diff --git a/media/libmediatranscoding/TranscodingClientManager.cpp b/media/libmediatranscoding/TranscodingClientManager.cpp
index e26dbaa..7252437 100644
--- a/media/libmediatranscoding/TranscodingClientManager.cpp
+++ b/media/libmediatranscoding/TranscodingClientManager.cpp
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@
 using Status = ::ndk::ScopedAStatus;
 
 // static
-sp<TranscodingClientManager> TranscodingClientManager::getInstance() {
-    static sp<TranscodingClientManager> sInstance = new TranscodingClientManager();
-    return sInstance;
+TranscodingClientManager& TranscodingClientManager::getInstance() {
+    static TranscodingClientManager gInstance{};
+    return gInstance;
 }
 
 // static
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@
     int32_t clientId = static_cast<int32_t>(reinterpret_cast<intptr_t>(cookie));
     ALOGD("Client %" PRId32 " is dead", clientId);
     // Don't check for pid validity since we know it's already dead.
-    sp<TranscodingClientManager> manager = TranscodingClientManager::getInstance();
-    manager->removeClient(clientId);
+    TranscodingClientManager& manager = TranscodingClientManager::getInstance();
+    manager.removeClient(clientId);
 }
 
 TranscodingClientManager::TranscodingClientManager()
diff --git a/media/libmediatranscoding/include/media/TranscodingClientManager.h b/media/libmediatranscoding/include/media/TranscodingClientManager.h
index 74a000f..eec120a 100644
--- a/media/libmediatranscoding/include/media/TranscodingClientManager.h
+++ b/media/libmediatranscoding/include/media/TranscodingClientManager.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
  * TODO(hkuang): Hook up with ResourceManager for resource management.
  * TODO(hkuang): Hook up with MediaMetrics to log all the transactions.
  */
-class TranscodingClientManager : public RefBase {
+class TranscodingClientManager {
    public:
     virtual ~TranscodingClientManager();
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
     friend class TranscodingClientManagerTest;
 
     /** Get the singleton instance of the TranscodingClientManager. */
-    static sp<TranscodingClientManager> getInstance();
+    static TranscodingClientManager& getInstance();
 
     TranscodingClientManager();
 
diff --git a/media/libmediatranscoding/tests/TranscodingClientManager_tests.cpp b/media/libmediatranscoding/tests/TranscodingClientManager_tests.cpp
index 97c8919..5d2419d 100644
--- a/media/libmediatranscoding/tests/TranscodingClientManager_tests.cpp
+++ b/media/libmediatranscoding/tests/TranscodingClientManager_tests.cpp
@@ -87,15 +87,11 @@
 
 class TranscodingClientManagerTest : public ::testing::Test {
    public:
-    TranscodingClientManagerTest() { ALOGD("TranscodingClientManagerTest created"); }
+    TranscodingClientManagerTest() : mClientManager(TranscodingClientManager::getInstance()) {
+        ALOGD("TranscodingClientManagerTest created");
+    }
 
     void SetUp() override {
-        mClientManager = TranscodingClientManager::getInstance();
-        if (mClientManager == nullptr) {
-            ALOGE("Failed to acquire TranscodingClientManager.");
-            return;
-        }
-
         ::ndk::SpAIBinder binder(AServiceManager_getService("media.transcoding"));
         mService = IMediaTranscodingService::fromBinder(binder);
         if (mService == nullptr) {
@@ -108,13 +104,12 @@
 
     void TearDown() override {
         ALOGI("TranscodingClientManagerTest tear down");
-        mClientManager = nullptr;
         mService = nullptr;
     }
 
     ~TranscodingClientManagerTest() { ALOGD("TranscodingClientManagerTest destroyed"); }
 
-    sp<TranscodingClientManager> mClientManager = nullptr;
+    TranscodingClientManager& mClientManager;
     std::shared_ptr<ITranscodingServiceClient> mTestClient = nullptr;
     std::shared_ptr<IMediaTranscodingService> mService = nullptr;
 };
@@ -129,7 +124,7 @@
                     client, kInvalidClientId, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
     // Add the client to the manager and expect failure.
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 }
 
@@ -143,7 +138,7 @@
                     client, kClientId, kInvalidClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
     // Add the client to the manager and expect failure.
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 }
 
@@ -157,7 +152,7 @@
                     client, kClientId, kClientPid, kInvalidClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
     // Add the client to the manager and expect failure.
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 }
 
@@ -171,7 +166,7 @@
                     client, kClientId, kClientPid, kClientUid, kInvalidClientOpPackageName);
 
     // Add the client to the manager and expect failure.
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 }
 
@@ -183,13 +178,13 @@
             std::make_unique<TranscodingClientManager::ClientInfo>(
                     client1, kClientId, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
-    size_t numOfClients = mClientManager->getNumOfClients();
+    size_t numOfClients = mClientManager.getNumOfClients();
     EXPECT_EQ(numOfClients, 1);
 
-    err = mClientManager->removeClient(kClientId);
+    err = mClientManager.removeClient(kClientId);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 }
 
@@ -201,13 +196,13 @@
             std::make_unique<TranscodingClientManager::ClientInfo>(
                     client1, kClientId, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
-    err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 
-    err = mClientManager->removeClient(kClientId);
+    err = mClientManager.removeClient(kClientId);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 }
 
@@ -219,7 +214,7 @@
             std::make_unique<TranscodingClientManager::ClientInfo>(
                     client1, kClientId, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo1));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo1));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
     std::shared_ptr<ITranscodingServiceClient> client2 =
@@ -229,7 +224,7 @@
             std::make_unique<TranscodingClientManager::ClientInfo>(
                     client2, kClientId + 1, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
-    err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo2));
+    err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo2));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
     std::shared_ptr<ITranscodingServiceClient> client3 =
@@ -240,27 +235,27 @@
             std::make_unique<TranscodingClientManager::ClientInfo>(
                     client3, kClientId + 2, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
-    err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo3));
+    err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo3));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
-    size_t numOfClients = mClientManager->getNumOfClients();
+    size_t numOfClients = mClientManager.getNumOfClients();
     EXPECT_EQ(numOfClients, 3);
 
-    err = mClientManager->removeClient(kClientId);
+    err = mClientManager.removeClient(kClientId);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
-    err = mClientManager->removeClient(kClientId + 1);
+    err = mClientManager.removeClient(kClientId + 1);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
-    err = mClientManager->removeClient(kClientId + 2);
+    err = mClientManager.removeClient(kClientId + 2);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 }
 
 TEST_F(TranscodingClientManagerTest, TestRemovingNonExistClient) {
-    status_t err = mClientManager->removeClient(kInvalidClientId);
+    status_t err = mClientManager.removeClient(kInvalidClientId);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 
-    err = mClientManager->removeClient(1000 /* clientId */);
+    err = mClientManager.removeClient(1000 /* clientId */);
     EXPECT_TRUE(err != OK);
 }
 
@@ -272,13 +267,13 @@
             std::make_unique<TranscodingClientManager::ClientInfo>(
                     client, kClientId, kClientPid, kClientUid, kClientOpPackageName);
 
-    status_t err = mClientManager->addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
+    status_t err = mClientManager.addClient(std::move(clientInfo));
     EXPECT_TRUE(err == OK);
 
-    bool res = mClientManager->isClientIdRegistered(kClientId);
+    bool res = mClientManager.isClientIdRegistered(kClientId);
     EXPECT_TRUE(res);
 
-    res = mClientManager->isClientIdRegistered(kInvalidClientId);
+    res = mClientManager.isClientIdRegistered(kInvalidClientId);
     EXPECT_FALSE(res);
 }