Example of an imo correct way to handle audio sessions in iOS apps with streaming music that will sometimes have pauses between audio playback.

SPAudioSessionManager.m

@interface SPAudioSessionManager ()
{
    __weak PlayController *_playController;
    BOOL _audioSessionIsConfiguredForPlayback;
    UIBackgroundTaskIdentifier _playbackBackgroundTask;
}
@end

@interface PlayController : NSObject
@property BOOL playing;
@end

@implementation SPAudioSessionManager

- (id)initWithPlayController:(PlayController*)playController
{
    if(!(self = [super init]))
        return nil;
    
    _playController = playController;
    
    // Register to know whenever the user semantically wants to start or stop playback.
    [_playController addObserver:self forKeyPath:@"playing" options:NSKeyValueObservingOptionInitial|NSKeyValueObservingOptionPrior context:NULL];
    
    return self;
}

- (void)dealloc
{
    [_playController removeObserver:self forKeyPath:@"playing"];
}

typedef enum { NoExtraKnowledge, WillPlay } AudioSessionStateMatchingOptions;

- (void)playingChanged:(NSDictionary*)change
{
    BOOL isPrior = [change[NSKeyValueChangeNotificationIsPriorKey] boolValue];
    
    // We're just guessing here that a prior change while paused means we will start playing. It is almost always true.
    // Even if it's not, it will just start a redundant audio session that will be torn down during the Did callback
    if (isPrior && !_playController.playing) {
        [self matchAudioSessionWithPlayState:WillPlay];
    } else if(!isPrior) {
        [self matchAudioSessionWithPlayState:NoExtraKnowledge];
    }
}

-(void)matchAudioSessionWithPlayState:(AudioSessionStateMatchingOptions)options;
{
    AVAudioSession *session = [AVAudioSession sharedInstance];
    NSError *err = nil;
    BOOL playing = _playController.playing || options == WillPlay;
    
    if(playing && !_audioSessionIsConfiguredForPlayback) {
        // Going from a paused state to a playing state
        
        _audioSessionIsConfiguredForPlayback = YES;
        
        if(![session setCategory:AVAudioSessionCategoryPlayback error: &err])
            NSLog(@"Failed to set audio category: %@", err);
        
        if(![session setActive:YES error:&err])
            NSLog(@"Failed to activate audio session: %@", err);
        
        NSAssert(_playbackBackgroundTask == UIBackgroundTaskInvalid, @"SPAudioSessionManager background task already running!");
        _playbackBackgroundTask = [[UIApplication sharedApplication] beginBackgroundTaskWithExpirationHandler:^ {
            NSLog(@"WARNING: Still playing music but background task expired!!");
            [[UIApplication sharedApplication] endBackgroundTask:_playbackBackgroundTask];
            _playbackBackgroundTask = UIBackgroundTaskInvalid;
        }];

    } else if(!playing && _audioSessionIsConfiguredForPlayback) {
        // Going from a playing state to a paused state
        
        _audioSessionIsConfiguredForPlayback = NO;
        
        if(![session setActive:NO error:&err])
            NSLog(@"Failed to deactivate audio session: %@", err);
        
        if(_playbackBackgroundTask != UIBackgroundTaskInvalid) {
            [[UIApplication sharedApplication] endBackgroundTask:_playbackBackgroundTask];
            _playbackBackgroundTask = UIBackgroundTaskInvalid;
        }
    }
}

@end

I want music player who streams for 10sec and then play....