"coreaudio: Could not initialize playback" error on MacOS 13 image

[victorlazaro]

Description

Our team uses a MacOS 12 image to run Android tests that spin up a (Gradle managed device) emulator, specifically a Pixel 10 running API level 30. We are now looking to upgrade the VM image to MacOS 13, but the job is failing. Looking at the emulator logs, we can see this error:

coreaudio: Could not start playback
coreaudio: Reason: status code 268451843
Failed to create voice `goldfish_audio'
coreaudio: Could not initialize playback
coreaudio: Could not get device buffer frame range
coreaudio: Reason: kAudioHardwareUnknownPropertyError
qemu-system-x86_64: warning: opening audio output failed
...
ERROR   | detected a hanging thread 'QEMU2 main loop'. No response for 18959 ms
ERROR   | detected a hanging thread 'QEMU2 CPU0 thread'. No response for 18940 ms
coreaudio: Could not initialize playback
coreaudio: Could not get device buffer frame range
coreaudio: Reason: kAudioHardwareUnknownPropertyError
ERROR   | detected a hanging thread 'QEMU2 main loop'. No response for 15307 ms
[17068:79676:20241029,221226.840982:WARNING crash_report_exception_handler.cc:235] UniversalExceptionRaise: (os/kern) failure (5)

Platforms affected

• [X] Azure DevOps
• [ ] GitHub Actions - Standard Runners
• [ ] GitHub Actions - Larger Runners

Runner images affected

• [ ] Ubuntu 20.04
• [ ] Ubuntu 22.04
• [ ] Ubuntu 24.04
• [ ] macOS 12
• [X] macOS 13
• [x] macOS 13 Arm64
• [x] macOS 14
• [x] macOS 14 Arm64
• [ ] macOS 15
• [ ] macOS 15 Arm64
• [ ] Windows Server 2019
• [ ] Windows Server 2022

Image version and build link

20241023.237

Not public.

Is it regression?

Yes

Expected behavior

Emulator is spun up and runs tests successfully.

Actual behavior

A coreudio error happens, causing a hanging thread 'QEMU2 main loop', which prevents the tests from running.

Repro steps

1. Create an Android project, configure a Gradle managed device emulator
2. Create a pipeline with a job that runs Android instrumentation tests on a MacOS 13 image
3. Run pipeline

[sureshe456]

@victorlazaro We will look into the issue and keep you posted with updates.

[victorlazaro]

@sureshe456 @prasanjitsahoo are there any updates on this issue?

[NorseGaud]

@victorlazaro , have you tried macOS 14 or 15?

[victorlazaro]

@NorseGaud Same issue occurs on macOS 14, I will try 15 now.

[NorseGaud]

I'm having a tough time finding a way to reproduce this @victorlazaro. Can you provide a simple example and the steps I need to run?

[victorlazaro]

@NorseGaud I was able to get a repro by creating an android project with a Gradle managed device and a pipeline that runs instrumentation tests on that device. Here's the compressed project, including the pipeline files. The entry pipeline file is pipeline\PRGate.yaml coreaudio-repro.zip

[victorlazaro]

@sureshe456 @prasanjitsahoo I was able to create a very simple repro, found in my coment above. Please let me know what else I need to do to raise awareness to this issue.

[prasanjitsahoo]

HI @victorlazaro , Thank you for your patience. We are currently investigating the issue and it is in progress. Please allow us some more time to delve deeper.

[prasanjitsahoo]

HI, Thank you for providing the Azure .yml files. We attempted to convert them into GitHub Actions .yml workflows to execute and reproduce the issue. However, we encountered challenges in every step during execution, which prevented us from successfully reproducing the problem. To help us better assist you, we kindly request that you provide executable GitHub Actions .yml workflow files. Alternatively, you could grant us access to the project, allowing us to reproduce and analyze the issue directly. This would enable us to identify the root cause and work towards a resolution more effectively. Thank you for your cooperation, and we look forward to your response!

[victorlazaro]

@prasanjitsahoo Thank you for getting back to me. Can you give me your email address so I can add you to the project?

[prasanjitsahoo]

@victorlazaro Since multiple team members are working on this issue, it would be ideal if you could provide a simplified GitHub Actions workflow .yml file that replicates the core audio issue. This would allow us to reproduce it locally, analyze the problem, and work towards a resolution more effectively.Thanks

[NorseGaud]

@victorlazaro try the following https://github.com/actions/runner-images/issues/10902#issuecomment-2592739233

[prasanjitsahoo]

Hi @victorlazaro, We've successfully deployed the new images along with the updates to the TCC database. The issue has been fixed, and user has already confirmed this. You can refer to the details here: GitHub Issue #10902. Could you please check from your end and confirm if the issue is resolved?

Thanks!

[prasanjitsahoo]

As we haven’t received any additional updates from your end, we will proceed to close this issue. If you require further assistance or encounter related challenges, please feel free to reopen the new issue or reach out to us.

Thank you for your understanding!