Follow Up to my Android Auto App Request Thread
I made this post roughly a week ago, looking for help because Symfonium stopped working for me basically out of nowhere. I realized during the time that I made the post that the Beta channel (which I was on) had updated the day before, but even exiting the beta and grabbing the production app didn't help. I even tried again with Symfonium this morning, because I knew I'd be driving so much today. Still errored out.
At that point I was looking for another app that would work with Android Auto and CF Headers. Tempus was suggested frequently, but it didn't work with headers. I worked with CF's AI to find a workaround (using the Cloudflare One App) and now Tempus works perfectly — 5 hours worth of driving, no issues with my phone, music server (or music), not even any skips or hesitation in playback. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
I used Symfonium for several years, including paying for 2 accounts so I could use it on my Chromecast TV that wouldn't connect to the Play Store. I opted into the beta channel to try to be helpful. But, I was always bothered by how the Dev treated people (need only look at his forum or replies to reviews for examples). I ignored it because there was no other app that really filled my needs. He had what amounted to a monoply and like other monoplies, he thought that justified him to act like a tyrant.
That's no longer the case though; there's plenty of good apps out there (I'll stick to Tempus now, personally) where the Devs don't feel entitled to abuse their supporters for asking for help, for asking questions, or otherwise not just singing their praises. If the behavior has bothered you before but you felt trapped, you're not. Use the Navidrome App List to find a flavor that suits you. But don't let yourself get abused. No amount of money and no app functionality is worth that.