diff --git a/libraries/session/src/main/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerImplBase.java b/libraries/session/src/main/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerImplBase.java
index e14a695b11..b56af18ee9 100644
--- a/libraries/session/src/main/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerImplBase.java
+++ b/libraries/session/src/main/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerImplBase.java
@@ -393,10 +393,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.NonNull;
     dispatchRemoteSessionTaskWithPlayerCommand(
         (iSession, seq) -> iSession.play(controllerStub, seq));
 
-    setPlayWhenReady(
-        /* playWhenReady= */ true,
-        Player.PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_NONE,
-        Player.PLAY_WHEN_READY_CHANGE_REASON_USER_REQUEST);
+    setPlayWhenReady(/* playWhenReady= */ true, Player.PLAY_WHEN_READY_CHANGE_REASON_USER_REQUEST);
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -408,10 +405,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.NonNull;
     dispatchRemoteSessionTaskWithPlayerCommand(
         (iSession, seq) -> iSession.pause(controllerStub, seq));
 
-    setPlayWhenReady(
-        /* playWhenReady= */ false,
-        Player.PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_NONE,
-        Player.PLAY_WHEN_READY_CHANGE_REASON_USER_REQUEST);
+    setPlayWhenReady(/* playWhenReady= */ false, Player.PLAY_WHEN_READY_CHANGE_REASON_USER_REQUEST);
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -533,10 +527,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.NonNull;
     dispatchRemoteSessionTaskWithPlayerCommand(
         (iSession, seq) -> iSession.setPlayWhenReady(controllerStub, seq, playWhenReady));
 
-    setPlayWhenReady(
-        playWhenReady,
-        Player.PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_NONE,
-        Player.PLAY_WHEN_READY_CHANGE_REASON_USER_REQUEST);
+    setPlayWhenReady(playWhenReady, Player.PLAY_WHEN_READY_CHANGE_REASON_USER_REQUEST);
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -2154,11 +2145,15 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.NonNull;
   }
 
   private void setPlayWhenReady(
-      boolean playWhenReady,
-      @Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason int playbackSuppressionReason,
-      @Player.PlayWhenReadyChangeReason int playWhenReadyChangeReason) {
+      boolean playWhenReady, @Player.PlayWhenReadyChangeReason int playWhenReadyChangeReason) {
+    // Transient audio focus loss will  be resolved by requesting focus again, so eagerly remove it
+    // here in the masked value.
+    @Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason int maskedSuppressionReason = getPlaybackSuppressionReason();
+    if (maskedSuppressionReason == Player.PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_TRANSIENT_AUDIO_FOCUS_LOSS) {
+      maskedSuppressionReason = Player.PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_NONE;
+    }
     if (playerInfo.playWhenReady == playWhenReady
-        && playerInfo.playbackSuppressionReason == playbackSuppressionReason) {
+        && playerInfo.playbackSuppressionReason == maskedSuppressionReason) {
       return;
     }
 
@@ -2167,7 +2162,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.NonNull;
     lastSetPlayWhenReadyCalledTimeMs = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime();
     PlayerInfo newPlayerInfo =
         this.playerInfo.copyWithPlayWhenReady(
-            playWhenReady, playWhenReadyChangeReason, playbackSuppressionReason);
+            playWhenReady, playWhenReadyChangeReason, maskedSuppressionReason);
     updatePlayerInfo(
         newPlayerInfo,
         /* timelineChangeReason= */ null,
diff --git a/libraries/test_session_current/src/androidTest/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerStateMaskingTest.java b/libraries/test_session_current/src/androidTest/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerStateMaskingTest.java
index a221f256b5..2f38b614e5 100644
--- a/libraries/test_session_current/src/androidTest/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerStateMaskingTest.java
+++ b/libraries/test_session_current/src/androidTest/java/androidx/media3/session/MediaControllerStateMaskingTest.java
@@ -170,6 +170,103 @@ public class MediaControllerStateMaskingTest {
     assertThat(isPlayingFromGetterRef.get()).isEqualTo(testIsPlaying);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void setPlayWhenReady_forTrueWhenPlaybackSuppressed_shouldNotChangePlaybackSuppression()
+      throws Exception {
+    CountDownLatch eventCallsCountDownLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+    AtomicReference<@Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason Integer> playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef =
+        new AtomicReference<>();
+    AtomicReference<Player.Events> eventsRef = new AtomicReference<>();
+    MediaController controller =
+        getMediaControllerToTestPlaybackSuppression(
+            /* initialPlayWhenReadyState= */ false,
+            playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef,
+            eventsRef,
+            eventCallsCountDownLatch);
+
+    threadTestRule.getHandler().postAndSync(() -> controller.setPlayWhenReady(true));
+
+    assertNoPlaybackSuppressionReasonChange(
+        playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef, eventsRef, eventCallsCountDownLatch);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void setPlayWhenReady_withFalseWhenPlaybackSuppressed_shouldNotChangePlaybackSuppression()
+      throws Exception {
+    CountDownLatch eventCallsCountDownLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+    AtomicReference<@Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason Integer> playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef =
+        new AtomicReference<>();
+    AtomicReference<Player.Events> eventsRef = new AtomicReference<>();
+    MediaController controller =
+        getMediaControllerToTestPlaybackSuppression(
+            /* initialPlayWhenReadyState= */ true,
+            playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef,
+            eventsRef,
+            eventCallsCountDownLatch);
+
+    threadTestRule.getHandler().postAndSync(() -> controller.setPlayWhenReady(false));
+
+    assertNoPlaybackSuppressionReasonChange(
+        playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef, eventsRef, eventCallsCountDownLatch);
+  }
+
+  private MediaController getMediaControllerToTestPlaybackSuppression(
+      boolean initialPlayWhenReadyState,
+      AtomicReference<@Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason Integer>
+          playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef,
+      AtomicReference<Player.Events> eventsRef,
+      CountDownLatch countDownLatchForOnEventCalls)
+      throws Exception {
+    Bundle playerConfig =
+        new RemoteMediaSession.MockPlayerConfigBuilder()
+            .setPlaybackState(Player.STATE_READY)
+            .setPlayWhenReady(initialPlayWhenReadyState)
+            .setPlaybackSuppressionReason(
+                Player.PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_UNSUITABLE_AUDIO_OUTPUT)
+            .build();
+    remoteSession.setPlayer(playerConfig);
+    MediaController controller = controllerTestRule.createController(remoteSession.getToken());
+    threadTestRule
+        .getHandler()
+        .postAndSync(
+            () ->
+                controller.addListener(
+                    getPlayerListenerToCapturePlaybackSuppression(
+                        playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef,
+                        eventsRef,
+                        countDownLatchForOnEventCalls)));
+    return controller;
+  }
+
+  private Player.Listener getPlayerListenerToCapturePlaybackSuppression(
+      AtomicReference<@Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason Integer>
+          playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef,
+      AtomicReference<Player.Events> eventsRef,
+      CountDownLatch countDownLatchForOnEventCalls) {
+    return new Player.Listener() {
+      @Override
+      public void onEvents(Player player, Player.Events events) {
+        eventsRef.set(events);
+        if (events.contains(Player.EVENT_PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_CHANGED)) {
+          playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef.set(player.getPlaybackSuppressionReason());
+        }
+        countDownLatchForOnEventCalls.countDown();
+      }
+    };
+  }
+
+  private void assertNoPlaybackSuppressionReasonChange(
+      AtomicReference<@Player.PlaybackSuppressionReason Integer>
+          playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef,
+      AtomicReference<Player.Events> eventsRef,
+      CountDownLatch countDownLatchForOnEventCalls)
+      throws Exception {
+    assertThat(countDownLatchForOnEventCalls.await(TIMEOUT_MS, MILLISECONDS)).isTrue();
+    assertThat(playbackSuppressionReasonChangedRef.get()).isNull();
+    assertThat(eventsRef.get().contains(Player.EVENT_PLAYBACK_SUPPRESSION_REASON_CHANGED))
+        .isFalse();
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void setShuffleModeEnabled() throws Exception {
     boolean testShuffleModeEnabled = true;