[FIXED] Sound gone after leaving game alone/minimizing/tab out [ Edited ]

[limiV]

Product: The Sims 4
Platform:PC
Which language are you playing the game in? English
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
What is your current game version number? 1.78.58.1030
What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? All except: Realm of Magic, Journey to Batuu, Vampires, Spooky Stuff, Bust the dust, Country Kitchen, Courtyard oasis, Industrial Loft
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? Turn on bluetooth headphones while Sims 4 is running
What happens when the bug occurs? All game sounds and music stop. Attempting to shut down game using the menu causes it to get stuck in a way that prevents access to any and all other computer functions and the only thing to do is a computer restart. That last issue can be avoided by switching to another window and closing Sims 4 using the Task Manager.
What do you expect to see? I expect to hear game music and other sounds using headphones, and I expect the game not to freeze my computer
Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Not now. I've removed them.
Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system? Yes
Please describe the patch or change you made. This is an old issue that was resolved at one point after a game patch, but recently it started up again. Not sure if it was the one before the most recent game update or the one before that. I probably should've reported the issue a long time ago when I knew exactly when it started, but life got in the way. It was definitely an update that brought up the issue again.

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My computer doesn't have intrinsic bluetooth capability, I use an external USB device to connect to the headphones. Let me know if there's any information about the headphones or their connection to the computer that might be helpful.

BTW the autosave here on the website does absolutely nothing.

Edit By Crinrict: Added Tag to Title

[crinrict · Accepted solution]

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The game now gracefully handles disconnecting Bluetooth devices.

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There was a fix in Patch 1.99.264/.1.78 but the notes only mention bluetooth devices and nothing else that was listed.

Taking feedback. Anyone still got issues ? Does minimizing/tabbing out or leaving the game alone still make the game lose sound ?

I'm going to lock this thread now as there was only one positive feedback and no one else came back.

If you still have issues, please create a new thread.

[GrendallEA]

Before this last update, while playing Sims 4, I could turn on my headset and my laptop would automatically connect to my headset, and turning off my headset would automatically reconnect to the external speaker, and I can keep doing this over and over and Sims 4 sounds would automatically know how to connect to the appropriate device.

Ever since this last update, this functionality is gone. Turning off my headset makes Sims 4 totally lose sound instead of automatically connecting to my external speaker, and even if I turned on my headset again, the sound is simply gone. My only way to recover Sims 4 sound is to exit and restart the game.

Apparently, the last update broke something to this end. Can anyone advise? Thanks.

[ictofaun]

This is happening to me too, and it's super annoying. My headphone jack has a faulty connection so a light tap can disconnect my earphones, meaning I need to restart the game every 10 minutes or so.

[GrendallEA]

I am speaking from a software developer perspective as I report this new issue since the last update.

When the game starts, it determines the default audio of the system and uses that for sound output. There should be error trapping routines on code sections that output to the audio device. It seems to me that when the audio output device is changed WHILE the game is already running, the error trapping routine no longer checks what the new audio output device is. So if I started the game using my external Bluetooth speakers, AND THEN turned on my Bluetooth headset (which my laptop recognizes and properly overrides my external Bluetooth speakers with), Sims 4 loses sound. Prior to the update, Sims 4 knew how to handle this situation and properly routes sound output to the new active sound device (i.e., my headset). But now, the sound disappears and trying to exit the game just causes Sims 4 to hang as if it's still trying to output sound to a disabled sound device. As a result, the game can't exit normally and just hangs; I'd either have to choose the "Close" application option as the game grays out or end the task via the Task Manager to exit the game.

I very quickly noticed this because I switch back and forth often between my external Bluetooth speakers and my headset, and Sims 4 had always properly changed to the active device. This adaptive functionality disappeared since the last update.

Please fix this and restore it back to the way it was because it's now a pain dealing with this as I have to exit the game fully BEFORE changing active output sound devices.

[puzzlezaddict]

@GrendallEA  Thanks for posting this and for the explanation.  I've passed it on, although I don't know whether anything will come of it.

[WasteOfRage]

I'm also having this problem, and since my computer is super slow it takes forever to save, close, and restart the game when it happens. 

[braindead-idiot]

I take comfort in knowing that this is not an isolated issue. I've been experiencing this problem -- my Bluetooth earbuds cut out if I put them in the charger while I step away -- and it's incredibly frustrating. I have to Save and Exit and then restart the game to establish sound again.  When the disconnect happens, I can't even switch (manually) to external speakers while in game.

[SimQARobo]

Hello.

We are investigating this issue.  For those of you that are experiencing a crash or hang when changing audio, could you share your dxdiag?

EDIT: Never mind on the dxdiags.  We see the hang issue now.

[puzzlezaddict]

@limiV  I've merged your post with another thread on this issue.  It seems that there's a general issue related to switching sound output devices while the game is running; if you'd like a more detailed explanation, please see the first post.

As you can see from the post directly above yours, EA is aware of the issue and is looking into it.  Hopefully it will be addressed soon.

[limiV]

@puzzlezaddict Thanks, I tried searching for an open thread on the subject before posting but didn't find anything. it's good to know it's not just something strange with my setup