Unified player should be optional, makes the app useless in certain scenarios

[nbmrjuhneibkr]

Checklist

• I am using the latest version.
• I checked, but didn't find any duplicates of this issue in the repo.
• I have read the contribution guidelines given at https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/blob/HEAD/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md.
• This issue contains only one bug. I will open one issue for every bug report I want to file.

Steps to reproduce the bug

1. Add tracks to the background queue.
2. Try playing a video in NewPipe.
3. Background queue is erased.

New "unified player" makes the app useless if I want to use background player independently from the video player. I'm filing this as a bug, because this is something that worked perfectly fine in v0.19, but is completely broken now due to some questionable features being implemented in v0.20.

Actual behaviour

When I have tracks in the background queue (either playing or paused), and then try to watch a video in NewPipe, my background queue (which is valuable user data) gets erased without any warnings. This is default behavior in 0.20. The option "Ask for confirmation before clearing a queue" (which is disabled by default) adds a warning (that sometimes doesn't work - #4459 ), but does nothing to solve the actual problem. The fact that this option even needs to exist now is a clear indication that current implementation is wrong.

I have music and podcasts in my background queue pretty much 24/7, which means that I can't use NewPipe as a video player anymore without constantly losing my queue. And combined with #4458 this means that now I can't even open a video from NewPipe in another player without losing my background queue.

Expected behavior

There should be an option to use background player independently from the video player, just like in previous versions. These players serve a different purpose, and may be used for very different types of content.

Device info

• Android version/Custom ROM version: Android 11
• Device model: Pixel 3a

[hipunk]

Yes! Pleeaase make it optional!

I can only speak for myself, but let me tell you this:
I'm almost always listening to something using newpipe with the background player. Podcasts and music, it happens very often.
In 0.19 and earlier: if somebody sent me a youtube link in e.g. WhatsApp or Discord or whatever, I'd tap it and open it with newpipe using its popout player (most of the time, that is).
Now, with 0.20.0 I can't do that anymore, because if I'd do that, the music or podcast wouldn't only pause playing, it'd even stop & vanish from the queue. So now I oftentimes choose to open the youtube link with my browser, e.g. Chrome, in order to prevent the music or podcasts from getting lost. You devs should really be aware of this.

Do you, as a dev, really want your users to use your app less than before?

[opusforlife2]

Hmmm... option to have separate queues for the 3 players? Maybe pick and choose 2 players to have a common queue (like main and popup, but separate background queue)?

[nbmrjuhneibkr]

I don't use the popup player, so I can't comment on that, but there definitely needs to be an option to have a separate queue for the background player. Lots of people keep their audio and video players separate from each other.

[opusforlife2]

I would love that option as well. What you play in the background player is usually very different from what you play in the main or popup players.

[avently]

@nbmrjuhneibkr

New "unified player" makes the app useless

but is completely broken

questionable features

So you think that when you talk like this the devs will want to help you?

[nbmrjuhneibkr]

I'm thinking that it's rather strange that the devs let a major regression like this make its way into release after such a long development process.

All of the statements you quoted are factually correct in the context of this issue.

[opusforlife2]

The problem is precisely that "long development process" you mention. Because this was such a massive change, there were bound to be lots of bugs in the final release, even though we tried to spot as many of them as possible. Now what we need is rapid user feedback and some small releases to address critical bugs, and eventually those of lesser and lesser urgency in further releases.

[nbmrjuhneibkr]

The problem with this one is that it isn't really a bug, but rather a deliberate design decision that completely removes previously possible usage scenarios due to its limitations. I submitted it as a bug anyway, and described my reasons for doing this.

[opusforlife2]

I wasn't addressing this bug in particular, but just the general flood of new issues opened after the release was published. We expected this would happen. Now we will work to address them one by one.

[panacist]

for the seek of playing 360p videos on my replicant os i do give my vote on this! unified player should be optional.

[opusforlife2]

@panacist Wat. What does that have anything to do with this issue?

[kapodamy]

seconding for making it optional, there so many bugs (or weird behaviors) thats make imposible to use