I’ve been using an iPhone since 3GS up to the 12 where I’m typing this reply on. I never had problems with stuttering when playing music either through wired headphones or Bluetooth. Is all.
Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
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Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#22[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#23There are other similar stuttery experiences with top of the line latest iPhone too.
Walk into Apple store and try opening an Email app on top end phone, or try swipe-scrolling a PDF to see how smooth it is.
1- Click an unread (demo) email that conains images. Watch as text size loads way too small, the emails load, then text bounces to correct size after the images are fully loaded. A very unsmooth experience, all told, that could be characterized as a stutter.
2- Search the iPhone for "pdf" to find a pre-loaded demo PDF document. Open it. Now swip-down (flick) to let it scroll "smoothly". You get 120 Hz smoothness, but then it "hiccups" now and then, even in a pretty small file given the device resources. So, stuttery.
Yeah, not perfect. But, really good overall, considering it replaces a desktop in the hand for many tasks.
Still, it would be amazing for all the little things were ironed out.
Some day I think it will happen. But as others comment, there's a lot that has to occur behind each detail.
There are other obvious bugs that have also been out for months or years in other software from other companies, some used quite a bit and some less so.
I think it gives a window into how bottlenecked some orgs are, by one factor or another.
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#24I don't think any of my phones, iPhone or Android, have had hardware-related issues during music playback. I have had: - faulty 3.5mm jacks on certain headphones causing intermittent cutout - buffering pauses for remote libraries/streaming (eg. YouTube or Spotify) - Bluetooth/codec issues, where the proper codec isn't negotiated and "headset" mode stays on That being said, I don't stream FLAC and my library is <10,00…
Nope, mine is a playlist with only 3 local-stored tracks. Yes, I loop these 3 tracks all the time.
I would be more quick to check those three files rather than blame the entire modern (iPhone 8 Plus is modern now?) smartphone industry.
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#25Summarising my experience as user and developer of music applications on mobile and mobile-like devices. Those are bugs. There is usually no real reason for stutter, silence, distortion and certainly not performance reasons. This was kind of trivial on Galaxy S hardware.
Besides Bluetooth radio interference, as other commenters noted, stutter happen because of kilometres deep bug ridden code base.
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#26Something is fucked up with Apple Music streaming playback; it may be Bluetooth specific or may not be. In nearly every song I stream, whether it's from my iCloud library or Apple Music itself, there's a stutter at exactly the 15 second mark in whatever song it is; the stutter is different every time but when it occurs is consistent. There are also inconsistent stutters throughout songs. iPhone 13 and 2nd gen AirPods…
I have the same issue. Not with every song but often enough.
The worst for me was an issue where occasionally my entire computer would slow down with no evidence from Activity Monitor that something was eating cycles or taking memory. I finally traced it down to Apple Music while in fullscreen and using multiple monitors, which was my preferred setup. Filed a ticket with Apple feedback and it's still open with no response.
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#27I don't think any of my phones, iPhone or Android, have had hardware-related issues during music playback. I have had: - faulty 3.5mm jacks on certain headphones causing intermittent cutout - buffering pauses for remote libraries/streaming (eg. YouTube or Spotify) - Bluetooth/codec issues, where the proper codec isn't negotiated and "headset" mode stays on That being said, I don't stream FLAC and my library is <10,00…
Nope, mine is a playlist with only 3 local-stored tracks. Yes, I loop these 3 tracks all the time.
Ok, lets have them, what 3 tracks do you have on infinite repeat?
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#28I'm perplexed how you're talking about this like it's a common problem people have had, something that's been ongoing for years. There is no stuttering problem on audio playback on any of the smart phones you've listed. And there hasn't been any stuttering problem since the initial launch of the first generation iPhone. The last time I remember any stuttering on any phone I've owned was maybe the Motorola Rokr twenty…
this was my take on reading it as well. my first thought was that it sounds like a bluetooth device. the only time I ever have issues is because of how shitty bluetooth is. when I use wired headphones, I never have issues
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#29I get stutters on my Apple Watch ultra, but I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed it on an android phone or iPhone in a very long time.
On the watch I suspect it’s some kind of Bluetooth/encoding bottleneck because the processor seems totally capable of smooth audio playback, but I’m not certain it can mediate the connection, encoding, and transferring flawlessly.
Re: Ask HN: Why can't modern smartphones play music smoothly?
#30Something is fucked up with Apple Music streaming playback; it may be Bluetooth specific or may not be. In nearly every song I stream, whether it's from my iCloud library or Apple Music itself, there's a stutter at exactly the 15 second mark in whatever song it is; the stutter is different every time but when it occurs is consistent. There are also inconsistent stutters throughout songs. iPhone 13 and 2nd gen AirPods…
I’d get a single stutter seconds into playback of a new song fairly often when playing lossless on Apple Music on my iPhone, without Bluetooth.
I suspect that the stutter happens when it decides to change audio tracks to a higher bit rate stream, but that’s me talking out of my rear.
That particular problem went away once I turned off lossless in Apple Music settings.