diff --git a/demos/surface/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/surfacedemo/MainActivity.java b/demos/surface/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/surfacedemo/MainActivity.java
index 99bc0d7abc..402a71ebb3 100644
--- a/demos/surface/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/surfacedemo/MainActivity.java
+++ b/demos/surface/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/surfacedemo/MainActivity.java
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ public final class MainActivity extends Activity {
     }
     SimpleExoPlayer player = new SimpleExoPlayer.Builder(getApplicationContext()).build();
     player.prepare(mediaSource);
-    player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+    player.play();
     player.setRepeatMode(Player.REPEAT_MODE_ALL);
 
     surfaceControl =
diff --git a/extensions/cast/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/cast/CastPlayerTest.java b/extensions/cast/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/cast/CastPlayerTest.java
index ae081b1248..1346c1f842 100644
--- a/extensions/cast/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/cast/CastPlayerTest.java
+++ b/extensions/cast/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/cast/CastPlayerTest.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public class CastPlayerTest {
     when(mockRemoteMediaClient.play()).thenReturn(mockPendingResult);
     assertThat(castPlayer.getPlayWhenReady()).isFalse();
 
-    castPlayer.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+    castPlayer.play();
     verify(mockPendingResult).setResultCallback(setResultCallbackArgumentCaptor.capture());
     assertThat(castPlayer.getPlayWhenReady()).isTrue();
     verify(mockListener).onPlayerStateChanged(true, Player.STATE_IDLE);
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ public class CastPlayerTest {
     when(mockRemoteMediaClient.play()).thenReturn(mockPendingResult);
     assertThat(castPlayer.getPlayWhenReady()).isFalse();
 
-    castPlayer.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+    castPlayer.play();
     verify(mockPendingResult).setResultCallback(setResultCallbackArgumentCaptor.capture());
     assertThat(castPlayer.getPlayWhenReady()).isTrue();
     verify(mockListener).onPlayerStateChanged(true, Player.STATE_IDLE);
diff --git a/extensions/flac/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/flac/FlacPlaybackTest.java b/extensions/flac/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/flac/FlacPlaybackTest.java
index bf96442f61..d3f4f6ac51 100644
--- a/extensions/flac/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/flac/FlacPlaybackTest.java
+++ b/extensions/flac/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/flac/FlacPlaybackTest.java
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ public class FlacPlaybackTest {
                   MatroskaExtractor.FACTORY)
               .createMediaSource(uri);
       player.prepare(mediaSource);
-      player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+      player.play();
       Looper.loop();
     }
 
diff --git a/extensions/opus/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/opus/OpusPlaybackTest.java b/extensions/opus/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/opus/OpusPlaybackTest.java
index b3d5b525d5..3b5239e2fa 100644
--- a/extensions/opus/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/opus/OpusPlaybackTest.java
+++ b/extensions/opus/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/opus/OpusPlaybackTest.java
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ public class OpusPlaybackTest {
                   MatroskaExtractor.FACTORY)
               .createMediaSource(uri);
       player.prepare(mediaSource);
-      player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+      player.play();
       Looper.loop();
     }
 
diff --git a/extensions/vp9/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/vp9/VpxPlaybackTest.java b/extensions/vp9/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/vp9/VpxPlaybackTest.java
index 4fc23c300e..ed8bd00fca 100644
--- a/extensions/vp9/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/vp9/VpxPlaybackTest.java
+++ b/extensions/vp9/src/androidTest/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ext/vp9/VpxPlaybackTest.java
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ public class VpxPlaybackTest {
           .setPayload(new VideoDecoderGLSurfaceView(context).getVideoDecoderOutputBufferRenderer())
           .send();
       player.prepare(mediaSource);
-      player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+      player.play();
       Looper.loop();
     }
 
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/SimpleExoPlayer.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/SimpleExoPlayer.java
index 98ef62fde9..3ba9fd4564 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/SimpleExoPlayer.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/SimpleExoPlayer.java
@@ -1794,7 +1794,7 @@ public class SimpleExoPlayer extends BasePlayer
 
     @Override
     public void onAudioBecomingNoisy() {
-      setPlayWhenReady(false);
+      pause();
     }
 
     // Player.EventListener implementation.
diff --git a/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ExoPlayerTest.java b/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ExoPlayerTest.java
index f17cdae56b..7d2b143925 100644
--- a/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ExoPlayerTest.java
+++ b/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/ExoPlayerTest.java
@@ -2298,7 +2298,7 @@ public final class ExoPlayerTest {
           @Override
           public void onTimelineChanged(Timeline timeline, int reason) {
             if (timeline.isEmpty()) {
-              playerReference.get().setPlayWhenReady(/* playWhenReady= */ false);
+              playerReference.get().pause();
             }
           }
 
diff --git a/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/Action.java b/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/Action.java
index 060bbe90ed..20b80ace52 100644
--- a/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/Action.java
+++ b/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/Action.java
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ public abstract class Action {
                 ConditionVariable blockPlaybackThreadCondition = new ConditionVariable();
                 testThreadHandler.post(
                     () -> {
-                      player.setPlayWhenReady(/* playWhenReady= */ false);
+                      player.pause();
                       blockPlaybackThreadCondition.open();
                     });
                 try {
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ public abstract class Action {
           .setPosition(windowIndex, positionMs)
           .setHandler(testThreadHandler)
           .send();
-      player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+      player.play();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoHostedTest.java b/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoHostedTest.java
index 5f01d7724b..330a0c9dcc 100644
--- a/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoHostedTest.java
+++ b/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoHostedTest.java
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public abstract class ExoHostedTest implements AnalyticsListener, HostedTest {
     trackSelector = buildTrackSelector(host);
     String userAgent = "ExoPlayerPlaybackTests";
     player = buildExoPlayer(host, surface, trackSelector);
-    player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+    player.play();
     player.addAnalyticsListener(this);
     player.addAnalyticsListener(new EventLogger(trackSelector, tag));
     // Schedule any pending actions.
diff --git a/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoPlayerTestRunner.java b/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoPlayerTestRunner.java
index 8fe6d9b6c9..23f9a0d5a4 100644
--- a/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoPlayerTestRunner.java
+++ b/testutils/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/testutil/ExoPlayerTestRunner.java
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ public final class ExoPlayerTestRunner implements Player.EventListener, ActionSc
             if (analyticsListener != null) {
               player.addAnalyticsListener(analyticsListener);
             }
-            player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+            player.play();
             if (actionSchedule != null) {
               actionSchedule.start(player, trackSelector, null, handler, ExoPlayerTestRunner.this);
             }