Stuck on Loading

[ndejong5]

Hi, I am trying to use the extension in gmail and it never loads the file. It is just stuck on loading...

[TriStarGod]

Hi @ndejong5 , what file type is it? .mp3? .wav? I know Chrome has issues handling an older version of the wav format.

[ndejong5]

@TriStarGod it is a wav format.

[TriStarGod]

@ndejong5 If its the older version of wav, Google Chrome can't play it and hence, the extension can't play it. You can confirm it by trying to play a wav file via Chrome (ie upload it to Google Drive and see if it plays). I can see if I can make modifications to allow the older format to play but I have no samples of it. If you can, please provide some.

[DemonRx]

Having the same problem getting stuck at "Loading".

The file is a .WAV file from a VOIP voicemail service.

Was able to extract some data about the .WAV file:

$ ffprobe *.WAV -show_format 2>/dev/null

[FORMAT]
filename=msg0002.WAV
nb_streams=1
nb_programs=0
format_name=wav
format_long_name=WAV / WAVE (Waveform Audio)
start_time=N/A
duration=82.880000
size=134740
bit_rate=13005
probe_score=99
[/FORMAT]

$ ffprobe msg0002.WAV

Input #0, wav, from 'msg0002.WAV':
  Duration: 00:01:22.88, bitrate: 13 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Audio: gsm_ms (1[0][0][0] / 0x0031), 8000 Hz, mono, s16, 13 kb/s

$ soxi msg0002.WAV

Input File     : 'msg0002.WAV'
Channels       : 1
Sample Rate    : 8000
Precision      : 16-bit
Duration       : 00:01:22.88 = 663040 samples ~ 6216 CDDA sectors
File Size      : 135k
Bit Rate       : 13.0k
Sample Encoding: GSM

Tried to upload on gdrive. Doesn't play, suggests to connect 3rd-party apps.

[DemonRx]

Also the extension is blocking the "Organize in Drive" (folder icon) button from working. When clicking on it it opens the file the same way as trying to play it, instead of opening drive.

[TriStarGod]

@DemonRx I looked into the older .wav format. There are promising libraries like ffmpeg but they aren't capable of handling files without downloading them. Right now, I don't have time to do much research but I recommend your VOIP provider use the latest .wav / .mp3s or use extensions that open them in alternate players like open in vlc does. I'll look into the Organize in Drive issue.

[DemonRx]

@TriStarGod I thought of that too to inform the VOIP service to update their wav files. However, they have the worst tech support I've dealt with. But I can try, doubt it'll happen tho. The VOIP service is MagicJack. In either case their voicemails are accessible by phone, regardless of the fluke with the playing the files within a browser.

I do want to mention that playing them from the emails in the gmail app works. It opens them with the youtube audio player that's already installed in the Android 11 system.

[DemonRx]

Cross-Referencing this matter that was reported in google forums which lead me to this repository:

https://support.google.com/mail/thread/111387348/audio-files-wont-play-and-ask-me-to-download-each-time?hl=en&msgid=111387348

[DemonRx]

@TriStarGod I found this, might be of help:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/67750025

With the Content Security Policy directive media-src https://*.googlevideo.com/videoplayback/, media files from sources different to https://*.googlevideo.com/videoplayback/ can't be played in the <video>/<audio> tags embedded into page.
Even you load media by ajax and create <audio> tag with blob:-Url, it will be blocked by above CSP.
It's not a browser dependant, that's how CSP is work.

With the current CSP restrictions, mediafiles can be played only in the isolated browsing contexts like <iframe>/<object>/<embed>.

I don't know is GMail made it intentionally or occasionally, but only browser extensions using nested browsing contexts can play media in such conditions.

[TriStarGod]

@DemonRx That was the original issue preventing audio / video attachments from playing in gmail and what this extension tried to resolve for gmail's audio attachments. Google has recently fixed this issue. The older .wav format is not supported natively by Google Chrome. Unlike the previous issue, this is a problem due to the browser capabilities. Unless the Chromium team adds the older .wav format or a javascript / web assembly library is created to "correct" the wav file, this can't be resolved easily.