Annoying Issue With Sirius XM on Android

by Chris on July 22, 2010 · 76 comments

by Chris on July 22, 2010 · 76 comments

Post image for Annoying Issue With Sirius XM on Android

UPDATE: The looping issue with the Sirius XM radio app was resolved on Sept 17, 2010.  Download the update from Sirius XM.

So the only thing left for Android to be a viable platform for me was a Sirius XM Radio app. When that app was released a few weeks ago my temporary transition to the Android platform was more palatable. Unfortunately I have stumbled upon a weird issue that I have not figured out how to fix. It seems after a few minutes of listening to the Opie and Anthony show, the app randomly throws itself into a loop. Do you know how annoying this is? I constantly have to pause and hit play which gets me through the next few minutes. By the way if you use your phone to listen to Sirius|XM a lot, here is a great portable speaker you will love.

I like to listen to the show in the background. The guys often play a pop culture clip and break it down with jokes. The problem is that sometimes I can’t even tell when the show is replaying the clip or if the app has gone into a loop again, because the show is playing in the background. I really don’t catch it until I stop what I am doing and actually pay full attention. I have emailed Sirius XM support and they were no help. Is anyone else seeing this issue? And if so, have you found a fix? I didn’t see this problem until I installed Android 2.2 (FROYO). So obviously I am wondering if this is the issue.

Here is the response from Sirius XM

We are sorry to hear about your difficulties with XM Radio Online. If you are receiving an error message or any technical difficulty, please try clearing your cache and cookies from your mobile phone’s internet application.
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346).
Thank you,

Needless to say I am in a loop while I am typing this post. I also tried to go directly into the app and clear all the stored data. To my surprise you have to do it from manage applications instead of the settings in the Sirius XM app. Sadly,that did not help either. You can try that too, by going into Settings | Applications | Manage Applications | Sirius XM. From there you will see the options to clear what you want.  Maybe the problem is limited to the Nexus One so let me know what phone you are using too.

Related Posts

    • None Found

Tagged as: SIRIUS XM Radio on Android

  • Greg

    I would say this is not the app but the streaming from Sirius. I have had this same issue with the web based streaming as well iPhone and Android apps. It is annoying but I don’t think limited to a specific app.

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      So weird because when I stream it on my PC no problem. it is really annoying

  • Bill Miranda

    Same problem with same app on same phone with same OS. I’m about to remove the app from my phone. Have you found a solution?

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      I am sad to say I have not. Did you try the clear cache and all that jazz?

  • Will V

    I am so happy that I found this site, I am having the same problem with moto Droid, I upgraded it myself with 2.2 froyo and I am having the same problem. I think it is not compatible with 2.2 froyo. I have not had any problems at all when I had 2.1 installed. I saw 2.2 froyo download and I wanted to take a peak so I rooted it and installed it and it works great but now I am stuck with this annoying loop. Just to let you know that after I upgraded I wiped the phone so it is not like I had installed 2.2 as an upgrade with all the apps still there, I had to reinstall the apk file of XM. Listening to O&A is unbearable now becasue of the looping. I am thinking of bringing it back down to 2.1 but I like 2.2… ohh what to do.

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      The worst part is when they are playing clips and you don’t realize that you are caught in a loop after hearing the same clip 20 times. Very frustrating. I am hoping we get enough people with the same issue to force Sirs XM to fix this mess.

    • JayS

      I’m having the same issue on an my Evo that also has froyo installed. Can someone link me instructions on downgrading to 2.1 so I can see if this thing will still loop?

  • Ken

    This is a problem with the FROYO 2.2 OS – I was able to get in touch with someone at SIRIUS|XM who said they know about the looping issue in 2.2 and they are working on resolving it – hopefully there will be an update soon!

    • Bill Miranda

      Thanks for confirming that it is a Froyo problem and at least there is hope of an update to fix this. I’ve given up on the Sirius app until the fix comes. Yesterday I was listening to a Clapton track on Deep Tracks and then it started playing Beatles “Yer Blues” in the middle of it, then switching back to Clapton. Weird.

  • http://androidanarchy.com Mark

    glad to see im not the only one this problem is killing the whole Sirius experience on android for me. So I am paying for a monthly service that is unusable, I am going to be contacting sirius directly to see if I can get a refund on my monthly payment till they fix this. flat out this is unacceptable, especially if people are paying for the use of Sirius.

    btw I am on Nexus One 2.2 frf91

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      I don’t need to go that far I still have it in my truck and online in the office.

  • Mark

    I have gotten this a few times on my Moto Droid. It was not persistent though. I was able to kill the app and restart, then it worked again.

  • DC

    Thank God it’s not just me! I had contacted them about this two weeks ago and got some canned response. I’m on an AT&T Nexus One with Froyo. It’s basically unusable in its current state.

  • Warren Gary

    Same problem here. I running Froyo Sense on my TMO Nexus One. The audio streaming from the app starts looping after about 45 secs to a minute. It’s annoying. When i flash my Eclair Sense there is no problem. The app needs to be updated for Froyo. I know some of the streaming protocols have changed with Froyo. That may have something to do with it. IDK

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      Yeah it looks like Sirius XM is aware of the issue and is working on a fix.

  • jOHHNY

    Same issue on Evo 4g Froyo. Very Frustrating!

  • Will

    Upgraded to Froyo yesterday on my EVO. SiriusXM App looping today. Glad I searched the web for similar problems before investing too much time into “fixing” my phone. I guess I’ll wait for SiriusXM to release a version compatible with Froyo.

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      Hopefully we will make a fan out of you

  • Nathan

    Any word when this will be fixed? I am a paying subscriber and would like to use the service since I’m paying for it. Or will Sirius be offering credits for the inconvenience?

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Rod

      Chris was contacted by a representative at Sirius XM and told they are aware of the issue and hope to have a fix out soon. We will email them again to check status. It is nice to know they are working on a solution. It appears to be Froyo only. Not sure that makes too many people feel better about the issue

  • http://bilikfamily.com/ Scott

    Glad to hear it *was* FroYo. I did the HTC EVO update to FroYo last night and then heard the skipping/looping this afternoon on the Sirius/XM Android app. Meanwhile when I use XMicroplayer on my laptop it works fine.

  • David

    I just got off the phone with Sirius. Supposedly, they thought they fixed the problem with Nexus 1 and Froyo. The Sirius Rep said he wasn’t sure what they reported, but this is what the Tech support told each caller. They told everyone that called to go to application in settings area. Go to the Sirius App. First, clear data or clear cache(most likely data). Then, uninstall the Sirius App and then reinstall it. See if that fixes the problem. Of, course, by reading the other forums, it didn’t fix anything. But, for some odd reason, not many people called back to tell Sirius that their fix didn’t work.

    So now on to me. First, like everyone else, we all have the looping/repeating issue, with skipping also. Everyone has had this problem since updating to Froyo 2.2. I told tech support this and they have now escalated back the problem. Before I called, I did what was told to do, clear data, uninstall the Sirius App and then reinstall the Sirius APP, and still got the same problem. This is important. Everyone now needs to call Sirius and let them know about the problem. You must first try the clear data and uninstall and reinstall first before you call, because they will ask if you tried this first. The more people that call, the faster it will get fixed, because it will become more of a priority. I also mentioned to the Tech Support for Sirius that I was on the EVO 4G, and we just got Froyo, 2.2 yesterday, and the Droid is getting it today and Droid X and Incredible soon afterwards. They better correct the problem before they get flooded with calls. The Tech guy said for me to go onto the forums and tell everyone that is having this problem to call Sirius.

    So, if you are having the looping/skipping problem with the Sirius App since installing Froyo, call Sirius now and ask for tech support.

  • Nathan

    FYI – The app works fine on my Evo when on Wifi. The problem only happens when on 3G. I called Sirius to report the issue and was informed to email sxmmobile@quickplay.com my issue. I did but, haven’t got a response yet. Perhaps if more people email them to report the issue they will bump the urgency up and get it fixed sonner then later.

    • Nathan

      Just got a reply.

      “Sirius XM currently works on Android 1.5 – 2.1 OS. Support for OS 2.2 will be available shortly.

      Thanks
      SXM Mobile Support”

      Gee thanks. No mention of how shortly though.

  • Harry

    Got the same instructions from XM when I called, instruction me to email sxmmobile@quickplay.com. I did email them and received the same response today that Nathan (above) did:

    “Sirius XM currently works on Android 1.5 – 2.1 OS. Support for OS 2.2 will be available shortly.

    Sincerely,
    SXM Mobile Support”

    The million dollar question is When will they come up with the bug fix for Android 2.2? It’s a waiting game for now and I hate that I’m paying for an app I can’t use in the meantime. I may cancel my subscription until I hear this is one’s been fixed.

    • Will

      I asked for a customer service credit for one month of service. Took me 30 minutes to talk to customer and technical service but, I had to go thru the exercise.

    • Nathan

      On my first call, when I was given the email address, I asked what about the down time and having to pay for something that I can’t use.. The guy offered me a $10 credit on the spot for my inconvenience. I figure that is worth about 2 1/2 months (after tax) of online listening service.

      • Harry

        Thanks for the info. I will ask (demand) the same. Everyone here should.

  • Nathan

    So, how exactly will we know the issue is fixed without constantly testing it? Will sirius.com/android have something posted on it or should we be checking back here? I bet a lot of people are playing the waiting game right now.

    • Will

      My experience with XM is that they are not too efficient with communications so we will probably have to keep checking their website.

      • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

        I was told by SiriusXM they would let us know

        • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

          They are going to put up a registration for email notifications

  • joe

    Same problem with EVO 4G froyo with sprint, BTW yahoo music does the same looping so I’m thinking the problem is more with froyo then with sirius .

  • mike

    same problem for me… dam 2.2

    I mostly listen to sirius app while I am in wifi range. I have the htc evo I just change the settings to tap my wifi. and problem NOT solved. No still stupid looping, played good for about 1-2 minutes and fooled me. but then it started repeating again and again.

  • Nathan

    Where is this link for the registration for email notifications? I haven’t be able to find it.

    • Bill

      http://www.siriusxm.com/android/

      Right above the blue email box, click on “Notify Me” then enter your email in the blue box.

      • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

        Thanks Bill i created a post to make it easier to find

  • scottdubinsky

    Having same issue on Droid after upgrade to 2.2 … worked flawlessly prior to 2.2 upgrade…thank you all for the good info and soon to come solution….

  • scottdubinsky

    …and by the way, i would have skipped the 2.2 had i known it would crash the XM mobile player.

  • Joel

    Hey Guys,
    The problem is the use of Stagefright media application that Google has used in Froyo. In previous versions Google has used Opencore. Stagefright is able to decode h.264 faster and more efficiently. If you have a ROOTED phone there is a fix.

    1. Mount your /system as Read-Write (#mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system)
    2. Pull build.prop (#adb pull /system/build.prop)
    3. Open your build.prop file in a text editor, such as notepad
    4. Change media.stagefright.enable-player=true TO media.stagefright.enable-player=false
    5. Push your build.prop back to your /system (#adb push build.prop /system/build.prop)
    6. Reboot!

    What this does is disable stagefright and uses opencore. This will be fixed by Google, and Sirius will put a patch for 2.2.. This is just a temp fix!

    • JayS

      Thank you very much for that. I’m sorry, i’m such a noob guys, but I tried to root my Evo with Froyo and it kept saying, “main version is older” and I couldn’t proceed. After looking through the forums, people have had the same issue as me but I wasn’t able to find a resolution. Any ideas?

  • Nathan

    It has been almost a month. Where is the fix for us non rooted users?

    • Nathan

      Even Slacker works! You would think Sirius XM could get things fixed in a month’s time, right?

  • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Brent

    I just got the notice a couple of days ago that my XM Online account had been migrated to Sirius. I was 5 months into my year’s subscription and they reset it back to 1 year, so I am happy about that. I reloaded the SiriusXM app for Android sto see if it was working yet. Before, it just wouldn’t play at all for more than a second or two, but at least it now plays. However, still sounds like crap. I guess I will continue to use it on the iPad and forget about Android for now. Oh well…

  • RaGiN Z

    yup, I have a Droid and just upgraded to froyo last night, played Sirius this morning and this afternoon and have that same issue. I did a fresh reboot from the boot menu (hold X) while powering up, cleared everything, restored to factory defaults, but for some reason I still had froyo installed. either way, it still does it. I’m getting annoyed… I love using my phone to listen to ellis! I’m calling sirius! We all need to! That way they take us serious!

  • Derek

    I see this same annoying issues on my moto droid. But unlike the rest of you I have been seeing this issue on 2.1. I waited for the Official Froyo release thinking it would fix the issue but now it is worse It used to be bairable now it is unusable. Thats when I decided to google it, and Now here I am. I am not convinced that it is a Froyo issue because this issue has been happening to me day one running 2.1.

    I will be calling Sirius/XM to complain like the rest of you.

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      I can say I did not see the issue on 2.1 it was flawless for me. Let us know what they say to you.

  • Derek

    Hi Chris,

    I called them and told them about the issue and they offered me a $4 credit.
    I thought that was unacceptable since I have been having this issue for however long the application has been out (two or three months). I said I have been a member for over 5 years, and my only complaint is 2 to 3 months of service which I think it only fair I get credit for. I have only been using Sirius/XM on my phone since my reciever broke some months back, and I am just looking for a fair credit. I dont think its too much to ask. She still refused. I then asked to talk to a manager and she told me that one did not exist.

    What. You dont have a superviser? Hard to believe.

    So I will be calling back and wont be so nice this time.

  • Nathan

    Enough with this “soon” BS! When the hell is soon? This needs to get fixed NOW. All us paid subscribers are getting bent over.

    I don’t care if Google made a change in 2.2. It’s not my problem. Sirius is a large enough company and should be able to make fixes to their app if they want to be a player in this market. I mean, look at Pandora, Slacker, and even Sprint TV. They all work with Froyo.

    Get with the game Sirius or fold. You are still running like a 5 cent /share company.

  • JC

    I agree. Sirius/Xm needs to get it together! I called and complained AGAIN. They acted like oh whatev. How stoopid….do they not realize how large and andriod market is becoming and everyone is going on OS 2.2? No wonder their stock is so dirt cheap. I look for them to fold eventually. I called then to cancel and was on hold for 20 minutes and hung up. I sent an email two days ago and still no response. Sirius has SERIOUS PROBLEMS!

  • rick

    Same looping issues. Got the 2.2 update and am sad. No O&A not unless I want to listen to it skip every few minutes. Boooooooo!

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      Is there anything worse than when they are playing a clip and then you start to hear the same part over and over again. Because at first you think they are just really making fun of this on segment. Then you realize no, it’s looping. That is what took me so long to catch on. Anyway I am just listening on my desktop now. I have a radio in my truck. I work with software so I am not as mad as a lot of people. I don’t blame them either.

      • jimshat

        lol… they do run things into the ground dont they, thats why i love them. I got my system update on Verizon Droid Incredible yesterday but this problem started about a week ago for me. Friggin bs, and I have already had so many problems with XM cust support I cant bear to call them again. If it wasnt for O&A i wouldnt being paying for this second rate service

  • Shane

    Same problems here. Evo- 2.2 etc… looping.. frustrated. I re-subscribed to hear O&A and now this. I have done all the suggested steps and still I hear Patrice Oneal’s psyco babble over and over. It’s good the first 2 times and then…… Has there been anything new released on this?

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      i just bought tickets to see him perform. He is my favorite comedian. The last i heard they were getting code to a release.

      • jimshat

        seen Jimmy, Louis and Patrice all in past 6 months here in Tampa and Patrice was the best of the three I thought. They were all hilarious but Patrice literally made my face hurt from laughing so much

        • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

          I just saw Patrice live last weekend. Just killed it!!

  • Ed

    This sucks! What a total joke! I bought this darn Droid so that I could listen to NFL Sirius Radio at work. Had it working for 3 weeks and then FROYO or whatever the heck the update is occured. I’ve now been without NFL Sirius Radio for 2 weeks and its blows!

    I called Verizon figuring it was a problem with FROYO considering they pushed the update out and they told me I need to call Sirius because the app isn’t compatible, I called Sirius and of course the looping wasn’t happening when I was on the phone with the tech guy. I go back into work on Monday and loop, loop, loop!

    FIX THIS SIRIUS! I’m dumping my Sirius stock (which is worthless) and sending an e-mail to good old Mel to say what a crap company he is running!

  • Nathan

    Any new developments? It’s been awhile since there has been an update and still doesn’t appear to be fixed.

    • Mike

      Shouldn’t be much longer now…

  • Derek

    If you go to siriusxm.com/android

    They have announced that the app is incompatable with most android 2.2 OS (Froyo). An update is comming soon.

    They now give you the option to be notified via email when the update is released.

    • Nathan

      I singed up for the email but, am getting tired of waiting.

  • Frank

    How embarrassing today when I was trying to stream XM at the pool with my friends!
    Hope they get on that fix ASAP.

  • Larry

    I was glad to find this forum, I thought I was going crazy. I just followed the link and added my email address so I can be notified when the fix is done. I have a moto droid 2.2 with the same problem.
    In the mean time I have discovered Pandora mobile and listen to “taylor made” radio stations. I like it so much I may give up on Sirus XM in my car, online and mobile. Pandora is free and I can listen in my car using the aux input and it plays perfectly on my Droid all the time! http://www.pandora.com.

  • Sailnut

    Can someone post the phone number for Sirius so everyone can call and complain!!!
    This app needs to be fixed and we need a daily status update until it is.
    I have three accounts and am going to cancel every one of them if they don’t get this fixed quick.

    • Will

      LOL. You must not have tried to call them often. Every time I call them I think it takes years off of my life. Best bet is to call their corporate office. I did that once and received a knowledgeable return call (multiple return calls actually). I believe I called a marketing director but, forget her name (her name was on an email that they had sent me). I Googled for a corporate HQ phone number and called their corp office at 202-380-4000. Good luck.

  • Bill Miranda

    There’s a new version 1.1 on the Sirius xm site. You have to download and reinstall he app. So far so good on my Nexus One with froyo!

  • RaGiN Z

    well, there goes getting an email when it got updated…

    It took that long to get the update and it looks exactly the same as the other one? No huge upgrade… no replay options still!

    at least it works…

  • Larry

    Thanks! I just downloaded it. Hopefully it works without the skipping and looping.

  • Nathan

    This is great news for a Friday! It took a while but, I’m happy that its fixed. I’ll be testing all day today.

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      Let me know if you see the same speed that I did.

      • Nathan

        Working like a charm so far. No major issues and have been streaming for about 4 hours straight.

  • Larry

    After downloading the upgrade last night it seems to be working great. Wouldn’t you know it… I JUST NOW got an email from XM with a link to download the upgrade. Thanks to this forum I got the news sooner!

    • http://www.simplemobilereview.com Chris

      Forget the email we had your back!!

  • Bill

    Just got my email too.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JTG7YJ7UTGRXRBBD7H3L5TBJCE dhans

    I have a solution for you that should work well.  STOP LISTENING TO OPIE AND ANTHONY!!!! They are possibly the least talented a s s clowns on the planet. They couldnt even get people to pay $1 a month to hear their useless waste of breaths.