AudioRecord.startRecording() returns error when app is in background

I'm developing an wearOS app to record the surrounding audio and generate decibel from the recored audio. I'm using AudioRecord class from android.media to record the audio. The app works as expected while on foreground. However, while the app is switched to background, the startRecording() function returns some error without crashing the application. The AUDIO_RECORD permission is granted to the app on it's first start up. What could be the issue?

audioRunnable = object : Runnable {
            override fun run() {
                Log.i("Test", "Inside audio thread.")

                if (::soundMeter.isInitialized) {
                    soundMeter.startRecording()
                    Thread.sleep(4000)//wait time for soundMeter to get value
                    soundLevel = soundMeter.getDecibelValue()//get soundMeter value
                    Log.d(TAG, "dB2 update: $soundLevel")
                    soundMeter.stopRecording()//stop soundMeter

                    runOnUiThread { // UI code goes here
                        val floatTextView = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.soundValue)
                        floatTextView.text = soundLevel.roundToInt().toString()

                        when {
                            soundLevel > 60 -> {
                                floatTextView.setTextColor(Color.RED)
                            } else -> {
                                floatTextView.setTextColor(Color.GREEN)
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }

                audioHandler.postDelayed(this, 1000)//repeat every 10 seconds
            }
        }


    fun startRecording() { //needs to have permission check before call, which is done in MainActivity
        Log.i("AudioRecord", "Recording about to start.")

        if (Objects.nonNull(audioRecord) && audioRecord.state != AudioRecord.STATE_UNINITIALIZED)
            audioRecord.startRecording()

        Log.i("AudioRecord", "Recording completed.")
    }

    fun stopRecording() { //needs to be called after 10 second collecting period to get most recent max value
        if (Objects.nonNull(audioRecord) && audioRecord.state != AudioRecord.STATE_UNINITIALIZED)
            audioRecord.stop()
    }

    fun getDecibelValue(): Float { //returns the max amplitude in decibels
        return if (Objects.nonNull(audioRecord) && audioRecord.state != AudioRecord.STATE_UNINITIALIZED) {
            val buffer = ShortArray(bufferSize)
            audioRecord.read(buffer, 0, bufferSize)
            var maxAmplitude = 0 //max amplitude in the buffer
            for (i in buffer.indices) { //finds the max amplitude in the buffer by iterating through the buffer
                maxAmplitude = maxAmplitude.coerceAtLeast(kotlin.math.abs(buffer[i].toInt()))
            }

            20 * log10(maxAmplitude.toDouble()).toFloat() //math to be changed for calibration(to nearest whole number)

        } else {
            0f
        }
    }

From the docs:

> Note: On devices running Android 9 (API level 28) or higher, apps
> running in the background cannot access the microphone. Therefore,
> your app should record audio only when it's in the foreground or when
> you include an instance of MediaRecorder in a foreground service.

You can't do it in the background, which is why it's causing problems. Assuming this is a service, it needs to be a foreground service. The reason for this is privacy, the OS wants a user to know if their device is recording.