Newpipe: Option to have separate queues again

[nbmrjuhneibkr]

Checklist

• [x] I am using the latest version.
• [x] I checked, but didn't find any duplicates of this issue in the repo.
• [x] I have read the contribution guidelines given at https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/blob/HEAD/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md.
• [x] 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 - https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/issues/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 https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/issues/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

[opusforlife2]

Oh hey, long time no see, @kapodamy! Why are you not on the IRC channel?

[streaps]

I would agree, these are not code bugs, but usability bugs = bad UI design and bad UX due to sudden changes in the behaviour. The new version is kind of depressing (UX wise. It seems the app is more stable, crashing less often and a bit snappier).

[yiiii777]

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

Maybe devs wants new fork of entire project?

For me, version 0.20 is totally unusable for me, I was very angry and downgraded to 0.18... But when YouTube will change their interface, what options remains for me? Maybe I can find any other player? Or write another, "very tiny and simple, without bloatware" app? Like newpipe was sometime...

[yiiii777]

crashing less often and a bit snappier

Got in few minutes of usage

[Stypox]

Got in few minutes of usage

Will be fixed in 0.20.1

[hp8wvvvgnj6asjm7]

the latest release was a total gnome move. Can someone please fork this project before it gets out of hand?

[opusforlife2]

the latest release was a total gnome move. Can someone please fork this project before it gets out of hand?

You're a Github user. Be proactive and use the Fork button. :P

[hp8wvvvgnj6asjm7]

@opusforlife2 is this a nice way of saying, go fork yourself? :D

[opusforlife2]

That is genuinely hilarious. I bow to your comedic genius. xD

[kubo6472]

ClassicPress 2.0?

[cyber199]

While I don't disagree with the unified player, I can see the background queue being erased as being a problem. I could see a user trying to enqueue a YouTube video or Soundcloud song in the background while listening to their queue and accidentally erasing the list. The background player, i.e. the one with no video, would benefit from not being unified with the foreground players (fullscreen and popup) in this scenario.

[yashpalgoyal1304]

I agree this should have been made as a separate release - as beta program of some such. When combined with offline play (general case of #478) - the "new unified workflow" would really be a killer thing as a separate app (unless things are figured out) - and would replace YMusic app totally for me .

The problem is - i cant even downgrade as i dont want to lose my history and fqin android v7.0 wont let me install an older app version over current one.

So, can 0.19.x be released as 0.20.1 or smth so that i can update it. Internally it can still be referred to as 0.19.... i dont know... help!

update:

used the Ex-/Im-port database

utilised #849 Ex-/Im-port DB (history, subscriptions and playlists) option. {Import doestn mention it requires a restart for full effect, but anyways}. Thanks a lot for this.

Any thoughts for #4551 😄😅!!?

[Moon-Palace-16]

I have to agree that the new version should probably have been a separate version of the app. I'm not really fond of some of the changes, some of which don't even work with my operating system (like the new notification bar, which no longer shows how the long the video is, or progress, and is stuck with a medium gray color). I would love it if someone would fork the older version, and maybe make two separate versions of the app. I know that's a lot of work, though, and I don't mind changes if everything still works well, but I feel like a lot of new issues have appeared instead with the last two updates.

I did switch back to 0.19.8, but that is now starting to give me some issues with playing videos in the background, so I'll soon be forced to update, but there are a few issues which have been turning me away a bit.

This said, I do want you guys to know that I absolutely love your app, and use it almost every single day (mainly for music), usually for hours.

[Flashwalker]

Nowaday's realities bombard us with tones of info channels. So it was very convinient to use background player for listening, floating player for watching while reading/browsing, and full player for fullscreen, info and comments and etc.

[Flashwalker]

Well... when you have two options and choose the first to push into the background and getting the second one... it looks like there is a risk of misunderstanding in the operation of the application when you wait for one and get another.

So, it would be nice to get more indisputability and straightness again, as it was with separate queues