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[Bug 1478506] Re: Apps change system volume all the time

 

I think there are two possibilities here.

One is that this is merely a duplicate of bug 1418210: volume level is
reset "anytime a new QAudioOutput is created",

The other is that we have our output roles muddled. I was told that the
default role for sound output -- not alarms, not phone calls, and not
media playback, but anything else -- was called "alert". So I specified
that the volume controls should default to controlling the "alert"
volume, switching to another role temporarily only when that other role
is being used.
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Sound?action=diff&rev2=137&rev1=136> Alarms,
phone calls, and media playback almost always last for more than a
couple of a seconds, so you have time to change their volume.

But if apps are -- or whatever audio API apps use is -- by default using
some output role that is *not* "alert", then we'd see pretty much what's
described here: the volume controls switch to showing that other role,
but it's usually too brief for you to change the volume before the
control reverts to showing the alert volume. So it *looks* like apps are
changing the volume themselves, when really they're just using an output
role that you usually don't see the volume of and don't have time to
change the volume of.

As well as being annoying in itself, the existence of this bug is
causing confusion in other bug reports about sound volume UI,
particularly bug 1389761, bug 1396986, and bug 1478075.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1478506

Title:
  Apps change system volume all the time

Status in Canonical System Image:
  Confirmed
Status in indicator-sound package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in pulseaudio package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  To reproduce, install the app "Maroon in trouble" from the app store
  and play it a little with having sound enabled. Press the volume down
  hardware button on the phone. It will temporarily decrease the volume.
  However, whenever a new item comes into the scene, it will be on 100%
  volume again.

  Setting the system volume to 0 should keep everything at 0.

  
  Please note that this app does *not* have any code to set the volume! Also this app is one of the upstream Qt QML example demo apps, so this is really how QML apps are supposed to work (in other words, it is not a badly implemented app, but really an issue in the system)

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