S5 4.4.4 Music issues (stuttering)

[P_Devil]

I've been experiencing music playback issues with my S5 (Verizon) for a while now. They don't happen under the Samsung Music app but I refuse to use it as that app drains my battery way too quickly (almost 10% with just 30 minutes of music listening). I have since tried various other apps but none of them really work all that well. Doubletwist is way too slow and syncing takes forever, PowerAMP has been quirky (at best) and sometimes takes a good 90 seconds before it responds to a button press, and the Google Music sometimes skips/pauses when playing back music (PowerAMP did this too).

My music files mainly consist of 320kbps CBR Lame (3.99) files encoded with foobar2000 (my CD rips) and 256kbps VBR mpeg-4 LC-AAC files from my iTunes days. Both Google Music and PowerAMP skip when I'm playing music through headphones or over Bluetooth, mainly with the Bluetooth receiver in my car (Belkin Bluetooth 2.1+EDR) or with my UE Boom (though Google Music doesn't really have an issue with the UE Boom). PowerAMP is the worst of the offenders despite me increasing its audio buffer and priority to maximum levels. Doubletwist never skipped but it was like trying to run Windows Vista on a Commodore 64.

The recent upgrade to 4.4.4, along with the Bluetooth fix that Samsung sent out, seems to have smoothed Google Music out at least but it still encounters issues and it's mainly with the AAC files. Does anyone have any insight as to what's going on or a suggestion for a better music app? I'm not really tied to anything so long as it integrates with the KitKat lock screen and I can control it with my Moto 360.

 

[sweetypie31]

Rocket player is good.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[P_Devil]

Thank you for the suggestion. Have you had any stuttering issues with that app? Mainly when playing mpeg-4 LC-AAC audio files? Oddly enough, Google Music has been behaving all day.

 

[sweetypie31]

Thank you for the suggestion. Have you had any stuttering issues with that app? Mainly when playing mpeg-4 LC-AAC audio files? Oddly enough, Google Music has been behaving all day.

No I have not had any stuttering issues. My mp4 files play great on both rocket player and the Google music player.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Bryan Eriksson]

I had stuttering with all Bluetooth connections and all media players. My phone was slow and battery drained like mad no matter what I was doing. The stock ROM is garbage and I recommend rooting and installing Cyanogen. Fixed the plethora of issues that the stock Galaxy S5 has

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[MgDivenire]

you did ever a full update of your s5 ?

 

[P_Devil]

I had stuttering with all Bluetooth connections and all media players. My phone was slow and battery drained like mad no matter what I was doing. The stock ROM is garbage and I recommend rooting and installing Cyanogen. Fixed the plethora of issues that the stock Galaxy S5 has

Posted via the Android Central App

I'm not really into the whole rooting thing especially since I am on Verizon Edge. I would have to put everything back the way it was before trading in the phone. I also have a Moto 360 and wouldn't want to risk losing compatibility with it. The stock ROM has been fine for me except this whole audio issue but that seems to have been fixed with the update released this week. The 4.4.4 update didn't fix the issue but this new one (which was released on Sunday?) looks like it has solved the issue, at least when I use Google Music. Poweramp is stuttering but that's over Blueooth, wired headphones, or just through the phone's speaker. I think that's the program itself though.

 

[Jeff Dyck]

+1 for installing Cyanogenmod as a solution to stuttering music on the S5.

I had tried EVERYTHING mentioned on any forum, plus a bunch of shot in the dark attempts, including disabling pretty much every feature of the phone, uninstalling everything - basically isolating it such that it was just my music player taking CPU, and it still stuttered. I probably have 50+ hours into debugging this (I'm stubborn). I was starting to wonder if it was in fact a hardware issue.

Installing Cyanogenmod solved it for me. No more skips.

It's kind of pathetic that an impacting, systematic software problem like this on one of the world's most popular devices can go so long being broken. A big boo hiss for Samsung's inability to prioritize a fix.

 

[P_Devil]

I refuse to do that. I don't want to go through the process of rooting my phone, installing Cyanogenmod, and then unrooting it and going back to stock when I'm going to give the phone back to Verizon in another 4-5 months (I'm on their plan where I can upgrade once a year).

So far though, after a few Google Music updates, I haven't had any issues. I have also switched to Google Music All Access as my source for music so I'm stuck using the Google Play Music app. But it's been fine. No more stuttering through a wired headphone connection and it rarely stutters over Bluetooth. I also found a solution for when it does start to stutter over Bluetooth: clear out the cache, turn off Bluetooth, clear the data for the Bluetooth Share app, restart the phone, and then turn Bluetooth back on. I'll go for weeks without stuttering in my car (Bluetooth 2.1+EDR) and my phone has stopped stuttering with my Bluetooth speakers (UE Boom and Beats Pill XL).

So Google seems to be on top of things despite Samsung/Verizon not doing anything. One more reason why I'm contemplating a Motorola device as my next smartphone. I just need a device with a micro SDXC card slot and their don't have that.

 

[oddoc121]

Hello there,

new to the forums, but have been reading for years.

I have had my S5 for about a week. It was a trade in from the Moto Turbo (which I found to be awesome except that 4G is unavailable while on a call... totally unacceptable).

What I have noticed about this problem is that it is not limited to a player on my phone. First I tried multiple players... no go. Tried cleaning the cache... nope. Tried debugging and mock locations.... nope! Yes.... I "tried turning it on and off again"... still nothing.

Streaming works fine as far as I could tell

At the moment, I have no SD card in my phone (at home 90 miles away). Transfer of music files via samsung cable to phone memory in the music file. The files stutter weather played through the phone, or played through the PC from the phone as a "media device".

Running latest version of android with latest updates. Online searches seem to be exhausted.

Any suggestions based on this information?

Thanks
Doc

 

[dby2011]

Hmmm....I have 12,000 256 mp3 on a 128gb sdcard and get no stuttering on any player with a Verizon stock Kit Kat 4.4.4 phone. I usually use Google Music and Rocket Player.

 

[Alamda]

Guuuuuyyyyyssss i gottt it!!!!!

Cbr songs wont lag. At any circumstaces!!!!

Repeat: Cbr songs are perfect!!!!

Just add cbr to all your music searches. Done guys. After weeks of despair. I finnaly got it.

Im a writer.. And i understand a bit of programming, so.. I like investigating and i dont trust in anything.


Try itt you will feel sooo goooddd see ya

 

[wiggy555]

I have massive problems with Cyanogenmod. Bluetooth works with headphone to laptop, but not with S5