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CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Stadia Poor Quality

I've been playing a ton of Stadia recently without any issues. Streaming at 1080p on my android phone with excellent quality. However recently the connection status is always on "Fair" and the streaming quality looks like 480p. I have a 100mb/s internet connection and can easily stream anything Stadia has to offer without fail. No matter what I've tried, Stadia refuses to give a better stream quality.

And no, don't tell me I need to port forward my router. It's already been done. I have reset my modem and router multiple times over thinking the problem was on my side. But it seems the problem is with Google servers themselves.

Edit: Now the connection status goes from "Fair" to "Your connection is unstable". It's studdering and freezing every couple seconds. I just want to play the games I paid for.

 

1 Kudo
20 Replies
RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Hi @CaptGiggles,

On what device are you trying to play? And how are you playing? Using WiFi 5GHz or a ethernet connecting?

If you are using WiFi are there a lot devices connected and active? Do you use a mesh system for WiFi?

Could you provide us with some more information about your situation to see if we can help you. Most of the time it is the home network which is not optimal or even a ISP that doesn't deliver a quality internet connection. I am afraid speed is the least of your concern but the quality is key for playing on Stadia without issues. :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:

1 Kudo
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Android Phone. Used both the App and Chrome. Both gave poor connection messages.

Always have been using WiFi, not 5Ghz signal, 2.4Ghz. Has worked 100% fine in the past.

Every other streaming service that I've used today works great without any issues. Xbox Cloud tells me my connection is perfect and runs fine. Stadia takes a dump on my screen and the quality goes yeet out the window.

As far as what's connected to my WiFi, it's only my phone and smart tv. The tv isnt doing anything during my game sessions.

Almost 95% positive Stadia is to blame here.

0 Kudos
BinaryJay
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

Give it a try on mobile data even if just for a couple of minutes to see if the behavior changes.  If it's fine on LTE then you'll know that there is something up with your local network or ISP as all things considered it should be just as good if not better on WiFi.

3 Kudos
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Tried it with mobile data only. Gave a "fair" connection status.

More often than not, it seems to be giving me a constant unstable connection. The screen flickers between piss poor quality and something resembling 480p splashed in mud.

Hard to tell if it's me or Stadia. I tested my internet on things other than Stadia and it performed well. Like downloading files. I was able to download around 20mb/s even on sites that limit your speeds.

I have a 100mb/s connection. If Stadia is providing me with enough bandwith to stream at 1080p, this shouldn't be much of an issue.

Even if I had a overall slow internet speed, I should still be able to stream at a lower quality without any stuttering or inconsistent quality. What I'm getting is the quality spazzing out and flucuating between good and bad rapidly. Also getting micro freezing every couple seconds, almost as if the stream is trying to catch up to what is actually happening over at Google.

I'm going to go buy a 5ghz router today to see if that makes a difference. I don't really see why I would need one as I have had no problems in the past. It's worth trying options I guess.

0 Kudos
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

So I went ahead and bought a 5Ghz router today. Set it up and all that good stuff. Launched Stadia, and it immediately went from Excellent to Fair then quickly to Unstable. So naturally I thought it was my internet crapping out. So I loaded up Xbox Cloud and it immediately sad I had a perfect connection and had flawless streaming quality.

So I eliminated one problem. My old router was causing some issues here and there. But there is still the mystery of Stadia taking a dump on itself when I try to play anything. I now am 100% sure there is an issue with Stadia itself. As I have proved that my internet works great on other streaming services and general browsing.

Honestly at this point I'm a bit worried. As I have purchased games on Stadia and DLC for some games. If this is a constant problem and I decide to leave Stadia, I am then losing hundreds of dolllars due to me not being able to play any of my games elsewhere.

0 Kudos
RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Hi @CaptGiggles,

That is some dedication! Thanks for taking the effort and even arrange a new router.

So to sum things up:

  • New router with 5GHz capable WiFi does not help (may I ask which device)
  • You are playing on a Android device: which device is this? (Sorry if I understand wrong but you tested only this device correct? Of so are you able to test if on a other device?)
  • You are having the same issues with Stadia with mobile data as with WiFi 2.4GHz as 5GHz.
  • Xcloud does not have issues

Trying to figure out what else we could try.

Do you try clearing the cache and storage of the Stadia app on your Android device?

2 Kudos
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

The router is a Tp-Archer Ax1500. Capable of 1200mb/s. Dual band, meaning can do both 2.4ghz and 5ghz at the same time.

I have tried using Stadia on both Chrome and the Android App. Both give the same results of spazzing out quality and constant lag spikes.

Xbox Cloud actually seemed to improve in quality with the upgraded router. Stadia still continued to doo doo on my screen.

Only thing I could think of is that a recent update to Stadia caused some sort of issue with Android. My Speed tests show around 100-120mb/s. So I don't really think it's a me problem.

I have tried both clearing the Cache and re-installing Stadia a couple times to see if it would fix. It did not.

0 Kudos
RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Heya @CaptGiggles,

Thanks for the info. The router seems to be more than good enought to get you a good Stadia experience.
Sorry to bug you with some more questions though.

Which device are you using and did you try to play Stadia on a other device?
This way we can rule out the home network part. (which I think is not the problem) :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:

2 Kudos
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

I am currently playing on a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. I don't have anything else to play Stadia on, so I can't test other devices.

The weird part is that a couple days ago everything was working fine, even on my old router. I was playing wih perfect streaming quality for months. Then randomly one day Stadia stopped working properly. As I mentioned before, I thought this my fault. But now with the upgraded router, I'm not so sure it's me.

Considering I can stream Xbox Cloud just fine, I would then assume something is wrong with Stadia.

I normally play with my phone hooked up to my tv through an HDMI cable and play in Dex Mode. This doesn't affect gameplay though. I have also tested Stadia on just the phone screen itself, and I got the same results.

I have a tech guy coming this Sunday to investigate my internet and such. Maybe there is something wrong on my side and I just can't see it. Who knows.

1 Kudo
MrVacca
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Sorry @CaptGiggles that it suddenly stopped working for you!  Your patience is amazing and shout out to @RXShorty and @BinaryJay for some great troubleshooting tips.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that your tech guy can fix it on Sunday!!

1 Kudo
JamesFromGoogle
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey @CaptGiggles,

 

Just wanted to reach out to see how the situation is going with Stadia? Have you been able to find a fix yet?

 

Best,

James

1 Kudo
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Nope. My internet provider doesn't have data caps, nor do they throttle your internet if you have high data usuage.

The issue here isn't with me. I've already determined that. I've made every possible adjustment and ruled out every possible error by replacing the things that could be causing an issue.

I've put hundreds of dollars in to Stadia, yet nobody from Google seems to care or offer any solutions.

I'm almost positive that a recent update or some sort of change to how Stadia operates on Android is causing an issue here. I've ran Stadia perfectly in the past and have never had an issue, even with my old crappy router.

Honestly don't feel like staying here anymore. There are better Cloud Streaming services out there that give you a large library of games for just a monthly sub. The only reason I swapped over to Stadia is because their latency is by far the lowest. But I'd rather deal with a little bit of latency than not be able to play the games I bought.

0 Kudos
Barthandelus
Silver Stadia Guide
Silver Stadia Guide

Hello @CaptGiggles,

Sad to hear you're still getting this incident. I saw your thread a few days ago.

I recommend to check this thread where I did list many points to optimize Stadia.
Even if I did talk way more about Windows, there is many things that also apply to Android.

You should try to open the ports mentioned on this thread on your router.

Also consider that some app on Android can make Stadia running slow.
Precisely Antivirus, but this can be others software.

For example, Kaspersky for Android is making a strange process when using Stadia (e.g.) :

  • Your Mobile send a paquet to Stadia
  • Stadia answer to your mobile but Kaspersky Antivirus do block it
  • Kaspersky send the paquet received by Stadia to their sandbox system (online)
  • The Sandbox system answer back to your phone causing your initial request of 4ms to increase to 30ms.

This can be the source of your incident, not sure.

Note that Kaspersky have a whitelist, some cloud services can work while Stadia doesn't.

Also note that I am taking Kaspersky for example, but this can be any app or the built-in antivirus of Samsung (if you're using Dex). Maybe you have the app "Smart Manager", for example ?

There is no reason Stadia doesn't work only for you. This also means there is a solution somewhere.

If this happens from a day to another, try to check, if you have, your software updates / Android update. This can also be the cause.

EDIT : If you have the possibility to be on Windows, run cmd.exe (Windows + R, then "cmd.exe"), and try the following command : tracert stadia.google.com. This will show you every access point used to reach Stadia. As you can understand, on network, you don't do a direct connexion from your router to Stadia. Your paquets reach multiples relay. One of em may be the cause.

For example, I am getting 9 relay for a total of 30 ms and Stadia works perfectly here. Using remote control on my desktop at my house and executing the command, I am using only 4 relay for a total of 9 ms and I have no input lag at all. While trying to reach my own website (hosted by OVH) uses 14 relay for a total of almost 120ms.. :persevering_face:

If only one relay is taking more than 30ms for himself this can be the cause. Making a tunnel here may be a solution.

2 Kudos
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

None of these apply to me what so ever.

I don't use anti-virus on Android, nor does it come built in with any mode, including Dex. All Dex is, is windows like functionallity on a larger screen. Doesn't add any apps, just makes it look like a desktop and has improved mouse support.

I've already opened every possible port. Even when I was using my old router. The issue started with my old router and continued on even when I bought a 5Ghz router.

Also considering that the Android support is janky at best, I'm willing to bet the issue is with Google. Not with me. If Stadia was working fine on my old 2.4Ghz router that was absolute garbage, then suddenly refuses to work properly with no settings changed at all from when it was previously working, the issue cannot be me.

You mentioned anti-virus a lot. Yet no phone in existence comes with anti-virus software. Even the software you can download for Android doesn't work properly on the operating system, and generally just scans for viruses with very poor results. Viruses aren't really a thing for mobile devices, so the protection isn't as needed as a flawed PC operating system such as Windows.

Also in your post on the thread where you stated several ways to improve Stadia, 99.9% of those apply only to Windows, or Google Chrome. Android does not have any way to change a ton of settings which are normal on Windows, Chromecast, etc. All we have on Android is an option to change between 720p and 1080p. The app doesn't even function fully on Android. We are missing several basic features.

Also in order to use a Ethernet connection I would have to buy a new dock with an ethernet port. Even then it wouldn't be a proper connection as it would be Router > Ethernet Cable > USB C Dock > Phone. Signal would still be weaker than normal. I have a 5Ghz router, that should be more than enough.

On the topic of Port Forwarding. It's not something that needs to be done on mobile devices. As previously stated phones do not have built in firewalls and anti-virus. Port Forwarding is something that is done to allow a connection to bypass the Firewall of said device. Granted some routers do have built in firewalls, but it doesn't affect mobile much. Routers are not designed to run off a phone, or treat it like a computer. There for the router is limited to just providing a signal in which mobile devices can connect to.

I have had tech support come to my home and investigate my internet. Several speed tests were ran, which showed low ping, low jitter, and a speed around 120mb/s. The line that provides the internet to my modem was also checked and replaced as certain parts were rusty. He did a full diagnostic system scan of the modem and router, nothing was found to be wrong.

I'm sure other people are having issues on Android. But aren't as commited to the cause as I am. Many issues are reported outside of the forums regarding the same subject. Most probably give up and move on, most likely due to not purchasing any games and getting attached. I have paid quite a bit in games, yet can't use them as intended.

0 Kudos
Barthandelus
Silver Stadia Guide
Silver Stadia Guide

Sorry to understand that you did give up (or seems to), @CaptGiggles,

As I said, there is always a solution to a problem. It's up to you accept help from others, or not.

You seems confident with what you are saying, but most of it isn't true - not a flame ! Don't worry.

  • If something suddenly stop working it's always for a reason. It's not google that just switched your precise profile where you spent many dollars to a "Low and Buggy" version of Stadia. All your tests does convince you the problem isn't from you, but do remind you are the only one affected. If every people were getting the same incident, here you may say it's Stadia's fault.
  • Samsung came with a builtin antivirus developped by themselves (see here : https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/how-do-i-use-the-smart-manager-application-to-chec... "Smart Manager automatically scans regularly for malicious software and provides an anti-malware solution through a partnership with Intel Security.").
  • You can change as many option on an Android than on a Windows as it is based on a Linux kernel, it's just more technical (see here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)#:~:text=Android%20is%20a%20mobile%20operati.... "Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software").
  • Many viruses exists on Android, but most of them came from unsigned app. Some came from app in the Play Store (see here : https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/google-play-malware/28604/).
  • Port Forwarding =/= Opening a port.
  • You also have a builtin Firewall in Android (I conceed it isn't that usefull and I also conceed that I didn't check if this info is up to date, but see here for e.g. : https://ostoday.org/android/how-do-i-change-the-firewall-settings-on-my-android-phone.html).
  • Having a tech support testing your connexion does not mean the tracert used to the services was Stadia, and if so, it means you doesn't have problem with Stadia, if the tests was concluant). For the second time, you can have no problem at all with a service, but a connexion problem with another, depending on many parameters. If you didn't ask precisely for a test with Stadia, your test doesn't mean anything.
  • If you search the net, for every Cloud Platform, or everything technical (and not), you will always found people having problems. It occurs everywhere. If not, supports wouldn't exist (and there would be way more unemployed ppls, lol).

Maybe you should just take your time as I understand how irritating and frustrating your incident can be (TBH I would probably react the same way as you). And once you'll want to try again, we will be happy to help. I'm pretty sure this is something simple in reality, we're probably searching way too far. :thumbs_up:

 

3 Kudos
CaptGiggles
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Looks like somebody went out of their way to make themselves look like and assclown. Good job on giving me Windows advice. 

Also congrats on giving me links to support pages that not longer exist. Only proving how invalid of a point you seem to argue. No. Android does not come with built in anti-virus software or a firewall of sorts. Instead what it does is scan certain files as you attempt to use them. Warning you that certain file types could be harmful to your device. It does not however perform the same duties that you assigned to the common firewall/Anti-virus that is commonly found in Windows operating systems.

Basically what I surmised from your lengthy but pointless wall of text is that you like to try and make yourself superior to others by using free and easily accessible information on the internet, then make improper assumptions about how the technology works because you read an article on wikipedia. 

You tried to make yourself look like a technology wiz and prove me wrong by using outdated articles, which don't exist anymore, but instead came up short. You instead called me stupid, not directly, but you did. 

Do us all a favor and just stop giving advice to Stadia users. I know more about how the technology I use every day than you do. Which is evident by the fact that you had to try and make yourself seem smart by quoting various information hubs.

Stop trying to be Mr.Know-It-All. You're bad at it.

0 Kudos
Barthandelus
Silver Stadia Guide
Silver Stadia Guide

You're probably right, @CaptGiggles,

Good luck with your incident.

0 Kudos
TuputtShakur
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Just my two cents. I feel like you were basically saying that the problem is his phone and I would agree. Not saying that his phone necessarily has a virus, but, contrary to what he believes, Android phones are notoriously less secure than Apple. That being said, I use both, with my daily driver being a Note 9 with built in antivirus powered by Knox! Again, I'm not saying a virus is the problem but I'm convinced the issue is certainly the connection between the phone and Stadia. Phones are only going to be secure and reliable if the user is wise when using it. Phones are actually attacked more than home computers today. The phone truly has become and is more so a personal computer than the "P.C" ever was. 

 All that phone stuff aside, why spend so much money on Stadia games and Pro subscription just to play on/with a phone? New router? Dual band routers have been around for a long time. Why would anyone use a bandwidth heavy service like Stadia on an outdated router? 

 Google clearly states that for the best "4k 60fps experience" to use 5ghz ac wireless or better! 

 Stadia Premier is going for $79.99 right now and is imho the BEST WAY to play games on Stadia. I have 4 CC Ultras and 2 Stadia controllers in my setup with all but 1 hard wired on a 150/150 fiber network. The wireless one was only an experimental thing but I really see very little difference when the frame rate gets high!

 Stadia, when used right works fantastic for me and I only hope its alive and well long enough for me to never have to invest in another console with its constant updates, downloads, installs, backups and shortening life cycles! Long live Stadia 

1 Kudo
ChrisFromGoogle
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi @CaptGiggles -- while I appreciate that you are frustrated with your issue, please remember to remain respectful of others, particularly those who are offering advice or suggestions. Regardless of how much value you find in their suggestions, remember that there is another human being on the other end of the line who is trying to help.

1 Kudo
HyekARBazooka
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Mb bcz of 60fps it looks poor

0 Kudos