active and not to be shut down.

I still run "Advanced Task Killer" on my phone. I put it on my Fiance's Atrix, on both of her kids Atrix phones and guess what... NONE of us have the problems others report. Especially not the random reboot. That's 4 Atrix phones!! My Fiance and her kids have not had a SINGLE random reboot since the GB update. I've had a few, but I honestly think they are tied to the apps I beta test.

Don't give up, we are seeing progress.

Just remember, Android is more like a computer than the iPhone. It's why we call the iPhone a TOY with a dumbed down OS. It does take a bit more work to use it. Just like it takes a bit more work to use Linux than the OS on a Apple computer.
 
With Advanced Task Killer can I kill the ESPN Apps that always start and run in the background that were tripping up Pandora's audio stream?
 
brainwashed said:
With Advanced Task Killer can I kill the ESPN Apps that always start and run in the background that were tripping up Pandora's audio stream?
Click to expand...

This is the one I use...
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rechild.advancedtaskkiller&feature=search_result

I've added all of those crap apps that want to stay running in the background for no reason to the kill list, and added the desktop widget. All I have to do is TAP that icon, and it kills all of those apps.

Here's the problem. If the developer of the app set it as a background service, it could respawn itself after a few minutes. I call these ZOMIE apps. They won't stay dead, and love to eat the brains of your phone!
 
It looks like I never did have a Pandora issue, it was a poorly written application that was affecting Pandora. ESPN Scorecenter was killing Pandora.

I would call this problem resolved. :D

Thanks for all the help WolfmanRob.
 
Ha... well I spoke too soon. I've got the stuttering again I'm running Elixer in the foreground watching top processes and not impressed.

I need to have some of these apps on the phone or what's the point is having a smart phone?

I've no idea what the issue is now.

Edit: It looks like I'm not the only one with problems:
https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/55402
 
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