Hi! I see you're having an issue where the audio for the Arts 24 channel in the France 24 app on your Mac is rapidly toggling between sound on and mute. That can definitely interrupt your experience. Let's try to get to the bottom of it.

To clarify, are you using the France 24 app from the Mac App Store or accessing France 24 via a web browser on your Mac? Also, does this happen only with the Arts 24 audio, or does it affect other channels or parts of the app too?

In the meantime, here are some general steps to troubleshoot this kind of audio toggling issue on your Mac with OS X 10.13:

1. Check Volume & Mute Settings:
- Click the speaker icon in the menu bar and ensure the volume is at a comfortable level and not muted.
- Also, check if the physical mute switch on any connected audio device is off.

2. Restart the France 24 app or Browser:
- Quit the app completely and reopen it. If using a browser, close that tab and reopen the site.

3. Clear Cache and Cookies (if using browser):
- In Safari, go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data, then remove data related to France 24.

4. Disable Other Audio Software:
- If you have any other apps that control or enhance sound (like sound equalizers, or virtual audio devices), try temporarily disabling them.

5. Check for Updates:
- Make sure your France 24 app or your browser is up to date.
- Also, verify if your Mac OS 10.13 has any pending updates in System Preferences > Software Update.

6. Test Another Audio Output Device:
- Switch between built-in speakers, headphones, or external speakers to see if the problem persists.

If you have already tried any of these, please let me know which ones, so we avoid repeating, and I can help with deeper diagnostics. Also, if you could describe if any particular action seems to trigger the toggling (e.g., switching channels, loading a video), that would help a lot.

Looking forward to your reply!

i am using firefox on an imac and have tried safari and get the same result I have tried 1, 2, 3, 4., 5, and 6. i feel the problem is with youtube

Thanks for letting me know that you’ve tried both Firefox and Safari on your iMac, and that you suspect the issue is related to YouTube. Since France 24 streams some content via YouTube, problems with YouTube playback can definitely affect your audio experience.

Given your macOS version (10.13) and the symptoms, it’s possible that browser compatibility or YouTube’s handling on older systems might be causing this rapid toggling of audio.

Here are some targeted steps you can take to try and resolve this YouTube-related problem:

1. Update Your Browsers (if possible):
- With OS X 10.13, some browsers may no longer receive the latest updates, which can impact video playback. Ensure Firefox and Safari are as up to date as your OS allows.

2. Disable Browser Extensions:
- Some extensions (ad blockers, privacy tools) can interfere with YouTube playback. Temporarily disable all extensions in Firefox and Safari to test.

3. Try Using Google Chrome (if feasible):
- Chrome often offers better compatibility with YouTube videos. If you can, download and test the France 24 stream in Chrome to see if the problem persists.

4. Check Flash and HTML5 Settings:
- YouTube primarily uses HTML5 now, but older systems might have remnants of Flash or conflicting plugins. Make sure no Flash-related plugins are enabled.

5. Reset Browser Settings:
- For Firefox: Go to "Help" > "Troubleshooting Information" > "Refresh Firefox."
- For Safari: Remove all website data and reset preferences under Safari > Preferences > Privacy.

6. Clear DNS Cache on Mac:
- Sometimes network-related cache causes playback issues. Open Terminal and enter:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
- This will clear DNS cache and might help with site responsiveness.

7. Test on YouTube Directly:
- Visit YouTube and try playing various videos, especially the one matching the Arts 24 stream if available directly there. If toggling persists here, the issue is definitely YouTube or browser related.

8. Check Network Quality:
- On occasion, unstable or slow internet can cause erratic video/audio behavior. Running speed tests or switching to a wired connection may help isolate this.

If after these steps the toggling still happens specifically on France 24’s stream, it could be a rare issue with their YouTube embed or stream settings interacting with your system version.

If you want, I can also escalate this to France 24's technical team to check if there’s any known current issue with YouTube streaming on macOS 10.13.

Would you like to try these steps first or proceed with contacting support for a deeper check? Let me know!

Sources on similar YouTube issues on macOS 3

Lets see if there are any known issues first.

Thanks for your patience! I checked the recent information about France 24 app known issues for 2023, but I didn’t find any specific reports or announcements about audio toggling problems or YouTube streaming issues on macOS or browsers. It seems there are no widely reported or acknowledged problems relating directly to your issue at this time1.

Given this, the problem might be more isolated, possibly related to your system setup or browser environment. We could still try the steps I mentioned earlier, especially testing on Google Chrome or disabling browser extensions to confirm if it’s local to your setup.

Would you like guidance on trying any of these next, or shall I help escalate this to France 24’s technical support team for a closer look?

As this started just recently (after 2023) i think it will most likely be age related but I will try your suggestions when i have more time.

I understand your point about the issue starting recently and potentially being related to system or software age. From the latest information available, there are no specific widespread reports or official notices about France 24 app or streaming issues post-2023 that would explain the rapid audio toggling problem2. However, I did notice that there have been some recent operational disruptions, like strikes at France 24 causing broadcast interruptions earlier this year5, but those don't seem connected to streaming or audio toggling specifically.

Given this, your approach to try browser fixes and verifying YouTube behavior on your setup when you have time sounds like a good plan. If the issue persists beyond that, or if you want me to escalate the matter to France 24’s technical support for specialist review, just let me know—I’m here to help!

Are you satisfied with this update, or would you like assistance with anything else now?

thank you, if i can't get up and running on my side we can see what France 24 has to say. I have a feeling they recently switched to youtube and it might just be a settings problem.

I looked into whether the France 24 app has recently switched to using YouTube for streaming, and if there might be related settings issues causing your audio toggling problem. While there isn't direct confirmation of a recent switch triggering audio issues, I did find some useful points that might help you check your settings and troubleshoot:

1. YouTube Language and Country Settings:
- Sometimes YouTube defaults to language or region settings that can cause glitches with playback or audio behavior. You can try adjusting YouTube’s language and country settings in your browser or within the embedded player.
- Here’s a helpful video showing how to change language and country settings on YouTube: YouTube Language & Country Settings 3.

2. Clear YouTube-Related Cookies and Cache:
- Since the France 24 stream uses YouTube, clearing your browser’s cookies and cache specifically for YouTube domains can sometimes fix playback issues.

3. Check France 24 App Settings:
- In case there is an option to switch streaming sources or video quality within the France 24 app or website, experimenting with those might stabilize playback.

4. Contact France 24 Support:
- If the problem persists and you suspect a settings or configuration issue with the YouTube stream integration, France 24 offers app support for such questions: France 24 Applications Support 4.
<brWhile this doesn’t directly confirm a YouTube switch causing rapid audio toggling, it offers avenues to explore settings linked to YouTube streams embedded in France 24.
<brIf you want, I can help you walk through adjusting these YouTube settings or cleaning cache and cookies step by step. Just let me know how you’d like to proceed!