Re: [webrtc-pc] Should the remote track mute in response to replaceTrack(null)? (#3077)

> It seems strange that a receiver that isn't receiving any packets should remain unmuted indefinitely.

Why is that strange? Mute is a forcible UA signal. Mute causes lack of frames. Lack of frames does not cause mute.

A `mute` event says: _"stop looking for a cause of the lack of frames on this track. I am the cause"_.

How is a receiver supposed to know that the lack of frames is intentional? That the sender used replaceTrack? 

The spec seems super clear here, and has been for a very long time. Remote tracks are deterministically muted when the receiver is the cause: to reflect negotiated direction changes on it, as only one part of [process remote tracks](https://w3c.github.io/webrtc-pc/#process-remote-tracks) algorithm.

You might recall [this pivot](https://blog.mozilla.org/webrtc/the-evolution-of-webrtc): _"Remote tracks are now muted and temporarily removed from their stream(s), rather than ended, in response to direction changes (e.g. from removeTrack)"_.

I'm not seeing any new information here.

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Received on Monday, 29 September 2025 16:31:34 UTC