Our mobile is a complete multimedia center in which music and video take on great importance. It does not matter the content is already stored on our mobile or if we enjoy it online, since problems with music and video playback can appear at any time, and make the experience totally unstable.
It is very frustrating when we are watching a video or listening to music and the playback is unstable . This may be due to several factors, which also depend on the circumstances in which we are playing, since it is not the same that we are with videos or music online, than with content downloaded to our mobile.
If the music or video is online
In this case, the vast majority of problems are derived from the Internet connection . Remember that network congestion will affect the quality of the video broadcast, especially during peak hours. This can cause frequent interruptions and blurry image quality.
Check internet connection
Before looking for other culprits, we must check our Internet connection and that it has enough quality and speed to reproduce the content properly. Remember that in the case of video or the quality with which we listen to music, the bandwidth requirement will be lower or higher.
To clear up doubts, we can always carry out a speed test of our connection. In case of not obtaining the desired results or too far from what was contracted with our operator, it is possible that it is the cause of the problem and we must contact the technical service so that they can determine the cause.
Change connection type
In this case, we need to switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data to determine the cause of the problem. If we are on a Wi-Fi network, we must disconnect and test if the problem continues in the data connection. We must do the same in reverse. The lack of coverage or the instability in the network can cause this type of failure.
Lower quality
Either in applications or in services, within the settings we can modify the quality of the video to adapt it to our circumstances. Sometimes changing this parameter to “Automatic” will ensure that playback is stable at all times.
If the music or video is already downloaded
In this case, as it is an offline playback, the Internet connection should not affect the correct viewing. However, there are also several factors that may be causing the instability.
Check the quality or codec
On many occasions, a video has been downloaded whose quality exceeds the playback capabilities of our device. There are many mobiles with problems playing 4K videos . The same is true for some encodings of music files. In the properties of the files, we can see their extension, which we can check with the technical capabilities of our mobile phone, which comes in its manual or on the manufacturer’s website, where it is always specified what type of music and video files can be reproduce without problem.
Bluetooth, the problem
On other occasions, it is the reproduction of music and video through Bluetooth headphones that is to blame for this instability. In order to fix it, we have two options in the developer settings. Remember that to access these options we must press seven times on “Build number” in Settings / About phone. Once inside the developer options and in the audio section we will see these two options:
- Bluetooth Audio Sample Rate – Allows you to adjust the number of audio samples per second by selecting an audio codec sample rate. Higher sample rates consume more resources, so we can try to select lower values and try again.
- Bluetooth Audio Bits Per Sample – Allows you to set the number of bits of information in each audio sample. With a higher bit rate, the sound is better, but the sample file is larger. In this case, we must also try to lower the bit rate and test once again if the playback is smoother.
Kill background processes
If we have too many applications open, it is very likely that they are consuming too many resources in the background . This affects the quality of the playback and can cause instability in both video and audio. That is why we must click on the recent applications button and close all those that we are not using.
Try another player
Many times it is the player itself that is not well optimized to play our multimedia files. Luckily, the universe of alternative players is huge on Google Play. All you have to do is download another and try until you find one that you like or that meets your needs for playback. In many cases an alternative player can play more stable than the one installed by default in the system.
