KDEConnect fails to pause media playback while ongoing call

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This auto pause of media-playback is a killer feature of kde-connect and something that’s exclusive to kde-connect. No other platform (Google Chromebook, Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac) can do this. Yet it has never worked flawlessly at least for me. On the other hand its gnome counterpart, GSConnect actually works so well, no matter what version of gnome on any distribution.

What happens in KDE: In KDEConnect settings I have the feature of pause media playback while incoming as well as ongoing call, turned on. The Android version I’m using is Android 10. The android app has all possible permissions allowed. Firewall on both android and linux is properly set up to allow traffic bothways. Everything else works as expected including file, clipboard and notification sharing. But when I get incoming call on Android, Neither media playback on Linux is paused nor the system audio volume gets muted. I accept the call and after some random time suddenly Media playback is paused (no matter if call is ongoing or not, media is paused just after some random time, sometimes even several minutes after the call is disconnected). Then after some more time system gets muted.

So the feature works but just not when it should but instead after some random time when you least expect it. It’s not even a recent bug as I’ve never been able to make this feature work since Plasma 5.19 at least. But Surprisingly, GSConnect has always worked exactly as expected. It immediately pauses media playback and mutes the audio volume as soon as phone rings and quickly unpauses media playback as well as restores audio volume as soon as call is disconnected. Which makes me wonder what went wrong in KDEConnect that GSConnect works better than the original project. Clearly the bug is neither related to the Android app nor to firewall or any issues related to connection being blocked, as everything else works as expected except this one feature.

I browsed through the bugzilla and surprised that no one has yet filled a bug report about this. Which made me wonder if I am the only person having this issue or no one else actually uses this killer feature? Can someone please confirm whether it works or not so that I can file a bug report knowing that this indeed is a bug and not some curse bestowed on me.

tl;dr :: Absurdly delayed pause of media playback while incoming or ongoing call and failure to unpause media after call is disconnected. Audio volume also does not mute and unmute as expected.

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File a report. Just because it works properly for me doesn’t mean it isn’t a bug.

I have been for this feature for years now, and it definitely works for me in Android 13, as well as previous devices, including my Android 10 ‘spare’ phone. I may test that one out later, when I can switch sim cards.

I have never used GS Connect, or had it installed. Do you have this installed on the same system, or a different OS install? I wonder if that might be a thing causing a conflict, just to throw ideas at the wall.

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I have never used GS Connect, or had it installed. Do you have this installed on the same system, or a different OS install?

It was a different desktop (gnome) as GSConnect is just an extension of gnome desktop and I have used GSConnect on several systems on different distributions ranging from debian, fedora to arch over the years and it has always worked.

it definitely works for me in Android 13, as well as previous devices, including my Android 10 ‘spare’ phone.

I have tested on Android 10, 11, 12 and 13. I mentioned Android 10 because AFAIR Android 11+ have had some permissions issues because of changes introduced from Android 11. It has never worked for me reliably. As I mentioned in the OP, the feature works but not just when it should, it’s always strangely delayed.

Can you also please check if you have the Plasma Browser Integration extension installed in Firefox or whatever browser you prefer to use? I think that could affect the media playback control.

File a report. Just because it works properly for me doesn’t mean it isn’t a bug.

Yes I guess I should file a report.

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Yes, I have Plasma browser integration installed on FF, my main browser on multiple systems.

I had a phone call this morning, and it most definitely works as expected. It is actually how I often can tell I get a phone call, as my Pixel is see to silent most times, and when not, the ringtone ramps up from zero, so it does not actually ring audibly immediately.

My YouTube video paused, and and after the call, it resumed.

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Thank you so much for confirming that it works on your system.

One more thing, can you also check if all the actions are turned on in kde-connect settings, e.g. pause media, mute audio and auto resume ?

I was playing with the options and noticed that if I turn off pause media action leaving other two turned on it actually works as expected but if I turn on pause media it is delayed a long time.

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I have the default settings here

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