diff --git a/services/audiopolicy/managerdefault/AudioPolicyManager.cpp b/services/audiopolicy/managerdefault/AudioPolicyManager.cpp
index 5b6e066..fe82f68 100644
--- a/services/audiopolicy/managerdefault/AudioPolicyManager.cpp
+++ b/services/audiopolicy/managerdefault/AudioPolicyManager.cpp
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@
     // Case 1: A2DP active device switches from primary to primary
     // module
     // Case 2: A2DP device config changes on primary module.
-    if (audio_is_a2dp_out_device(device)) {
+    if (audio_is_a2dp_out_device(device) && hasPrimaryOutput()) {
         sp<HwModule> module = mHwModules.getModuleForDeviceType(device, encodedFormat);
         audio_module_handle_t primaryHandle = mPrimaryOutput->getModuleHandle();
         if (availablePrimaryOutputDevices().contains(devDesc) &&
@@ -4738,10 +4738,7 @@
         }
     }
 
-    if (mPrimaryOutput == 0) {
-        ALOGE("Failed to open primary output");
-        status = NO_INIT;
-    }
+    ALOGW_IF(mPrimaryOutput == nullptr, "The policy configuration does not declare a primary output");
 
     // Silence ALOGV statements
     property_set("log.tag." LOG_TAG, "D");
@@ -4851,7 +4848,7 @@
                     setEngineDeviceConnectionState(device, AUDIO_POLICY_DEVICE_STATE_AVAILABLE);
                 }
             }
-            if (mPrimaryOutput == 0 &&
+            if (mPrimaryOutput == nullptr &&
                     outProfile->getFlags() & AUDIO_OUTPUT_FLAG_PRIMARY) {
                 mPrimaryOutput = outputDesc;
             }
@@ -4928,6 +4925,10 @@
 
 void AudioPolicyManager::removeOutput(audio_io_handle_t output)
 {
+    if (mPrimaryOutput != 0 && mPrimaryOutput == mOutputs.valueFor(output)) {
+        ALOGV("%s: removing primary output", __func__);
+        mPrimaryOutput = nullptr;
+    }
     mOutputs.removeItem(output);
     selectOutputForMusicEffects();
 }
@@ -6853,6 +6854,10 @@
             return nullptr;
         }
     }
+    if (mPrimaryOutput == nullptr && profile->getFlags() & AUDIO_OUTPUT_FLAG_PRIMARY) {
+        ALOGV("%s(): re-assigning mPrimaryOutput", __func__);
+        mPrimaryOutput = desc;
+    }
     return desc;
 }