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It involves the use of a hidden ADB command to access the command line interface for Android's permission management system known as appops. Some users have come up with their own way to retain audio focus through the use of Tasker profiles, which is something I likely would have tried if there wasn't a better way - but thankfully there is. Some applications such as Poweramp or Podcast Addict have experimental settings to hold on to audio focus to prevent other apps from stealing it away, but obviously many media applications out there do not. Thus, because Pokemon Go requests audio focus when it launches, other applications can't stop it from taking over the media volume. Android does not pick and choose which applications should be prioritized to hold focus, instead it relies on applications requesting and releasing focus as needed. The issue here is that Android's audio focus relies on an honor system among applications. What happens when Pokemon Go launches is that it requests audio focus from the system, meaning any existing media playback over the same volume stream will be ducked.
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