Audio is cutting out or doesn't play at all

Anki Help
1

Hi there,

My teacher uses Anki in our Spanish class. For some reason not in your current forums, the audio cuts out or it doesn’t play at all.

I’ve tried to attach a video that shows the problem but it would let. I also attached a screenshot from AI Overview that said that the problem may be something to do with a recent Mac OS update.

I don’t know how to fix this and would be really grateful if you could help me.

Thanks,

Nikhil

AI overview
AI overview1184×508 71.1 KB

2

Could you please provide more information about this issue?

  • Exactly what do you mean when you say that the audio “cuts out”?
  • Does this problem affect all audio? Is there any audio that does play correctly?
  • If you play the same audio file multiple times, do you get different behaviors each time? (Sometimes it plays, sometimes it doesn’t play, sometimes it gets cut off?) Or, do you instead get the same behavior each time?
  • You mentioned a recent macOS update. What version of macOS were you previously running, and what version did you update to?
  • Has you always seen this problem? Or, did the problem start only after the macOS update?
  • What model of Mac computers are you using?
  • What version of macOS are you running currently?
  • What version of Anki are you running?

Edit: Added:

More questions:

  • What audio ouput devices are the Mac computers using to play audio? Bult-in speakers? Wired speakers connected to the headphone jack? Bluetooth speakers/headphones?
  • If you are using Bluetooth speakers/headphones, please temporarily disconnect them and use the Mac’s built-in speaker instead. Does the problem still occur?

(There is a known issue with some Bluetooth speakers/headphones where the beginning or end of audio can get cut off. This is due to the Bluetooth device sleeping when idle and taking time to wake up. This problem is mainly seen with short audio clips.)

3

Hello,

Thank you for your quick response. What I mean by the audio cutting out is the audio file being cut short. This means that when I am viewing a card the audio will start playing and then cut out in the middle of saying the word/phrase. Yes occasionally some of the audio does play correctly and additionally a huge majority of the cards will have no audio at all meaning no sound will play. When I replay the card the same audio behavior happens each time even when that same card comes up in different Anki sessions, meaning the ones with no audio never play any sound ever. I am currently on the most updated version of MacOS (macOS 27 Golden Gate 27.0.1). This problem has just started appearing recently I am not sure if it is directly correlated with my MacOS updating. I am using a MacBook Air M2, 2022. I don’t remember specifically updating Anki at all and I am not sure how to check the version of Anki that I am running. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Edit:
This issue also happens when I use both a bluetooth headset that doesn’t have any issues for other applications/devices as well as happening when I just use the built in Mac speakers.

Thank you, Nikhil

4

Thank you for that information.

Please avoid using your Bluetooth headphones while you troubleshoot this issue. Instead, continue to use the built-in speakers, to avoid possible Bluetooth-related symptoms interfering with the troubleshooting.

To find the Anki app version, go to the Decks window and then: (menubar) > Anki > About Anki…

Please try all the standard Anki Troubleshooting steps, even the ones that don’t seem related, to see if any of them help.

For the cards where there should be audio but no audio is heard, are those audio clips short in duration? For the cards with audio that plays correctly, are those audio clips long in duration? (Basically, does the problem seem to be related to the length of the audio?)

5

Hello,

I just reinstalled Anki as well as reset my computer and that seemed to have done the trick. I believe it might have been caused by an outdated version of Anki. Thank you so much for all of you help.