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Unable to play podcast "This American Life"

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I am getting an error when playing the This American Life podcast to SONOS using either Pocket Casts or Tunein. The error message is:

“Unable to play “episode title”. The song is not encoded correctly.”

This error occurs when I try to either fast forward or restart a podcast. If I play the podcast from the beginning without stopping I do not get the error and it plays correctly.

The error does not occur when I play the podcast on other bluetooth speakers. I do not get the error from any other podcast. I have only started getting this error in recent weeks.

I get the error when I play the podcast from my iPad or my android phone. I get the error on all episodes, even those I have played in the past.

I have unsubscribed and re-subscribed. I have deleted and then downloaded episodes again. But the problem persists. This is a very specific and odd problem and I am hoping someone might have a suggestions on how to fix this.

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Xander PAnswer

Retired Sonos Staff

Hi everyone, thanks for raising this with the Sonos Community.

We are indeed aware of an issue when trying to rewind or fast-forward Podcast shows, which causes a “Song not encoded properly" message. No ETA for a fix at the moment I’m afraid, however our engineers are investigating this.

A possible workaround, if using an iOS device and AirPlay capable speakers, is to use AirPlay to stream the podcast directly from your phone, rather than using the Sonos app.

Show previous replies

Xander PAnswer

Retired Sonos Staff

Hi everyone, thanks for raising this with the Sonos Community.

We are indeed aware of an issue when trying to rewind or fast-forward Podcast shows, which causes a “Song not encoded properly" message. No ETA for a fix at the moment I’m afraid, however our engineers are investigating this.

A possible workaround, if using an iOS device and AirPlay capable speakers, is to use AirPlay to stream the podcast directly from your phone, rather than using the Sonos app.

J

jwright444

Contributor I

SONOS....in the meantime, I suggest removing Pocket Casts from your stable of supported services. It is currently unusable due to this error. Luring users into time consuming network tweaks and blaming "wifi interference" is a disservice and seriously erodes confidence in the SONOS plug and play reputation.

D

Dalia

Lyricist I

Hi everyone, thanks for raising this with the Sonos Community.

We are indeed aware of an issue when trying to rewind or fast-forward Podcast shows, which causes a “Song not encoded properly" message. No ETA for a fix at the moment I’m afraid, however our engineers are investigating this.

A possible workaround, if using an iOS device and AirPlay capable speakers, is to use AirPlay to stream the podcast directly from your phone, rather than using the Sonos app.

I have an Android. If there is no ETA for a fix, does this mean this is indefinitely a gap, and that Sonos and podcasts (i.e. Stitcher) are not compatible? This seriously reduces Sonos' appeal and functionality, and makes me reconsider my home sound system.

I've been a Sonos user for almost 4 years, and it was a significantly large purchase for me (big investment!) But this problem (which has persisted for at least a year) and having no commitment or timeline from Sonos to fixing it is a severe set back, especially considering I'm home 24/7 this past year with the pandemic.

L

louisetAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

I am both gladdened and saddened to learn that others have experienced the same problem as me with a variety of different podcast apps and podcasts. This confirms for me that the solution I was offered, of a sequential reboot and the blame then being laid on wifi or network congestion, or perhaps a faulty cable was ridiculous and the equivalent of “Turn it off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on” when calling any PC help desk.

I did everything I was asked, then called the support number as I was directed and I was left with a system in worse condition than when I started. Over the following days I was able to get my system back to where I started on my own, but of course the podcast issue continues. I have given up on ever getting that corrected and I am now hesitant to ever follow instructions provided by SONOS support again. I may have been considering expanding my SONOS system, but this experience has left me cautious. Instead, I will be looking elsewhere.

N

NobodyYouKnow

Lyricist III

Thank you for everyone’s input on here I have had so many problems with podcasts on Sonos that I am ready to try another system if they don’t resolve it. It was working with Sonos 1 and has only become a problem when I upgraded to Sonos 2. It seems strange that a company would “upgrade” to provide nothing but more frustration and headaches for its users. If anyone knows how to listen podcasts on Sonos, please let me know. Pocket Casts was working, but now it does not even refresh on Sonos when I add new podcasts. It doesn’t give a choice to listen to podcasts through Spotify. Apple podcasts app never did work, even on Sonos 1. Wish I had not upgraded. I have been through the whole rigamorole with the support line and done all the steps to no avail.

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