Keep playing a voice message when another app plays a short sound (#7454)

* Request media audio focus when playing a voice message

Voice message playback asked for audio focus with
USAGE_VOICE_COMMUNICATION, the same bucket as Element Call and voice
message recording, while the player itself renders on the media stream.
Audio policy layers act on the declared usage, so a car head unit
switches to its call audio context and routes the playback away while
the player keeps running.

Declare USAGE_MEDIA (and STREAM_MUSIC on the legacy path) for playback,
which is what the player actually renders. Recording and Element Call
keep asking for voice communication focus.

* Keep playing a voice message through a short sound from another app

A notification, a navigation prompt or any other app taking focus for a
moment sends AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT or AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT_CAN_DUCK,
and DefaultMediaPlayer pauses on it. The voice message stops part way
through and the user has to find it again and restart it.

Recording already ignores those two, because the capture path is not
affected by focus. Give voice message playback the same treatment, moving
the requester test into a named function rather than growing the inline
condition. A permanent AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS, a real phone call, still pauses,
and the media viewer is untouched.

libraries/audio/impl/build.gradle.kts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import extension.setupDependencyInjection
+import extension.testCommonDependencies
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2025 Element Creations Ltd.
@@ -22,4 +23,6 @@ dependencies {
 
     implementation(libs.androidx.corektx)
     implementation(projects.libraries.di)
+
+    testCommonDependencies(libs)
 }

libraries/audio/impl/src/main/kotlin/io/element/android/libraries/audio/impl/DefaultAudioFocus.kt

@@ -48,9 +48,8 @@ class DefaultAudioFocus(
                 }
                 AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT,
                 AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT_CAN_DUCK -> {
-                    // For recording, ignore transient focus losses (e.g., notification sounds).
-                    // The AudioRecord API keeps capturing regardless.
-                    if (requester != AudioFocusRequester.RecordVoiceMessage) {
+                    Timber.d("AudioFocus: transient loss ($it)")
+                    if (requester.pausesOnTransientFocusLoss()) {
                         onFocusLost()
                     }
                 }
@@ -96,8 +95,8 @@ class DefaultAudioFocus(
 private fun AudioFocusRequester.toAudioUsage(): Int {
     return when (this) {
         AudioFocusRequester.ElementCall,
-        AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage,
         AudioFocusRequester.RecordVoiceMessage -> AudioAttributes.USAGE_VOICE_COMMUNICATION
+        AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage,
         AudioFocusRequester.MediaViewer -> AudioAttributes.USAGE_MEDIA
     }
 }
@@ -105,12 +104,22 @@ private fun AudioFocusRequester.toAudioUsage(): Int {
 private fun AudioFocusRequester.toAudioStream(): Int {
     return when (this) {
         AudioFocusRequester.ElementCall,
-        AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage,
         AudioFocusRequester.RecordVoiceMessage -> AudioManager.STREAM_VOICE_CALL
+        AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage,
         AudioFocusRequester.MediaViewer -> AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC
     }
 }
 
+private fun AudioFocusRequester.pausesOnTransientFocusLoss(): Boolean {
+    return when (this) {
+        // The AudioRecord API keeps capturing regardless.
+        AudioFocusRequester.RecordVoiceMessage,
+        AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage -> false
+        AudioFocusRequester.ElementCall,
+        AudioFocusRequester.MediaViewer -> true
+    }
+}
+
 private fun AudioFocusRequester.willPausedWhenDucked(): Boolean {
     return when (this) {
         // (note that for Element Call, there is no action when the focus is lost)

libraries/audio/impl/src/test/kotlin/io/element/android/libraries/audio/impl/DefaultAudioFocusTest.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 Element Creations Ltd.
+ * Copyright 2026 New Vector Ltd.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Commercial.
+ * Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
+ */
+
+package io.element.android.libraries.audio.impl
+
+import android.media.AudioAttributes
+import android.media.AudioManager
+import androidx.core.content.getSystemService
+import com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat
+import io.element.android.libraries.audio.api.AudioFocusRequester
+import io.element.android.tests.testutils.robolectric.RobolectricTest
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.robolectric.RuntimeEnvironment
+import org.robolectric.Shadows.shadowOf
+
+class DefaultAudioFocusTest : RobolectricTest() {
+    @Test
+    fun `voice message playback requests focus for media, not for a call`() {
+        assertThat(usageOf(AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage)).isEqualTo(AudioAttributes.USAGE_MEDIA)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `media viewer playback requests focus for media`() {
+        assertThat(usageOf(AudioFocusRequester.MediaViewer)).isEqualTo(AudioAttributes.USAGE_MEDIA)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `voice message recording requests focus for voice communication`() {
+        assertThat(usageOf(AudioFocusRequester.RecordVoiceMessage)).isEqualTo(AudioAttributes.USAGE_VOICE_COMMUNICATION)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `element call requests focus for voice communication`() {
+        assertThat(usageOf(AudioFocusRequester.ElementCall)).isEqualTo(AudioAttributes.USAGE_VOICE_COMMUNICATION)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `a transient focus loss does not pause a voice message`() {
+        assertThat(losesFocusOn(AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage, AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT)).isFalse()
+        assertThat(losesFocusOn(AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage, AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT_CAN_DUCK)).isFalse()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `a permanent focus loss pauses a voice message`() {
+        assertThat(losesFocusOn(AudioFocusRequester.VoiceMessage, AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS)).isTrue()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `a transient focus loss does not stop a voice message recording`() {
+        assertThat(losesFocusOn(AudioFocusRequester.RecordVoiceMessage, AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT)).isFalse()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `a transient focus loss still pauses the media viewer`() {
+        assertThat(losesFocusOn(AudioFocusRequester.MediaViewer, AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT)).isTrue()
+    }
+
+    private fun losesFocusOn(requester: AudioFocusRequester, focusChange: Int): Boolean {
+        val context = RuntimeEnvironment.getApplication()
+        val audioManager = requireNotNull(context.getSystemService<AudioManager>())
+        var focusLost = false
+        DefaultAudioFocus(context).requestAudioFocus(requester) { focusLost = true }
+        val request = requireNotNull(shadowOf(audioManager).lastAudioFocusRequest)
+        request.listener.onAudioFocusChange(focusChange)
+        return focusLost
+    }
+
+    private fun usageOf(requester: AudioFocusRequester): Int {
+        val context = RuntimeEnvironment.getApplication()
+        val audioManager = requireNotNull(context.getSystemService<AudioManager>())
+        DefaultAudioFocus(context).requestAudioFocus(requester) {}
+        val request = requireNotNull(shadowOf(audioManager).lastAudioFocusRequest)
+        return requireNotNull(request.audioFocusRequest).audioAttributes.usage
+    }
+}