diff --git a/media/java/android/media/audiopolicy/AudioMixingRule.java b/media/java/android/media/audiopolicy/AudioMixingRule.java
index 08655ca6ad6b0..9c0b825fbfa30 100644
--- a/media/java/android/media/audiopolicy/AudioMixingRule.java
+++ b/media/java/android/media/audiopolicy/AudioMixingRule.java
@@ -704,8 +704,12 @@ public class AudioMixingRule {
          * Combines all of the matching and exclusion rules that have been set and return a new
          * {@link AudioMixingRule} object.
          * @return a new {@link AudioMixingRule} object
+         * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the rule is empty.
          */
         public AudioMixingRule build() {
+            if (mCriteria.isEmpty()) {
+                throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot build AudioMixingRule with no rules.");
+            }
             return new AudioMixingRule(
                     mTargetMixType == AudioMix.MIX_TYPE_INVALID
                             ? AudioMix.MIX_TYPE_PLAYERS : mTargetMixType,
diff --git a/media/tests/AudioPolicyTest/src/com/android/audiopolicytest/AudioMixingRuleUnitTests.java b/media/tests/AudioPolicyTest/src/com/android/audiopolicytest/AudioMixingRuleUnitTests.java
index a83e7d3a6ef1a..3cbfd50ff859e 100644
--- a/media/tests/AudioPolicyTest/src/com/android/audiopolicytest/AudioMixingRuleUnitTests.java
+++ b/media/tests/AudioPolicyTest/src/com/android/audiopolicytest/AudioMixingRuleUnitTests.java
@@ -212,6 +212,12 @@ public class AudioMixingRuleUnitTests {
                 containsInAnyOrder(isAudioMixSessionCriterion(TEST_SESSION_ID)));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void audioMixingRuleWithNoRulesFails() {
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class,
+                () -> new AudioMixingRule.Builder().build());
+    }
+
 
     private static Matcher isAudioMixUidCriterion(int uid, boolean exclude) {
         return new CustomTypeSafeMatcher<AudioMixMatchCriterion>("uid mix criterion") {