Android Question Starter Service Crashing

[skaliwag]

The Developer Concole gives this as an issue that needs attention :-

Missing foreground service type
From Android 14, developers must specify service types when foreground services are found in their app's manifest. A version of your app that is currently in production is crashing because it tries to start a foreground service when no foreground service type is declared. Make sure that service types for the services that start in the foreground are specified in your app's manifest.

The stack for the crash shows this

Exception java.lang.RuntimeException:
at android.app.ActivityThread.handleServiceArgs (ActivityThread.java:5286)
at android.app.ActivityThread.-$$Nest$mhandleServiceArgs
at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage (ActivityThread.java:2531)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage (Handler.java:106)
at android.os.Looper.loopOnce (Looper.java:230)
at android.os.Looper.loop (Looper.java:319)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main (ActivityThread.java:8919)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke
at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run (RuntimeInit.java:578)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main (ZygoteInit.java:1103)
Caused by java.lang.RuntimeException:
at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ServiceHelper$StarterHelper.handleStartIntent (ServiceHelper.java:173)
at uk.co.stefsquared.vanguard.starter.handleStart (starter.java:102)
at uk.co.stefsquared.vanguard.starter.access$000 (starter.java:8)
at uk.co.stefsquared.vanguard.starter$1.run (starter.java:74)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ServiceHelper$StarterHelper.onStartCommand (ServiceHelper.java:240)
at uk.co.stefsquared.vanguard.starter.onStartCommand (starter.java:72)
at android.app.ActivityThread.handleServiceArgs (ActivityThread.java:5268)
Caused by android.app.MissingForegroundServiceTypeException:
at android.app.MissingForegroundServiceTypeException$1.createFromParcel (MissingForegroundServiceTypeException.java:53)
at android.app.MissingForegroundServiceTypeException$1.createFromParcel (MissingForegroundServiceTypeException.java:49)
at android.os.Parcel.readParcelableInternal (Parcel.java:4882)
at android.os.Parcel.readParcelable (Parcel.java:4864)
at android.os.Parcel.createExceptionOrNull (Parcel.java:3064)
at android.os.Parcel.createException (Parcel.java:3053)
at android.os.Parcel.readException (Parcel.java:3036)
at android.os.Parcel.readException (Parcel.java:2978)
at android.app.IActivityManager$Stub$Proxy.setServiceForeground (IActivityManager.java:7234)
at android.app.Service.startForeground (Service.java:775)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ServiceHelper.StartForeground (ServiceHelper.java:85)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ServiceHelper$StarterHelper.handleStartIntent (ServiceHelper.java:171)

This is a B4A project built with Version 13 targeting SDK 34
I have Service.StopAutomaticForeground in the Service_Start Sub of Starter

As is so often the case, I am unable to duplicate the error
Any help much appreciated

 

[agraham]

I take it from @drgottjr info above then, that the manifest for the failing app does not include a foregroundservice type declaration and hence the MissingForegroundServiceTypeException is being correctly thrown. The question then is how the code execution path gets to that point for a few users but not, apparently, the many? Back to Erel!

 

[Robert Valentino]

Or is there a way to define the Starter service in the manifest?

This was the reason I posted this https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/short-service-specialuse.163399/#post-1002304

 

[agraham]

Or is there a way to define the Starter service in the manifest?

Your post links to it but I don't know what foreground service type would work and be acceptable in the PlayStore. What puzzles me is that it seems that only a few users execute the code path that leads to the exception being thrown which is why I would like Erel to weigh in on this.

 

[skaliwag]

There are no other services in the project.
I am not calling StartService anywhere.
I have added the suggested modification to Service_Create, and will report back when I have more Analytics data.

Since adding this, I am getting no reports of the original error.

Normally, in Developer Console, I have the "User-perceived crashes and ANRs" filter enabled.
If I turn this off it is still showing a Starter Service crash in the onCreate method of various activities which seem to be caused by this code:-

if (anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ServiceHelper.StarterHelper.startFromActivity(this, processBA, wl, false))
            BA.handler.postDelayed(wl, 5);

Note that this error occurs very rarely
As the user doesn't see this, it is not a priority, but it may explain why other developers are getting crash reports, but their users are not reporting crashes.

 

[peacemaker]

No solution yet ?
Also touched.