Android gingerbread lock screen media/remote controls vanish on mediaplayer.pause()/playstate change

Question

I have a problem with the built-in media controls, which appear on the lock screen when music is playing through the mediaplayer.

When the music is playing the controls are always present, but when i press the pause button on the lock screen and pause the mediaplayer through mediaplayer.pause() and then turn off the screen and turn it on again (to see the lock screen again), the media controls have vanished, although the player is only paused and not stopped.

With the built-in music player app, which also uses the mediaplayer, this does not happen.

Here are the relevant code sections:

        if (action.equals(Intent.ACTION_SCREEN_OFF)) {
            if(userPresent)
                int result = mAudioManager.requestAudioFocus(mAudioFocusListener,
                                                 AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC,
                                                 AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN);

                if (result == AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_REQUEST_GRANTED) {
                    configMediaPlayer();
                }

                userPresent = false;
            }
            screenOn = false;
        }
        else if (action.equals(Intent.ACTION_USER_PRESENT)) {
            stopMediaPlayer();
            userPresent = true;
        }

The code is inside a broadcastreceiver. The music shall only be played when the screen is off (a partial wakelock is held) or the lock screen is present.

private void configMediaPlayer(){
    if (mediaPlayer == null) {
        mediaPlayer = new MediaPlayer();
        mediaPlayer.setWakeMode(getApplicationContext(),  PowerManager.PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK);
        mediaPlayer.setOnPreparedListener(this);
    }
    else
        mediaPlayer.reset();

    mediaPlayer.setAudioStreamType(AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC);
    try {
        mediaPlayer.setDataSource(getApplicationContext(), Uri.parse("android.resource://" + getPackageName() + "/" + R.raw.song));
    } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (SecurityException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IllegalStateException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    mediaPlayer.prepareAsync();
}

@Override
public void onPrepared(MediaPlayer mp) {
    startMediaPlayer();
}

private void startMediaPlayer(){
    mediaPlayer.setLooping(true);
    mediaPlayer.start();
}

private void stopMediaPlayer(){
    mediaPlayer.reset();
    mediaPlayer.release();
    mediaPlayer = null;
}

The function for the pause event:

    public void pause(){
    if(isPaused && !userPresent){
                    startMediaPlayer();
                    Intent i = new Intent("com.android.music.playstatechanged");
                    i.putExtra("position", Long.valueOf(123));
                    i.putExtra("playing", true);
                    sendStickyBroadcast(i);
        isPaused = false;
    }
    else if (!isPaused && !userPresent){
        mediaPlayer.pause();
        isPaused = true;

        Intent i = new Intent("com.android.music.playstatechanged");
                    i.putExtra("position", Long.valueOf(123));
                    i.putExtra("playing", false);
                    sendStickyBroadcast(i);
    }
}

I receive the pause event, when the button is pressed, through a mediabuttonintentreceiver and then execute the pause() function. Because i'm developing the app for gingerbread, the remotecontrolclient isn't available and the only relevant stuff to flag a playsate change in the music player app i found was:

    Intent i = new Intent(what);
    i.putExtra("id", Long.valueOf(getAudioId()));
    i.putExtra("artist", getArtistName());
    i.putExtra("album",getAlbumName());
    i.putExtra("track", getTrackName());
    i.putExtra("playing", isPlaying());
    sendStickyBroadcast(i);

The audiofocus isn't lost when i pause the playback, because i receive no messages in the log from the onaudiochangelistener:

    private OnAudioFocusChangeListener mAudioFocusListener = new OnAudioFocusChangeListener() {
    public void onAudioFocusChange(int focusChange) {
        String LOGTAG = "AUDIOFOCUSCHANGELISTENER";

        switch (focusChange) {
            case AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS:
                Log.e(LOGTAG, "AudioFocus: received AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS, turning FM off");
                break;
            case AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT_CAN_DUCK:
                Log.e(LOGTAG, "AudioFocus: received AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT_CAN_DUCK");
                break;
            case AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT:
                Log.e(LOGTAG, "AudioFocus: received AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS_TRANSIENT");
                break;
            case AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN:
                Log.e(LOGTAG, "AudioFocus: received AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN");
                break;
            default:
                Log.e(LOGTAG, "Unknown audio focus change code " + focusChange);
        }
    }
    };

What am i missing or isn't functioning properly? I hope that someone can help me, because i've searched the forum, googled and have tested things for days now without success

EDIT: What i forget to mention, the functions/the code is running in a background service. Maybe it is helpfull.

---

EDIT

Ok, i've finally narrowed it down to a more specific point. This happens only if i start the mediaplayer in conjunction with the Intent.ACTION_SCREEN_OFF.

If i start the mediaplayer before that intent, for example in the onCreate() function of the service and then turn off the screen, turn it back on (lock screen), press the pause button, turn it off again and finally turn it on again, the media controls are visible and in pause state on the lock screen.

But if i start the mediaplayer after receiving the Intent.ACTION_SCREEN_OFF, then the above problem happens.

Can it have something to do with that, that i start the mediaplayer inside the braodcastreceiver-class, which is inside the service, when the problem happens? Or should you simply not start a mediaplayer after the screen has turned off although you have a wake lock?