Develop Reference

How Can I test Google Actions in Android app?

Using App action test tools in Android Studio for testing Google Actions, I'm getting the error
Preview Creation Error Status Code: 400 Message: Precondition check failed.
The requested Android app package name does not have an associated project
in Play Console. Please create a draft in Play Console and upload an app
with package name 'com.example.yadayada'.
If I try to "upload an app with packagename ..."
I'm getting the error
Upload failed
You have uploaded an APK or Android App Bundle that contains an action schema
document in the manifest file, but the action patterns are not yet allowed.
If you participate in a beta program, you must obtain authorization
for your developer account
Ok, but where and how can i do it ?
Furthermore, I don't have to publish an application, this is just a draft to test the implementation of possible future Slices, and the documentation states that it is possible to do it through the Android Studio plugin.

Ok, got it. Hints here
Create a new application in developer console without actions, and use
its package name in the test application with actions. You can use any package names that you have already registered in Console
android {
defaultConfig {
applicationId "com.example.yadayada.playconsole"
}
}

You need to add this to the manifest file:
<meta-data
android:name="android.app.shortcuts"
android:resource="#xml/shortcuts" />
This is explained in the app actions tutorial and also here: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/shortcuts/creating-shortcuts#static

FirebaseCloudMessaging : FirebaseInstanceId background sync failed - SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE

I have use Firebase Cloud Messaging(FCM) API for the push notification in Android. When I implemented that time perfect work but now it's can not find the Service of google play.
the error is:
FirebaseInstanceId: background sync failed: SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE,
Please help me how to resolve. I Have use below dependency in gradle file.
dependencies {
compile files('libs/ksoap2-android-assembly-3.4.0-jar.jar')
compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.0.0'
compile files('libs/gson-2.2.4.jar')
compile files('libs/activation.jar')
compile files('libs/mail.jar')
compile files('libs/additionnal.jar')
compile 'com.android.support:multidex:1.0.1'
compile 'com.facebook.android:facebook-android-sdk:4.14.0'
compile 'com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging:9.0.2'
compile('com.google.android.gms:play-services:9.0.2') {
exclude group: "play-services-wallet"
exclude module: "play-services-wallet"
exclude group: "play-services-ads"
exclude module: "play-services-ads"
}
}
Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Verify internet connectivity
Verify if the Android SDK tools(Tools -> Android -> SDK manager -> SDK tools tab) has 'Google Play services' latest version and if not install the package.
Then if you are using emulator, please stop the emulator and start it again.It works

You can check
Check your internet connection with no proxy and open internet connect
Replace your google-service.json with new one you can get this in firebaseconsol
Please check your device has google play service in it and it working or not , firebase not work without google play service
Check -FireBaseInstanceId service does not get registered

After long struggle i found the answer, if google play service is not running then FirebaseInstanceId background sync failed - SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE log print, so you can check your google play service is running properly or not ?
May be this information is helpful to you !

the service needs to be bound in the Manifest.xml
<!-- Firebase InstanceId Service -->
<service
android:name="eu.acme.service.FireBaseInstanceIdService"
android:exported="false" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.google.firebase.INSTANCE_ID_EVENT"/>
</intent-filter>
</service>
then one can access one single exposed method (the other names are obfuscated = not reliable):
package eu.acme.service;
import com.google.firebase.iid.FirebaseInstanceId;
import com.google.firebase.iid.FirebaseInstanceIdService;
public class FireBaseInstanceIdService extends FirebaseInstanceIdService {
#Override
#android.support.annotation.WorkerThread
public void onTokenRefresh() {
/* obtain the current InstanceId token: */
String token = FirebaseInstanceId.getInstance().getToken();
}
}
one could only work around it, by not provoking it, eg. by not adding any AuthState Listener while knowing that there is no active network present, as explained here - as it seems, one otherwise cannot catch the exception thrown from within the library - which can be ignored, since it merely just complains, that there is no network connectivity.
com.google.android.gms.iid and com.google.firebase.iid are about the same.

I had to disbale my VPN - hope this helps someone !

I just had this problem. In my case, only worked when I stopped the emulator, closed it, and opened again. I didn't make any other changes.

Easiest solution is to delete the bin and obj folders under the .Droid directory.
In this way you have a clean start every time.

In my case - I rebooted my PC and it worked.
Im not an expert, so I might have covered one of the mentioned tipps by my approach

Connect your mobile with different wifi connection with different service provider. It seems weird but you can try it!

In my case, I just removed instant run from Android Studio preferences

Me too had the same issue, resolved by just Clean Project option under build. Hope it might help anyone here.

You need to update your play services and make sure your internet connectivity is good.

In my case
I have been Added google-services.json file in Project root, I moved it to app folder and problem has been fixed.
MyProjectRootDir/google-services.json
move to -->
MyProjectRootDir/app/google-services.json

Steps to integrate flurry ad in android application

I have to integrate the flurry ad in my android application. Can anybody provide the steps to integrate the flurry ad. I have gone through official sdk for flurry but not get any idea. I have followed the link android: Flurry Ads Banner taking Full screen
I have used the code not get any results
FlurryAgent.onStartSession(this, getString(R.string.flurry_api_key));
FlurryAds.fetchAd(this, "ANDROID_BANNER_TOP", mBanner,
FlurryAdSize.BANNER_TOP);

Prerequisites
Flurry Analytics requires a minimum Android API level 10.
Flurry Analytics uses the Android Advertising ID provided by Google Play Services and will check for and respect the user’s ad tracking preference.
Get your API Keys
Start by creating an app. Once you create the app, you’ll receive a Flurry API Key, which you’ll need when using the SDK.
Download the Flurry Android SDK
There are currently two ways of getting the Flurry Android SDK into your application:
Install via jCenter (Recommended):
The Flurry SDK is available via jCenter. You can add it to your application by including the following in your build.gradle file:
// In your top level Gradle config file:
buildscript {
repositories {
jcenter()
}
dependencies {
classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.1.0'
}
}
allprojects {
repositories {
jcenter()
}
}
// In your main app's Gradle config file:
dependencies {
compile 'com.flurry.android:analytics:6.3.1'
/*
* Optional library to help in monetizing your app with ads.
* If you include the ads library, you do not need to include
* the analytics library as it is a transitive dependency.
*/
// compile 'com.flurry.android:ads:6.3.1'
//... other dependencies
}
Download .jar files from Flurry Dev Portal
The downloaded archive should contain these files for use with Flurry Analytics:
FlurryAnalytics_x.y.z.jar: The library containing Flurry’s analytic collection and reporting code (where x.y.x denotes the latest version of Flurry SDK).
FlurryAds_x.y.z.jar: The optional library to incorporate Flurry’s ads into your application (where x.y.x denotes the latest version of Flurry SDK).
ProjectApiKey.txt: This file contains the name of your project and your project’s API key.
FlurryAndroidAnalyticsReadmevx.y.z.pdf: A PDF file with instructions (where x.y.x denotes the latest version of Flurry SDK).
Add the FlurryAnalytics_x.y.z.jar to your classpath¶
Using Android Studio:
If using Android Studio, you do not need to do anything further to include the Flurry SDK in your project, as long as you have installed the SDK through jCenter in your Gradle configuration.
However, if you prefer to use the downloaded .jar files, follow these procedures:
Add FlurryAnalytics-­5.x.x.jar to your project’s libs folder.
Navigate to File > Project Structure > Module > Dependencies. Click the ‘+’ button in the bottom of the ‘Project Structure’ popup to add dependencies. Select ‘File dependency’ and add libs/FlurryAnalytics­-5.x.x.jar.
Add Google Play Services library. If selectively compiling individual Google Play Service APIs, you should include the Google Analytics API.
Using Eclipse
Add FlurryAnalytics-­5.x.x.jar to your project’s libs folder. Right-click on each JAR file and select Build Path > Add to Build Path.
Add the Google Play Service library jar file.
Configure your AndroidManifest.xml
- Have access to the Internet and allow the Flurry SDK to check state of the network connectivity.
- Specify a versionName attribute in the manifest to have data reported under that version name.
- Declare min version of that Android OS that the app supports. Flurry supports Android OS versions 10 and above.
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.flurry.sample"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="10"
android:targetSdkVersion="21" />
<!--required permission-->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<!--optional permission - highly recommended-->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>
<!--optional permission -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
<application
android:name=".MyApplication"
android:icon="#drawable/app_icon">
<!--your activities -->
</application>
</manifest>
Add calls to init, onStartSession and onEndSession
Follow these steps, adding these calls:
If you are shipping an app, insert a call to FlurryAgent.init(Context, String) in your Application class, passing it a reference to your application Context and your project’s API key:
//If you are shipping an app, extend the Application class if you are not already doing so:
public class MyApplication extends Application {
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
new FlurryAgent.Builder()
.withLogEnabled(false)
.build(this, FLURRY_API_KEY);
}
}
Alternatively, you may call init() just before onStartSession(). It is safe to call init() more than once, provided that you use the same API key throughout the application. You may use any type of Context you wish.
If you are writing an app and the minimum target is Ice Cream Sandwich or above (minSdkVersion is set to API level 14 or greater), session handling is completely automatic, and you may skip steps 3 and 4. If you are instrumenting another type of Context, such as a Service, or your minimum target is Gingerbread, proceed with steps 3 or 4.
Insert a call to FlurryAgent.onStartSession(Context) in the Activity’s onStart() method, passing it a reference to a Context object (such as an Activity or Service). If you are targeting Gingerbread, Flurry recommends using the onStart() method of each Activity in your app, and passing the Activity itself as the Context object. For services (or other Contexts), use the Service or the relevant Context as the Context object. Do not pass in the global Application context.
Insert a call to FlurryAgent.onEndSession(Context) in the Activity’s onStop() method, when a session is complete. If you are targeting Gingerbread, we recommend using the onStop method of each Activity in your app. For services (or other Contexts), ensure that onStop is called in each instrumented Service. Make sure to match up a call to onEndSession for each call of onStartSession, passing in the same Context object that was used to call onStartSession. Do not pass in the global Application context.
As long as there is any Context that has called onStartSession() but not onEndSession(), the session will be continued. Also, if a new Context calls onStartSession() within 10 seconds of the last Context calling onEndSession(), then the session will be resumed, instead of a new session being created. Session length, usage frequency, events and errors will continue to be tracked as part of the same session. This ensures that as a user transitions from one Activity to another in your app that they will not have a separate session tracked for each Activity, but will have a single session that spans many activities. If you want to track Activity usage, Flurry recommends using logEvent(), as described in the Custom Events section.
If you wish to change the window during which a session can be resumed, call FlurryAgent.setContinueSessionMillis(long milliseconds) before the call to FlurryAgent.init().
The Flurry SDK automatically transfers the data captured during the session once the SDK determines the session completed. In case the device is not connected, the data is saved on the device and transferred once the device is connected again. The SDK manages the entire process. Currently, there is no way for the app to schedule the data transfer.
You’re done! That’s all you need to do to begin receiving basic metric
data.

Android App Users Get "App not installed" When Attempting to Update

UPDATE: To those who asked about which error codes the users are receiving: there are no error codes. It just opens a blank, post-installation page that says "The app was not installed" with a big 'X' next to it. It's possible different versions of Android could have different messages. There is no indication for what went wrong during the installation.
UPDATE 2: Some users reported that they receive error code "-504" when they try to install/update from the Play Store, and the "app not installed" message when manually trying to install the .apk. I don't know what correlation this error has with users being unable to install, but the solutions from the only 2 questions on SO on this topic did not fix anything for me. I've included the updated manifests and build files.
UPDATE 3: It appears as users report this issue in versions after IAB has been successfully installed, which further de-legitimatizes the concept that this issue is caused by introducing IAB.
UPDATE 4: It looks like the problem is with old users trying to update to a new version, and not with new users. With that in mind, there is a high likelihood that this issue is result of INSTALL_FAILED_UID_CHANGED. Looking through the version history, the significant change I made in the problematic version that users cannot update from is removing drawables that I no longer intended of using.
Asking users to go through the procedure to fix this isn't plausible. If there is a solution that I can enforce which would fix it for faulty users, wonderful... if not, the least I can do at this point is damage control and ensure this doesn't happen in the future.
NOTE: Below is the original post speculating that the problem is the result of introducing IAB into the app. Since then, it has become more and more unlikely for that to be the cause. Regardless, the post still has relevant information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Title: Android App Users Get "App not installed" After Introducing IAB
I recently introduced IAB in my app that was published on Google Play. After a while, I've started to get reports from some users that they get an "installation unsuccessful" error when they try to install or update it.
What makes me think it's caused by introducing IAB is that one particular long-time user e-mailed me that when he's attempting to update to the version with IAB, the installer mentions that new permissions were introduced and requires the user's permission. Once granted, it says that the app failed to install.
I've done some Googling and it appears to be a problem from their end, one user even tried to manually install an .apk with said permissions removed without any success. I wan't to make sure that it's not something I've done wrong, but an inevitability that I have to accept with some users.
Note that the vast majority has no problem of installing the app, and I haven't received any reports of this until after IAB was introduced. It wouldn't bother me so much were it a small amount of lost users, but the problem is, those users hurt my app's rating. Users have also mentioned that they can install apps, excluding my own, perfectly well.
I don't rule out the possibility that users may have been getting these errors even before IAB was introduced, and the linkage could be a mistaken one.
Here is my manifest:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest package = "com.jjsoftware.fullscientificcalculator"
xmlns:android = "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<uses-permission android:name = "android.permission.VIBRATE"/>
<uses-permission android:name = "com.android.vending.BILLING"/>
<application
android:allowBackup = "true"
android:fullBackupContent = "true"
android:icon = "#drawable/logo"
android:label = "#string/app_name">
<activity
android:name = ".MainActivity"
android:hardwareAccelerated = "false"
android:label = "#string/app_name"
android:screenOrientation = "portrait"
android:theme="#style/AppTheme">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name = "android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<category android:name = "android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity
android:name = ".SettingsActivity"
android:theme = "#style/PreferencesTheme">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name = ".SettingsActivity"/>
<category android:name = "android.intent.category.PREFERENCE"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
Here is the Gradle file:
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
android {
compileSdkVersion 23
buildToolsVersion "23.0.1"
defaultConfig {
applicationId "com.jjsoftware.fullscientificcalculator"
minSdkVersion 14
targetSdkVersion 23
versionCode 102
versionName "1.679"
}
sourceSets { main { assets.srcDirs = ['src/main/assets', 'src/main/assets/'] } }
}
dependencies {
compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.1.1'
compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:8.4.0'
compile 'com.android.support:gridlayout-v7:23.2.1'
compile files('libs/exp4j-0.4.5.jar')
compile files('libs/EJML-core-0.28.jar')
compile files('libs/EJML-dense64-0.28.jar')
compile files('libs/Jama-1.0.3.jar')
compile files('libs/EJML-simple-0.28.jar')
}
And, if need be, the top-level build:
// Top-level build file where you can add configuration options common to all sub-projects/modules.
buildscript {
repositories {
jcenter()
}
dependencies {
classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.5.0'
// NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
// in the individual module build.gradle files
}
}
allprojects {
repositories {
jcenter()
}
}

There is a typo in the manifest file on line android:largeHeap="true">>. xml line ends with >>. This may be causing the error.

it could be the phones have a lower version of the Google play services than the minimum you defined in the APK.
There is nothing much you can do if that is the case, other than for the users to upgrade their google services (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gms&hl=en) or you reduce your version.
also you may need to add the following to your manifest. (i think this is used to compare the versions installed in the phones with the versions required by the apk)
<application ...>
<!-- This meta-data tag is required to use Google Play Services. -->
<meta-data
android:name="com.google.android.gms.version"
android:value="#integer/google_play_services_version" />
</application>

I got this error while installing on my Android device a new APK for the app I am developing.
I checked the debug log on the device (using "adb -d logcat > log.txt") and found an entry saying "PackageManager: Downgrade detected: Update version code 2 is older than current 10000". Obviously something went wrong with the versioning somehow.
I uninstalled the package and then was able to install the APK with no problems.

Remember that the latest installment of Android (Marshmallow version) has changed the permissions to give more access to permissions to the user. Hence it is not enough to define the permissions in the manifest anymore.
Through code you need to make sure that the billing permission is enabled by the users when they use the app. The simplest way to go around this is to set the target SDK to v-22. This should temporarily solve your issue.
The real solution however is to handle the new permissions introduced in Marshmallow. Here is how to do it:
#Override
public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
switch(requestCode) {
case BILLING_REQUEST:
if (canAccessBilling()) {
callBillingPerms();
}
break;
}
}
private void callBillingPerms() {
Toast.makeText(this, "We need your permission to access Billing", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
private boolean canAccessSMS() {
return(hasPermission(Manifest.vending.BILLING));
}
#TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.M)
private boolean hasPermission(String perm) {
return(PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED==this.checkSelfPermission(perm));
}
Hope this helps :)

Perhaps the error is on the user's side.
This article states the following:
Google Play - Error 504
Problem
App could not be downloaded due to an error.
First solution
The usual, please: go to Settings > Apps > All > Google Play Store and Clear cache and Clear data. Also Clear cache and Clear data for Google Services Framework.
Second solution
Try removing your GMail account
This Stack Exchange answer discussed similar ideas.
According to the list of status codes at Wikipedia, a 504 error means the following:
504 Gateway Timeout
The server was acting as a gateway or proxy and did not receive a timely response from the upstream server.
Ask your users if doing the above solves their issue.

How to get notified about Android appcompat or support library updates?

I wonder if there is a way to get notified about updates of the Google Android libraries such as com.android.support:support-v4, com.android.support:appcompat-v7 and so on.
I am aware that I could use compile "com.android.support:support-v4:18.0.+" with the + in my gradle build. But it would be nice to get an eMail or have an RSS Feed with the new releses of all the different android libraries by google. This would help a lot to keep the dependencies up to date and publish a new version of my app to the play store.
Edit:
I found this url https://dl.google.com/android/repository/addon.xml which is used to update the local m2repo (which includes the above mentioned librarys).

A real "push" notification solution would require lots of boring details like setting up xmpp or email accounts. However, this is a very valid question and one I have recently solved not just for appcompat libraries but for all my dependencies.
gradle-versions-plugin
This excellent plugin analyzes your depdencies and checks for newer releases. Example console output:
$ gradle dependencyUpdates
...
The following dependencies are using the latest milestone version:
- com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.1.1
- com.android.support:cardview-v7:23.1.1
- com.android.support:recyclerview-v7:23.1.1
- com.android.support:support-annotations:23.1.1
- com.android.support.test:rules:0.4.1
- com.android.support.test:runner:0.4.1
- com.github.ben-manes:gradle-versions-plugin:0.11.3
The following dependencies have later milestone versions:
- com.android.tools.build:gradle [1.5.0-beta1 -> 2.0.0-alpha1]
- com.google.android.gms:play-services-gcm [7.5.0 -> 8.3.0]
- com.squareup.retrofit:retrofit [1.9.0 -> 2.0.0-beta2]
- net.hockeyapp.android:HockeySDK [3.5.0 -> 3.7.0-beta.2]
- org.hamcrest:hamcrest-library [1.1 -> 1.4-atlassian-1]
- org.mockito:mockito-core [1.10.19 -> 2.0.31-beta]
You can just run this any time you want to check for newer versions. And since it also supports json output format, if you really wanted to script some kind of notification, you could cronjob it and parse the json output and do whatever you'd like at that point.

Your question is interesting and it made me think on how I may address myself the problem to actually find a solution. Here's my thought: I use myself ifttt and alike and the missing point is then the monitoring of the xml data. A Google search later, I've just found this blog post which is a thoroughful description of the steps needed to get notified by mail of a change in a web page. HEY, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED!!!
I've not tested since I need to wait for an actual update but here is the resulting RSS: page2RSS android addon monitoring
Update (May 9): page2rss has been shut down on May 1st, as a consequence other services must be used/tested. Wachete seems to provide similar services, but one needs an account.

I don't know if there is an RSS or something like that, but you can visit periodically this page:
http://developer.android.com/tools/support-library/index.html
Or visit the Android Developers Blog (often Ian Lake, a Google Developer Advocate, update it with pertinent posts):
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/