IAmSandor

https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/149611/how-can-i-keep-screen-on-only-while-music-is-playing There are android apps that can keep the screen on for you when certain app is active. Wish there were some for Apple.

YouTube Music player stays on whether plugged in or playing ... as long as app is in foreground. YouTube app stays on (makes sense cause who would want their video dimming every 30s). I just found out Apple Music dims like Spotify however. So, damn.

You are correct. I just tested Apple Music player and it does it too ...go figure ... this must be a recent change. The standalone YouTube Music player keeps phone screen on while the app is in the foreground - plugged into power or not, playing music or not. It must have it's own timer and ignores the OS level one. Putting aside any car related arguments, I suppose for some apps ... like those playing video, people would be rightly pissed off if it tried to go to sleep every x mins.

Settings > Car > Car view https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/16/18185644/spotify-car-view-now-testing-android-simple-controls

Ok, so your usage patterns just means you are not the demographic of people for whom this issue is relevant. That doesn't invalidate any of those people's concerns.

This is EXACTLY the issue!! EDIT: Or more correctly, that is the issue that started all this to begin with.

Spotify's driving mode disagrees with you, but I digress. At any rate, no one is advocating touching the phone. I have no need to touch the phone. The issue is whether it is safer or more dangerous for the phone's screen to turn off. People in the Spotify community vote it is more dangerous. That's the issue. All that other guff you harp on about is irrelevant.

LOL ... irrelevant. Yeah, ok. Clearly you missed the entire point of this topic. That makes zero sense ... something cannot be more dangerous than something else cause both are dangerous??? Please...

To all of you who argue that the Spotify is doing this to make driving safer ... explain why they have a driving mode showing you big buttons that make fiddling with your phone easier.

No, the music still plays while the phone is locked.

Thank you for summarising your position on this topic. It will be interesting to see how many on this forum agree with your sentiment. Feel free to have the final word on this, I will refrain from replying to your post.

In this case wouldn't it be better if the phone was completely inoperable while it is in motion - as opposed to now, where you can still unlock it except it requires you to stare at it or touch the fingerprint sensor? I assume you agree with that. And if you do, you must agree that until the 'inoperable functionality' is implemented it is safer to have the phone not go to sleep at all.

Eloquently put. Seeing how passionate you are about this, why would you not support anything that would lower this risk?

Actually it isn't no matter how much you want it to be. The issue is about a software company making change to their app that increases the risk of injury from it ... it is a comparison between what was there before and what is there after the change. The manner in which the app is used is irrelevant. If the change requires that there are more steps in using the app and more frequently, then ergo, it requires your attention more frequently. Driving, or any other activity that requires your attention is made safer by reducing this frequency. Whether you are stupid enough to use it while driving is a different matter altogether. Some people will do it. Yes, they are stupid. But those stupid irresponsible people, when they crash may do so into one of us who are not stupid and irresponsible. Anything that reduces their distraction is a benefit to the rest of us. Spotify's change has made this risky for everyone ... regardless of which side of the 'phone use while driving' debate you are on.

Car manufacturers are adding controls onto the steering wheel or in easy reach. Why - to remove the need to take hand off steering wheel. aka safety/convenience Do we 'need' it? Not really. Do we like it. Obviously. Car manufacturers are adding colourful displays in line of sight (HUD) or just off to side (middle console). Displays that show maps, temperature, music information, phone information (during calls) etc. I can legally use the button on streering wheel to scroll through music track names, or contacts to phone cause they are projected off my windscreen. Why - to keep the person informed, to give them a way to do things safely that they would otherwise do anyway. Do we 'need' it? Not really. Do we like it. Obviously. Nothing is stopping us from playing with the radio, or looking at a street map sitting on passenger seat (remember those days?). And yet, these new features are there so we dont have to do that and to make things easier, safer and to sell more cars. No one is arguing about removing them because they are better. They make things easier. Spotify made a decision that goes against this. All these arguments about not using phone while driving are correct, obvious and common sense.. and NOT the issue at hand. The issue is bigger than that. Yes there is a statement for personal responsibility, yet we put guards on machinery, handrails on stairs, walkways and balconies etc. We do these things to prevent injury. So, your arguments are moot and go against everything that society is trying to implement. And if you still argue that Spotify are in the right, then we might as well remove all these other safety things as well ... cause people should know not to put their hand in an industrial machine and not to walk off a balcony etc.

I can change songs from my steering wheel and do so. I don't want to touch the phone, just see what is playing. A glance at it is much safer than having to touch it - and it's legal. Ok, it may not be a 'bug', but the feature was there before, but after the update it went away. If it was 'by design' then I question the motives and question the reasoning. I can excuse an unintentional bug, but not a change that has this safety implications. Would be good to know the thinking behind it, but Spotify is not saying anything. Again, other apps don't seem to have an issue with this. And it should be my choice. Again, choice. Displays don't wear out as fast as you are suggesting. Power? It's plugged in ... and when fully charged sucks almost no power at all. Again, I don't think you understand how modern mobile screens work. And yes, people don't listed with their eyes, but I'm rolling mine right now. Read other comments regarding the OS setting. Regarding your other points ... again, choice. And then you run out of tenuous points and get personal. I'm not manipulating anything and I am not the only one who thinks it's a safety issue (read the Spotify forum) and since Spotify refuse to address this issue there's no evidence of it being by design either. You are right however, 'looking at album art is not a priority while driving' ... which just means you have missed the bigger picture. No one is being critical of me and no one apart from you has accused me of manipulating anything. There has been some interesting and insightful debate and only reason I posted it here cause I thought it would make a good Tech Quickie story. But thanks for your feedback.

Let's just put this into perspective here. Yes, we all agree that no one should be playing with their phones while driving. That is just common sense. However, here in Australia, it is completely legal to have your phone in a cradle displaying information to you - as long as that information is not a video or 'moving picture' (GPS is OK). Big fines for any other kind of use: https://gorapid.com.au/resources/information-centre/smartphone-laws-what-you-can-and-cant-do-while-driving The real issue here is that people are people and they WILL want to see the cover art and song information and progress bar while driving. This is no different than looking at your dash for the same info. My car has this info when playing CD or listening to the Radio displayed on the centre console and its legal. However, not all cars have integration to pipe Spotify data to the car dash, and not all car's dashboard have LCDs capable to displaying that data. Plus, some people like to see what the phone displays and not what the car displays. I do. So, if your phone goes blank every few minutes then you WILL want to touch it to wake it up. This is human nature legal or otherwise. The main hazard here is that this new 'feature' Spotify are refusing to fix means that people will be forced to spend more attention to their phones (instead of driving) than if this 'feature' did not exist. YouTube music and Apple Music apps keep screen on while plugged in and playing ... so should they follow suit? TLDR; Spotify refusing to fix bug they introduced increases the hazard associated with using their app while driving. This is the issue, and this is why they need to pay attention. Besides, driving aside ... when I have my phone on my desk plugged in and playing music, there is no reason for it to go to sleep at all, ever (unless I tell it to).

Here's the thing ... the screen locks even when phone is on desk plugged into power. No other Music app - including Apple's and YouTube's locks while it is playing. It really is a strange and unwanted 'feature' and people are rightly pissed about it.

Thanks for the feedback Dan Castellaneta, I agree with you. I added more info to the post.

Been trying to get Spotify to fix a bug ... found community backlash .. then this on Reddit ... https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/comments/csawse/spotify_refuses_to_fix_driving_hazard_calls_it_a/ The issue is that when you play music using Spotify while driving and plugged into the power the screen still locks. So people driving need to either keep tapping the phone every minute, or have to re-auth to unlock it using face ID. Pretty unsafe in my book. It is amazing how a company just refuses to fix an actual bug they introduced and everyone is telling them is a driving hazard. And the way they try to just fob everyone off is amazing ... such arrogance. This might be a good story for TechQuickie