Hey there, @user_s2ewrh! We've heard about sound drops on our Stream app, particularly on iPad Pro models. It often manifests as audio cutting out during commercial transitions or randomly during live playback. Based on current user reports and technical trends in 2026, here is the most effective troubleshooting path to resolve these drops.
1. The "Apple Home" App Fix (High Success Rate) Surprisingly, many users have found that a glitch in how iPadOS handles background "Smart Home" triggers can interfere with Xfinity's audio stream.
- Locate the Home app (yellow house icon) on your iPad.
- Open the app and check for any pending updates or "Configuration" prompts.
- If you don't use it, try deleting the Home app entirely (you can reinstall it later from the App Store). This has been reported to stop the "handshake" errors that cause audio to dip.
2. Update the "Local Network" Permissions The Xfinity app requires a constant "handshake" with your gateway to verify you are on your home network. If this is interrupted, the audio is often the first thing to drop.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network.
- Ensure the toggle for Xfinity Stream is turned ON.
- If it’s already on, toggle it off and back on to refresh the permission.
3. Clear the App Cache & Force Restart Standard app refreshes often aren't enough for the Xfinity app's "heavy" streaming buffer.
- Delete the app from your iPad.
- Force Restart your iPad Pro: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears.
- Reinstall the Xfinity Stream app from the App Store.
4. Adjust iPadOS Audio Settings Sometimes the iPad's internal "Mono" or "Sound Check" settings conflict with the app's audio encoding:
- Check Mono Audio: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual and ensure Mono Audio is OFF.
- Turn off Background App Refresh: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off specifically for Xfinity Stream to prevent other apps from "stealing" the audio priority.
5. Check for "Commercial Break" Glitches If the sound only drops during or immediately after commercials, this is a known server-side issue with our ad-insertion technology.
- The Workaround: Quickly skip back 15 seconds using the on-screen controls. This usually forces the app to re-sync the audio track with the video stream.
Is the audio dropping specifically when you use Bluetooth headphones, or does it happen through the iPad's built-in speakers as well? Knowing this can help me narrow down if it's a hardware interference issue or a software bug.
Thanks for trying those and getting back to us, user_s2ewrh. For troubleshooting purposes, are you only experiencing these sound drops on your iPad Pro when watching the Xfinity Stream app? Also, is this occurring on all content via the Xfinity Stream app or only on certain content/programming/channels?
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XfinitySara
Official Employee
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2.3K Messages
30 days ago
Hey there, @user_s2ewrh! We've heard about sound drops on our Stream app, particularly on iPad Pro models. It often manifests as audio cutting out during commercial transitions or randomly during live playback. Based on current user reports and technical trends in 2026, here is the most effective troubleshooting path to resolve these drops.
1. The "Apple Home" App Fix (High Success Rate)
Surprisingly, many users have found that a glitch in how iPadOS handles background "Smart Home" triggers can interfere with Xfinity's audio stream.
- Locate the Home app (yellow house icon) on your iPad.
- Open the app and check for any pending updates or "Configuration" prompts.
- If you don't use it, try deleting the Home app entirely (you can reinstall it later from the App Store). This has been reported to stop the "handshake" errors that cause audio to dip.
2. Update the "Local Network" Permissions
The Xfinity app requires a constant "handshake" with your gateway to verify you are on your home network. If this is interrupted, the audio is often the first thing to drop.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network.
- Ensure the toggle for Xfinity Stream is turned ON.
- If it’s already on, toggle it off and back on to refresh the permission.
3. Clear the App Cache & Force Restart
Standard app refreshes often aren't enough for the Xfinity app's "heavy" streaming buffer.
- Delete the app from your iPad.
- Force Restart your iPad Pro: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears.
- Reinstall the Xfinity Stream app from the App Store.
4. Adjust iPadOS Audio Settings
Sometimes the iPad's internal "Mono" or "Sound Check" settings conflict with the app's audio encoding:
- Check Mono Audio: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual and ensure Mono Audio is OFF.
- Turn off Background App Refresh: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off specifically for Xfinity Stream to prevent other apps from "stealing" the audio priority.
5. Check for "Commercial Break" Glitches
If the sound only drops during or immediately after commercials, this is a known server-side issue with our ad-insertion technology.
- The Workaround: Quickly skip back 15 seconds using the on-screen controls. This usually forces the app to re-sync the audio track with the video stream.
Is the audio dropping specifically when you use Bluetooth headphones, or does it happen through the iPad's built-in speakers as well? Knowing this can help me narrow down if it's a hardware interference issue or a software bug.
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