Start with one file you know is local
Choose a complete song stored on the iPhone, with several minutes remaining. Play it in MP95 through the built-in speaker, lock the screen and listen. Note whether the same track stops immediately, stops later or reaches its end normally.
Keep this test simple: no external drive, no cloud-only file and no Bluetooth headphones. Those can be added back once basic playback works. A single successful test does not prove every source is available offline.
Should MP95 play with the screen off?
Yes. MP95’s iOS app is configured for background audio playback. Apple’s playback audio category supports audio with the screen locked when the app has the required background configuration. You should not have to keep the display awake to listen.
This describes the intended behaviour, not a claim that every interruption has been tested on every iPhone. Turning off Auto-Lock hides the symptom. Background App Refresh is not the setting that grants an audio player permission to keep playing.
Compare what actually stopped
| What you observe | Next check |
|---|---|
| The same local song stops immediately on locking | Repeat on the speaker; record the app and iOS versions. |
| One song finishes, then playback ends | Inspect the queue and try starting an album with several tracks. |
| The speaker works, headphones do not | Check the connected output route and repeat with another audio app. |
| Only some cloud-sourced songs fail | Confirm that those actual files are downloaded and accessible. |
A moving playback counter with no sound points to a different investigation from a paused counter. Check the output destination and volume before treating silence as a background playback failure.
Separate interruptions from a lock-screen bug
A call, another app starting audio or a change of output device can interrupt a listening session. Repeat the test without opening another media app. If the failure follows a particular action, write down that action: “stops after answering a call” is more useful than “sometimes stops”.
Once speaker playback works, reconnect the headphones and repeat. Then test the original folder. For cloud files, follow the Files import checklist; a visible filename alone is not proof that the whole recording is stored locally.
If the local-file test still fails
Restart MP95 and repeat with a second known-good file. Check for an app update. Avoid deleting the app as an early troubleshooting step: you may lose locally stored music or library state.
When contacting support, include the iPhone model, iOS and MP95 versions, source format, output device and exact point where playback stops. Say whether it also happens on the speaker and whether the queue contains more tracks. Those details give the problem a reproducible shape.