[Bug]: Background playback crashes when interrupted by navigation or workout apps, losing playback position #1316

New Issue

2026-04-24T23:57:09+02:00

adam commented

2026-04-24 23:57:09 +02:00

Originally created by @DankMemeGuy on GitHub (Dec 8, 2025).

I have verified that the bug is not already awaiting release

Yes

What was the Problem?

When listening to an audiobook in the background, the Audiobookshelf iOS app often crashes after another app briefly takes audio focus. For example, if Waze or a workout app provides a spoken direction or cue, Audiobookshelf pauses as expected but then fails to resume. Instead, it crashes and displays “playback failed: playback error.”
The bigger issue is that playback progress since the last time the app was opened is not saved, resulting in lost listening time.

This does not happen 100 percent of the time, but it happens frequently enough to impact regular use.

Steps to Reproduce the Issue

Although not guaranteed to trigger every time, the issue occurs most often with the following pattern:

Open the Audiobookshelf iOS app
Start playing any audiobook
Background the app by locking the phone or switching to another app
Use a navigation app (Waze, Maps) or workout app that gives spoken prompts
When that app speaks, Audiobookshelf pauses
After the interruption ends, Audiobookshelf crashes and shows “playback failed: playback error”
Reopen the app and notice playback position has reverted to the last time the app was opened

What was Expected?

Audiobookshelf should pause during an audio interruption and automatically resume afterward without crashing
Playback progress should be saved continuously, even during background playback
Error messages should be more specific and ideally include error codes so users and developers can better diagnose the backend cause

Phone Model

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Phone OS

iOS 26.1

Audiobookshelf App Version

iOS App - 0.11.0

Installation Source

Testflight

Additional Notes

The issue is frequent but not 100 percent reproducible
It seems tied to iOS audio focus interruptions, especially from navigation and workout apps
The lack of specific error codes makes it difficult to isolate the root cause; having more detailed error reporting would help both users and maintainers identify whether the crash comes from audio session handling, buffering, or something internal in the playback engine
This issue leads to data loss because progress is only saved when the app remains open, not while playing in the background
I should mention this has been an issue for aslong as I have used this app, which I believe has been roughly a year. I just assumed it would be fixed eventually, but it hasn't so I figured I will flag it. At the very least improving error messages with codes would help isolate the issue.

Originally created by @DankMemeGuy on GitHub (Dec 8, 2025). ### I have verified that the [bug is not already awaiting release](https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf-app/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22awaiting%20release%22) Yes ### What was the Problem? When listening to an audiobook in the background, the Audiobookshelf iOS app often crashes after another app briefly takes audio focus. For example, if Waze or a workout app provides a spoken direction or cue, Audiobookshelf pauses as expected but then fails to resume. Instead, it crashes and displays “playback failed: playback error.” The bigger issue is that playback progress since the last time the app was opened is not saved, resulting in lost listening time. This does not happen 100 percent of the time, but it happens frequently enough to impact regular use. ### Steps to Reproduce the Issue Although not guaranteed to trigger every time, the issue occurs most often with the following pattern: 1. Open the Audiobookshelf iOS app 3. Start playing any audiobook 5. Background the app by locking the phone or switching to another app 7. Use a navigation app (Waze, Maps) or workout app that gives spoken prompts 9. When that app speaks, Audiobookshelf pauses 11. After the interruption ends, Audiobookshelf crashes and shows “playback failed: playback error” 13. Reopen the app and notice playback position has reverted to the last time the app was opened ### What was Expected? 1. Audiobookshelf should pause during an audio interruption and automatically resume afterward without crashing 3. Playback progress should be saved continuously, even during background playback 5. Error messages should be more specific and ideally include error codes so users and developers can better diagnose the backend cause ### Phone Model iPhone 16 Pro Max ### Phone OS iOS 26.1 ### Audiobookshelf App Version iOS App - 0.11.0 ### Installation Source Testflight ### Additional Notes 1. The issue is frequent but not 100 percent reproducible 3. It seems tied to iOS audio focus interruptions, especially from navigation and workout apps 5. The lack of specific error codes makes it difficult to isolate the root cause; having more detailed error reporting would help both users and maintainers identify whether the crash comes from audio session handling, buffering, or something internal in the playback engine 7. This issue leads to data loss because progress is only saved when the app remains open, not while playing in the background 8. I should mention this has been an issue for aslong as I have used this app, which I believe has been roughly a year. I just assumed it would be fixed eventually, but it hasn't so I figured I will flag it. At the very least improving error messages with codes would help isolate the issue.

adam added the bug label 2026-04-24 23:57:09 +02:00

adam commented

2026-04-24 23:57:10 +02:00

@WillGunn commented on GitHub (Jan 28, 2026):

I've had this issue since using the app over 2 years ago. For me the audio will sometimes continue to play (almost everything I listen to is downloaded locally), but the progress is lost once you bring the app back into focus with the same error message.

This is occurring on iOS 18.7.2

@WillGunn commented on GitHub (Jan 28, 2026): I've had this issue since using the app over 2 years ago. For me the audio will sometimes continue to play (almost everything I listen to is downloaded locally), but the progress is lost once you bring the app back into focus with the same error message. This is occurring on iOS 18.7.2

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Reference: starred/audiobookshelf-app#1316