[reMarkable]

I have a 2.5i Premium with the standard issue head unit. When Bluetooth is connected and I toggle to BT-A - my Android phone's music player app kicks off. It's really annoying to suddenly hear music out of the blue. My reason for going to BT-A is usually to listen to my audio book app, but if I don't click on that app fast enough - there starts the music. Then I need to shut down the music player app and then start my audio book app. Sometimes it will even play over my audio book app.

Anyone else have this? Is there anyway to prevent this behavior?

I've searched the Forester manual and can't find anything about this, although as I type this - I'm wondering if this somehow actually a default behavior of the phone and not the car?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

 

[neall_v]

I believe this is a Bluetooth audio behaviour that happens across different phones and head units.

I don't have an Android phone, so I can't suggest a specific remedy, but when researching a similar problem with my iPhone (trying to get the music to stop when using turn-by-turn directions), I came across a bunch of people with the same problem, and I think it's possible to fix the auto music start on Android, and it requires a jailbreak to do it under iOS (other than playing a silence track, which is what I do). It's definitely the phone side that you should be looking at.

A bit of Google work should give you a couple of quick hits.

 

[reMarkable]

I believe this is a Bluetooth audio behaviour that happens across different phones and head units.

I don't have an Android phone, so I can't suggest a specific remedy, but when researching a similar problem with my iPhone (trying to get the music to stop when using turn-by-turn directions), I came across a bunch of people with the same problem, and I think it's possible to fix the auto music start on Android, and it requires a jailbreak to do it under iOS (other than playing a silence track, which is what I do). It's definitely the phone side that you should be looking at.

A bit of Google work should give you a couple of quick hits.

Thanks neallv - I appreciate the lead. So far I've been Googling with little luck, which is strange, as I'm usually pretty good at researching - but I haven't finished yet. Will report back when I find more.

 

[neall_v]

Search for "bluetooth audio music automatically starts" and you'll see plenty of hits, including a few potential solutions.

 

[Warpig]

Yes, Phone related. My android (AT&T Atrix 4G) does this same thing. Has done it on three separate HU's I have used it to stream BT Audio with. It's a phone software issue.

I agree it is REALLY ANNOYING. sometimes I use my Sirrius XM Android app with the BT and the Android player starts up the music app and starts playing the music I have saved on my phone.

Nick

 

[reMarkable]

Search for "bluetooth audio music automatically starts" and you'll see plenty of hits, including a few potential solutions.

neallv-
Thanks for the idea! I did find enough information to get a fix - or so it seems - at least in the Android world - but some of this is relevant to iPhone, if in that it explains what's causing the mysterious activity of one's phone/music app.

Here's my understanding:
- Seems that most Bluetooth enabled head units (aka "car stereos,") when turned on to their Bluetooth audio setting (on my '14 forester Premium that's when it's set to "BT-A") automatically send a "Play" command to the device that's connected to it.

- When the connected Bluetooth device (the phone, in this case) receives the "Play" command, it looks to kickoff it's media player. Obviously many of us have multiple apps that can play media - so it goes to whatever app the device considers the default and starts it playing. (Very convenient - in pure theory.) It seems that most (all?) stereos that do this, don't seem to have a setting to turn off the sending of the "Play" command.

- On Android - you can completely knock this behavior out - but it kind of seems like you throw the baby out with the bathwater: The settings can be changed to disengage a specific Bluetooth connection from not just receiving the "Play" command, but also from playing back media via Bluetooth. You can find this by going to Settings -> Bluetooth (turn Bluetooth on if it's not already on at the time) -> (Find the list of "Paired Devices" - for my '14 Premium Forester it's "CAR M_MEDIA") Click on the far right of the listed device, on the graphic for the Settings -> (Find "Profiles") - Unselect "Media audio". ALL THIS SAID - I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS - because I believe that it will knockout the ability of the phone to play back music though the stereo.

- Again, on Android only- a possible solution: I found my way to a free, well rated app called "Media Button Router" ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.harleensahni.android.mbr&hl=en ) From what I understand, when the stereo sends that "Play" command - this app "grabs" it - and lets you decide what to do with it; which media app it should go to. The app generates a list of all media apps on your phone and provides a box to check if you want it as an option when the that "Play" command comes in. Personally I paired it down to just my Audible book app only. As of my first use this morning, while it didn't prompt me - the default music player didn't go off either!

So that's my new knowledge on the situation - I'll post back when I've used this possible solution some more to better understand it. Until then- this information is to be used at your own risk!

Anyone else try something like this?

Thanks,
reMarkable

 

[Rukkian]

I had the same annoyance when I got mine, and figured out a workaround that is pretty good, but I am still trying playing around some more. There is an app (free) in the Google Play store called Bluetooth Launcher (there are others as well, but that is what I used). With it, you can choose what the default behavior is when certain BT devices are connected. For my Forrester, I choose Pandora, for my BT Headphones, I choose Netflix. It works pretty well most of the time, but I have found that sometimes when my device is still locked, it will not hit play on Pandora, only open it, and wait. If my phone is unlocked, it works fine.

 

[DesertTwang]

I just had an idea that could potentially solve this (haven't tried it yet), after reading an article about something completely unrelated: Apparently, for a while, Facebook used a heinous practice aimed at preventing the app to be shut down by iOS when not in use: playing silent audio tracks.

I wonder if I could make a playlist full of empty sound tracks in GarageBand, name them so they would always be first in an alphabetical list of my iTunes content, and upload them to the phone. I could even collect them all in a dedicated car playlist with a suitable name ("Shut up, iPhone" would be an obvious candidate). As long as I have an hour or two worth of silent audio tracks, iPhone could play away and it wouldn't bother me...

What do you guys think? Worth a shot?

 

[Work4crown]

Partial solution to music autoplay

Someone posted on another forum that they use the 'Rocket Player' app from the Google Play store. This partially solved the issue for me.

Within the Rocket Player app: Settings - Headset/Bluetooth - Check 'Block Receiver Auto Play'.
(Tries to block auto play commands coming from the car stereos)

I tested in my 2018 Subaru Forester 2.5i base with base stereo today a number of times. At first I had a few music players installed on my phone.

I found that if I had been using Audible to listen to a book or Castbox to listen to a podcast or MD Player to listen to music before I got in my car then Rocket Player wasn't really able to stop the auto play for those apps.

To solve my problem I uninstalled the other music players and now only have Rocket Player in there. If I was listening to music on Rocket Player before I got in the car it will block the autoplay!

I don't seem to lose the ability to play and pause my music at any time like some people reported when they used some of the bluetooth apps on Google Play. It also seemed to work normally before and after phone calls.

If I was listening to Audible or Castbox before getting in the car they will still autoplay. But music is no longer an issue for me.

That is really all I wanted anyway.

 

[tysforester17]

I would like mine to autoplay, but it is not. Anyone else having this problem?