MediaLibrarySession.Builder#setSessionActivity does not work on Television API 34-36

Version

Media3 1.9.0

More version details

No response

Devices that reproduce the issue

• Google TV Emulator Android 16 (system-images/android-36/google-tv/arm64-v8a)

Devices that do not reproduce the issue

• Google TV Emulator Android 13 (system-images/android-33/google-tv/arm64-v8a)

Reproducible in the demo app?

Yes

Reproduction steps

1. Start demo-session on Google TV emulator
2. Select genre/Rock/Drop and Roll
3. Move app to background
4. Try to open app from "Now playing" or from media notification

Expected result

Application comes foreground.

Actual result

App stays in background.

Log shows

2026-01-07 08:40:45.692 714-2167 ActivityTaskManager system_server E Background activity launch blocked! goo.gle/android-bal [callingPackage: androidx.media3.demo.session; callingPackageTargetSdk: 34; callingUid: 10102; callingPid: -1; appSwitchState: 1; callingUidHasVisibleActivity: false; callingUidHasNonAppVisibleWindow: false; callingUidProcState: FOREGROUND_SERVICE; isCallingUidPersistentSystemProcess: false; allowBalExemptionForSystemProcess: false; intent: Intent { xflg=0x4 cmp=androidx.media3.demo.session/.PlayerActivity }; callerApp: null; balAllowedByPiCreator: BSP.ALLOW_BAL; resultIfPiCreatorAllowsBal: BAL_BLOCK; callerStartMode: MODE_BACKGROUND_ACTIVITY_START_SYSTEM_DEFINED; hasRealCaller: true; isCallForResult: false; isPendingIntent: true; autoOptInReason: null; realCallingPackage: com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx; realCallingPackageTargetSdk: 36; realCallingUid: 10053; realCallingPid: 1694; realCallingUidHasVisibleActivity: true; realCallingUidHasNonAppVisibleWindow: false; realCallingUidProcState: TOP; isRealCallingUidPersistentSystemProcess: false; originatingPendingIntent: PendingIntentRecord{342a236 androidx.media3.demo.session startActivity (allowlist: 1989903:+30s0ms/0/NOTIFICATION_SERVICE/NotificationManagerService)}; realCallerApp: ProcessRecord{741bca3 1694:com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx/u0a53}; realInVisibleTask: true; balAllowedByPiSender: BSP.ALLOW_FGS; resultIfPiSenderAllowsBal: BAL_ALLOW_VISIBLE_WINDOW; realCallerStartMode: MODE_BACKGROUND_ACTIVITY_START_SYSTEM_DEFINED; balRequireOptInByPendingIntentCreator: true; balDontBringExistingBackgroundTaskStackToFg: true]

Media

genre/Rock/Drop and Roll

Bug Report

• You will email the zip file produced by adb bugreport to android-media-github@google.com after filing this issue.