Music stops when opening Roon app on iPhone (ref#KFVRMH)

Support
1

What best describes your playback issue?

· Music stops playing unexpectedly

What type of Zone is affected by this problem?

· *Network Zones* are affected.

Is the affected network Zone connected with Ethernet or WiFi?

· Ethernet

Does the issue affect all file formats?

· The issue affects *multiple/all* file formats.

Does the issue happen with local library music, streaming service music, or both?

· *Only streaming* music is affected.

Please select the streaming service(s) with which you're encountering playback problems.

· TIDAL

Have you tried logging out and back in again to your streaming service in Roon Settings?

· Logging out and back in had no impact, the issue remains

Do you have an approximate timestamp of when the issue last occurred?

· Multiple times on 9 March 2026 between 8pm-10pm GMT

What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?

· See previous support requests

Describe the issue

Problem - music stopping during playback and/or ID41 zone being lost. This is a follow on from my earlier support requests - please review those to see tests carried out.

I have identified a particular trigger which is when I open the Roon app on my iPhone. The music can be playing for a long period without issue and but opening the app causing the music to stop and/or the zone to be lost.

Describe your network setup

See earlier support requests [Meridian 818v3 with ID41 card ethernet linked to Nucleus]

1 Like
2

I’ve just uploaded logs from yesterday from my iPhone.

3

Hey @Ian_Tollett,

Thanks for writing in, and I’m sorry to hear you’re still having issues!

Unfortuantly, the mobile logs you sent over don’t cover this time period. That said, I can see an instance where your iOS device connects, and I see the following trace:

Trace: [iPhone] [Inactive] [STOPPED @ 0:00]

Which is interesting beacuse we don’t see any active playback occuring from Roon Server logs prior to this.

Could you please reproduce the issue, share the specific track name, and uplaod another set of mobile logs? From there, we’ll compare again against Nucleus logs and see what else we can find.

Thank you! :raising_hands:

1 Like
4

OK thanks will do. In the meantime I’ve uploaded all the logs I have on my phone in case that’s helpful.

What I’m not clear about is what the setting “Save logs to files on next startup” does. Startup of what? If it’s of the Roon app, what time period is uploaded?

Note that whenever I go back to the setting in the iPhone it has toggled “off” automatically.

5

It just stopped after playing Pulp. Skipped the GIMMY track and went straight to Maddie Ashman but then stuck there without playing.

8.52pm GMT. I’ll send the log.

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6

Hey @Ian_Tollett,

Thanks for the fresh examples! Looking at Nucleus logs, the issue seems to to stem from a combination of a network timeout and insufficient bandwidth right at the moment the tracks were transitioning.

At 20:50:56, your Roon Server lost contact with the audio endpoint. The log entry [rnet/RnetJsonClient] no data received for >10000ms. Killing connection indicates that the server waited 10 seconds for a response from your Meridian ID41 and, receiving none, dropped the link.

This is why the GIMMY track was skipped or failed to start properly; the “handshake” between the server and your speakers failed exactly when it was supposed to begin playback.

Shortly after the reconnection, the logs show a critical warning:

Warn: FTMSI-B-OE ti/F5A52000: poor connection kbps:1201.0 (min:1831.0)
Roon measured your incoming stream speed at 1.2 Mbps, but the TIDAL FLAC file required a minimum of 1.8 Mbps to maintain a stable buffer. When the throughput drops below the real-time requirements of the file, Roon will often:
  • Try to buffer indefinitely (getting "stuck").
  • Skip to the next track in hopes of finding a lower-bitrate file or a better connection.
  • Stop playback entirely if the buffer stays empty too long.
Because the network is struggling to hit that 1.8 Mbps threshold, the server is likely failing to fill the pre-buffer for the Maddie Ashman track. If the connection remains unstable or slow, the player will sit at 0:00 waiting for enough data to start a "Lossless" stream.

I’d test out using different ethernet cables if you haven’t already, and eliminate any additional network gear, especially managed switches if any are active within your network chain.

To determine if the issue is your internet bandwidth or the local network hardware:

  • Go to Settings > Services > Tidal.
  • Lower the Streaming Quality to "High" (16/44) or "Normal" temporarily.
  • If the skipping stops, the issue is likely your ISP or the route to TIDAL's servers. If it still skips, the problem is definitely on your local network (between the server and the Meridian).
I’d also check for IP Address Conflicts-
  • The logs identify your endpoint at 172.16.0.58. Log into your router and ensure no other device has been assigned that same IP address.
  • Recommendation: Assign a Static IP or a DHCP Reservation to both your Roon Server and your Meridian ID41 to prevent the connection from dropping during IP renewals.

Thank you! :folded_hands:

7

Very useful information thank you!

I have DHCP Reservation set up already and there aren’t any IP address conflicts.

I’ll try running Tidal at a lower streaming quality, but in the meantime please could you let me know:

  1. Is this problem likely to be addressed/improved by connecting the ID41 directly to my Nucleus by USB rather than via ethernet?
  2. Is the problem likely to be addressed/improved by using a Roon Ready streamer? The 818v3 with the ID41 card is only Roon Tested.

Many thanks.

8

Hello @Ian_Tollett,

Glad the information was useful! Those are two excellent and very logical questions. Let’s break down exactly how changing your hardware would (or wouldn’t) impact the two different network errors we are seeing.

To answer both of your questions, it helps to visualize the journey of the music in two halves:

  1. The Download: The internet to your Nucleus (where the 1.2 Mbps TIDAL bottleneck is happening).
  2. The Delivery: The Nucleus to your Meridian (where the 10-second timeout is happening).

Connecting via USB will create a direct, hardwired pipeline for the Delivery half. This will completely eliminate those local 10-second timeout dropouts because the audio is no longer relying on your local router/switches to reach the Meridian.

However, it will not fix the dropouts caused by the Download half. The Nucleus still has to pull the file from TIDAL over your network. If your router is choking the download speed to 1.2 Mbps, the USB connection will just sit there in silence waiting for the Nucleus to hand it data.

Meridian endpoints use their own highly optimized, proprietary streaming protocol rather than our RAAT (Roon Ready) protocol. While RAAT does handle buffering slightly differently, buying a brand new Roon Ready streamer will not solve this issue. A new streamer will still suffer the exact same dropouts if the Nucleus is starving for data from TIDAL.

Have you had a chance to test lowering the TIDAL streaming quality yet to see if it lessens the load on your router and prevents the dropouts?

9

Thanks @vadim - it’ll take a few days to test Tidal streaming at lower quality. I’ll get back to you when I’ve done so.

10

Hello @Ian_Tollett

Please keep us posted on the progress.

11

It’s just crashed again, playing via USB with Tidal streaming quality set to ‘high’. 19.38 GMT. I’ll send logs.

My internet is fast up and down and stable.

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12

Hello @Ian_Tollett,

Thank you for the logs. I’ve reviewed them thoroughly, and they reveal a completely different situation than the previous examples.

While our first look showed a bandwidth bottleneck (the 1.2 Mbps issue), these new logs show a Critical Local Timeout inside the Nucleus+ itself.

In these logs, we see multiple instances where the Nucleus+ is failing to talk to itself. Specifically, the Roon Server is losing contact with the audio engine (RAAT) on the internal “loopback” address (127.0.0.1) and external network devices.

Look at what happened in that exact same second:

  • raat_ll/client [800 Series Audio] OnDisconnected
  • raat_ll/client [Explorer² USB DAC] OnDisconnected
  • raat_ll/client [iFi Audio ZEN Stream (SPDIF)] OnDisconnected
  • Warn: [jsonserver] client timed out after 11893ms (timeout=10000)

Because the Nucleus+ was restarted about 20 minutes after the crash, the low-level system logs (which could tell us if the internal SSD is failing or if the processor is overloaded) were cleared. We can see Roon’s logs, but we can’t see what the operating system was doing at that exact moment.

To pinpoint the exact cause, we need to catch it “in the act”:

  1. Reproduce the crash: Play music until it stops/crashes again.
  2. Note the exact time: Write down the time and the name of the track.
  3. DO NOT REBOOT: This is the most important step. Please do not restart the Nucleus+ or pull the power.
  4. Report: Post the time here while the unit is still in that “crashed” state.

This will allow us to pull a fresh diagnostic slice that includes the system-level errors occurring right at the moment of the failure.

13

OK thanks - will do. It’ll probably be in a few days.

In the meantime this is my set up if it’s useful to know. The “lounge audio” is the ID41. The “music storage” is the Nucleus+. I’ve connected that directly to the Orbi router to bypass the switch and I’ve ordered new Cat8 cables in case that’s the problem. The switches are not managed btw.

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14

Hello @Ian_Tollett

Thanks for providing the network schema. We are in the standby mode until the next occurrence

15

Hello - crash tonight at 19.36h GMT - Tyler, The Creator stopped playing. I’ll send the iphone log.

16

Another crash at 20.00h GMT - Angel by My Bloody Valentine.

On both occasions the track was skipped then the next track in the queue didn’t play at all.

17

@vadim just checking you’ve seen this

18

Another crash tonight about 20.05h trying to play Emmylou by First Aid Kit. Now refusing to play the whole album. Have uploaded logs.

19

20.33h lost ID41 audio zone trying to play Bodysnatchers by Radiohead.

NB this is downloaded media saved to the internal SSD of the Nucleus+ NOT a Tidal track.

20

Anyone? @benjamin @vadim ?