Bug 509705 - Play/pause button doesn't affect the expected app
Summary: Play/pause button doesn't affect the expected app
Status: NEEDSINFO WAITINGFORINFO
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Media Player widget (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.4.5
Platform: Kubuntu Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords: usability
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-09-20 10:48 UTC by dauntless
Modified: 2025-09-30 19:07 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

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Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


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Description dauntless 2025-09-20 10:48:26 UTC
SUMMARY
When multiple media playing apps are open (e.g. Strawberry music player, Firefox, Haruna) using the play/pause button doesn't toggle the expected app (which would be either the most recently toggled one, or the one currently playing media). Instead it toggles to start playing a paused media stream. 

My best guess is it goes from left-to-right in the Media Player widget to decide what is the next media player that can currently be toggled, and this order doesn't seem to be customisable. 

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Open several media playing apps
2. Use play/pause button on bluetooth headphones
3. Observe which apps can be toggled 

OBSERVED RESULT
Strawberry music player in my case was being toggled

EXPECTED RESULT
Either the most recently toggled one, or the one currently playing media

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Kubuntu 25.04
KDE Plasma Version: 6.4.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.14.0
Qt Version: 6.8.3
Kernel Version: 6.14.0-29-generic (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Processors: 16 × AMD Ryzen 7 7840U w/ Radeon  780M Graphics
Memory: 64 GiB of RAM (60.6 GiB usable)
Graphics Processor: AMD Radeon 780M

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Comment 1 TraceyC 2025-09-30 19:07:09 UTC
I'm not able to reproduce this in Plasma built from git-master, or in Plasma 6.4.5

Locally opened media players:
- SMPlayer
- Haruna - focused

The Media Player widget also has a few streams from KDE Connect from my phone and another machine
The Starred pane has the correct content, from Haruna
After toggling play in SMPlayer with the mouse, that is shown in the Star panel
In every case, toggling play / pause from bluetooth earbuds affects the last focused app

Could you attach a screen recording where you reproduce the bug, so we can see exactly how you're triggering it? Thanks.