Audio Shut-Off Problems in Safari on iPhone 11 Pro Max (iPhone 7 Plus continues to work fine)

2019-11-17 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: Apple, Apple iOS, Apple iPhone and iPad, Apple Safari web browser, Expose Somewhat To Right, Expose To The Right, iOS, iOS 13, iPhone 11, iPhone 7

I just got the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Stunning display, but a mixed usability bag making me consider returning it, what with the headaches more than the benefits. For example

UPDATE: iOS 13.2.3 fixes the audio problems described below. But Bluetooth pairing is still broken for all my phones.

Audio shut-off problems with Safari

UPDATE early afternoon: after repeatedly having all these issues, they went away. Could it be related to time of day and Do Not Disturb? I’m looking into that. Hopefully the problem is gone for good.

Update 2, 10 minutes later: the problem is baaaaack. Is this just a nasty bug? Is it related to some Face ID bug?

...

I often listen to web site audio on my iPhone, frequently while driving. This is my #1 use of my phone these days (in terms of time spent), so the issues here are major problems (to me).

All of the following worked and continue to work without issue on my iPhone 7 Plus. These behavioral changes affect the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Using iOS 13.2.2:

• While playing a web site audio clip in Safari, as soon as the phone sleeps or I click it off, the audio stops.
• While playing a web site audio clip in Safari, switching to any other app immediately stops the audio. So I cannot use Maps or Settings or anything without losing my audio.
• If I am listening to the Audible app @AMAZON, but then switch to a web site to listen to an audio clip there, both audio tracks play on top of one another. So I have to manually pause Audible first.
  

But wait, there’s more: the iPhone 11 Pro Max will not pair with my Mercedes Sprinter van bluetooth; the van finds the phone, but the phone does not see the van, and so won’t provide the code to pair it. I tried repeatedly, including restarting both the van and the phone. The iPhone 7 Plus is paired just fine. What a situation—no music or audio or Maps while driving with this fancy new expensive turd phone.

So I spent $1900 on a phone that doesn’t work properly.

Does Apple just hire sloppy engineers these days, or just not bother to test anything or just have the worst design judgment ever? I can’t tell.

Fix or workaround?

I found one workaround: manually download the audio clip.

No big deal? I did not spend $1900 on an iPhone for make-work clunkiness caused by poor design. I buy iPhone because I expect it to suck less than the competition.