Develop Reference

How can I make my app running also in Doze mode without Partial_Wakelock? [duplicate]

One of my peer developer has written an intent service that makes an API call and then sleeps for 2 mins. After waking up, it sends again.
Below is the code:
public class GpsTrackingService extends IntentService {
....
#Override
protected void onHandleIntent(Intent intent) {
do{
try{
//make API call here
//then go to sleep for 2 mins
TimeUnit.SECONDS.sleep(120);
} catch(InterruptedException ex){
ex.printStackTrace();
}
} while (preferences.shouldSendGps()); //till the user can send gps.
}
....
}
Manifest
<service android:name=".commons.GpsTrackingService" />
This is working fine when the phone is active. However, whenever the phone goes into doze mode it fails to wake.
Will using alarm manager with WAKE permission solve this?
I have just got the code base and need to fix this within today. It'll be great if someone can help.

As the documentation says:
In Doze mode, the system attempts to conserve battery by restricting
apps' access to network and CPU-intensive services. It also prevents
apps from accessing the network and defers their jobs, syncs, and
standard alarms.
Periodically, the system exits Doze for a brief time to let apps
complete their deferred activities. During this maintenance window,
the system runs all pending syncs, jobs, and alarms, and lets apps
access the network.
In few words, while in Doze mode the system suspends network accesses, ignores Wake Locks, stops acquiring data from sensors, defers AlarmManager jobs to the next Doze maintenance window (which are progressively less frequently called), also WiFi scans, JobScheduler jobs and Sync adapters do not run.
Neither setAndAllowWhileIdle() nor setExactAndAllowWhileIdle() can fire alarms more than once per 9 (?) minutes, per app.
And it seems that the Foreground Services are also involved into this "Doze Drama", at least in MarshMellow (M).
To survive in this situation, tons of applications need to be at least rewiewed. Can you imagine a simple mp3 player which stops playing music when the device enters in Doze Mode?
Doze mode starts automatically, when the device is unplugged from the power supply and left on the table for about 1 hour or so, or even earlier when the user clicks the power button to power down the screen, but I think this could depend by the device manufacturer too.
I tried a lot of countermeasures, some of them really hilarious.
At the end of my tests I reached a possible solution:
One possible (and maybe the only) way to have your app running even when the host device is in Doze mode, is basically to have a ForegroundService (even a fake one, doing no jobs at all) running in another process with an acquired partial WakeLock.
What you need to do is basically the following (you could create a simple project to test it):
1 - In your new project, create a new class which extends Application (myApp), or use the
main activity of the new project.
2 - In myApp onCreate() start a Service (myAntiDozeService)
3 - In myAntiDozeService onStartCommand(), create the Notification
needed to start the service as a foreground service, start the
service with startForeground(id, notification) and acquire the
partial WakeLock.
REMEMBER! This will work, but it is just a starting point, because you have to be careful with the "Side Effects" this approach will generate:
1 - Battery drain: The CPU will work for your app forever if you
don't use some strategy and leave the WakeLock always active.
2 - One notification will be always shown, even in the lockscreen,
and this notification cannot be removed by simply swiping it out, it
will be always there until you'll stop the foreground service.
OK, let's do it.
myApp.java
public class myApp extends Application {
private static final String STARTFOREGROUND_ACTION = "STARTFOREGROUND_ACTION";
private static final String STOPFOREGROUND_ACTION = "STOPFOREGROUND_ACTION";
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
// start foreground service
startForeService();
}
private void stopForeService() {
Intent service = new Intent(this, myAntiDozeService.class);
service.setAction(STOPFOREGROUND_ACTION);
stopService(service);
}
private void startForeService(){
Intent service = new Intent(this, myAntiDozeService.class);
service.setAction(STARTFOREGROUND_ACTION);
startService(service);
}
#Override
public void onTerminate() {
stopForeService();
super.onTerminate();
}
}
myAntiDozeService.java
public class myAntiDozeService extends Service {
private static final String TAG = myAntiDozeService.class.getName();
private static boolean is_service_running = false;
private Context mContext;
private PowerManager.WakeLock mWakeLock;
private static final int NOTIFICATION_ID = 12345678;
private static final String STARTFOREGROUND_ACTION = "STARTFOREGROUND_ACTION";
private static final String STOPFOREGROUND_ACTION = "STOPFOREGROUND_ACTION";
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
mContext = getApplicationContext();
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
if (!is_service_running && STARTFOREGROUND_ACTION.equals(intent.getAction())) {
Log.i(TAG, "Received Start Foreground Intent ");
showNotification();
is_service_running = true;
acquireWakeLock();
} else if (is_service_running && STOPFOREGROUND_ACTION.equals(intent.getAction())) {
Log.i(TAG, "Received Stop Foreground Intent");
is_service_running = false;
stopForeground(true);
stopSelf();
}
return START_STICKY;
}
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
releaseWakeLock();
super.onDestroy();
}
private void showNotification(){
Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(mContext, ActivityMain.class);
notificationIntent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK | Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TASK);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(mContext, 0, notificationIntent, 0);
Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(mContext)
.setContentTitle("myApp")
.setTicker("myApp")
.setContentText("Application is running")
.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_launcher)
.setContentIntent(pendingIntent)
.build();
// starts this service as foreground
startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
}
public void acquireWakeLock() {
final PowerManager powerManager = (PowerManager) mContext.getSystemService(Context.POWER_SERVICE);
releaseWakeLock();
//Acquire new wake lock
mWakeLock = powerManager.newWakeLock(PowerManager.PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK, TAG+"PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK");
mWakeLock.acquire();
}
public void releaseWakeLock() {
if (mWakeLock != null && mWakeLock.isHeld()) {
mWakeLock.release();
mWakeLock = null;
}
}
#Nullable
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
return null;
}
}
AndroidManifest.xml changes.
In the AndroidManifest.xml add this permission:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
Don't forget to add the name of your app in the <application> tag:
<application
....
android:name=".myApp"
....
And finally add your foreground service running into another process:
<service
android:name=".myAntiDozeService"
android:process=":MyAntiDozeProcessName">
</service>
A couple of notes.
In the previous example, the notification created, when clicked,
opens the ActivityMain activity of your test project.
Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(mContext, ActivityMain.class);
but you can use another kind of intent too.
To test it, you have to add some job to be performed into your
ActivityMain.java, for example some repeating alarm (which was
normally stopped when the device falls in Doze Mode), or a ripetitive
network access, or a timed tone played, or.... whatever you want.
Remember that the job performed by the main activity has to run
forever because to test this AntiDoze you need to wait at least 1
hour to be sure the device enters in Doze Mode.
To enter in Doze mode, the device has to be quiet and unplugged, so
you can't test it while you are debugging. Debug your app first,
check that everything is running then stop it, unplug, restart the
app again and leave the device alone and quiet on your desk.
The adb commands suggested by the documentation to simulate Doze
and StandBy modes could and could not give you the right results
(it depends, I suppose, by the device manufacturer, drivers, bla
bla). Please make your tests in the REAL behaviour.
In my first test, I used an AlarmManager and a tone generator to play a tone every 10 minutes just to understand that my app was still active.
And it is still running from about 18 hours, breaking my ears with a loud tone exactly every 10 minutes. :-)
Happy coding!

One of my peer developer has written an intent service that makes an API call and then sleeps for 2 mins. After waking up, it sends again.
Only have a service running while it is actively delivering value to the user. Sitting around for two minutes, watching the clock tick, is not actively delivering value to the user.
Will using alarm manager with WAKE permission solve this?
That depends on what you mean by "solve this". You can use AlarmManager to request to get control every two minutes so that you can do work. While the device is in Doze mode, you will not actually get control every two minutes, but once per maintenance window.

Run service on incoming SMS in android Oreo

I'm developing an app which needs to run some code (Networking) whenever an SMS is received.
In API 25 and lower it's fine, I register an implicit receiver in Manifest file and start my service in the specified class which extended BroadcastReceiver. In API 26 however you cannot register android.provider.Telephony.SMS_RECEIVED in a receiver since it won't work.
From Android documentation:
Note: If your app targets API level 26 or higher, you cannot use the manifest to declare a receiver for implicit broadcasts (broadcasts that do not target your app specifically), except for a few implicit broadcasts that are exempted from that restriction. In most cases, you can use scheduled jobs instead.
I've read several articles like this one on medium. There are solutions like JobScheduler or Explicit Receiver, however the first one is used for changes in network state and I couldn't find a way to trigger the job on SMS_RECEIVED event and the second one is valid until your activity is up and running.
Because of the nature of my application I need to listen for incoming SMS whether the app is running or not. How to do that in API 26+?
Edit
Maybe the code in JobInfoBuilder doc on android website could help. It monitors the changes in the photos on a device and start the job on change. However I cannot find a proper Uri to do the same with the SMS (not even sure if it's possible to monitor SMS via ContentObserver)

Since there are lots of ways to do the job in android O, I post this answer and mention my approach to solve the problem. Obviously by problem I mean the general problem not the SMS_RECEIVED receiver itself.
I start a foreground service and in there I register a dynamic or explicit receiver to listen to the incoming calls (for instance):
In MainActivity.java:
String action = "START"
final Intent intent = new Intent(this, CallMonitorService.class);
intent.setAction(action);
startService(intent);
In CallMonitorService.javas onCreate() method where I have BroadcastReceiver callExplicitReceiver as a field:
final IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.setPriority(2147483647);
intentFilter.addAction("android.intent.action.PHONE_STATE");
this.callExplicitReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (intent.getAction().equals(TelephonyManager.ACTION_PHONE_STATE_CHANGED)) {
// do the stuff here
}
}
};
registerReceiver(callExplicitReceiver, intentFilter);
and then in onStartCommand():
if (intent.getAction().equals("START")) {
Intent callServiceNotificationIntent = new Intent(this, MainActivity.class);
callServiceNotificationIntent.setFlags(
Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK | Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TASK);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent
.getActivity(this, CALL_SERVICE_REQUEST_CODE,
callServiceNotificationIntent, CALL_SERVICE_FLAG);
Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this)
.setContentTitle(CALL_NOTIFICATION_CONTENT_TITLE)
.setTicker(CALL_NOTIFICATION_TICKER)
.setContentText(CALL_NOTIFICATION_CONTENT_TEXT)
.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_info_outline_black_24dp)
.setContentIntent(pendingIntent)
.setOngoing(true)
.build();
startForeground(CALL_NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
}
and finally:
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
unregisterReceiver(callExplicitReceiver);
}
I think of this as a good approach since the user is notified of the running service because of the undismissable notification and that's what android Oreo wants, however through a button in the app user could stop the service and the monitoring receiver as a direct result of destroying service (I cleared that part of code).

I think for now you are safe as SMS_RECEIVED_ACTION is present in the current exempted implicit broadcast list. Also, upon receiving the system broadcast you can either start a foreground service or schedule a job (to perform network operation in your case). Moreover, I am also using the same action and upon testing it seems to work okay.

How to automatically restart a service even if user force close it?

I want a service to run all the time in my application. So I want to restart it even if it is force closed by user. There is definitely a way to do it as apps like facebook are doing it. It's not done using push notification, facebook restarts its service even if internet is off.

First of all, it is really very bad pattern to run service forcefully against the user's willingness.
Anyways, you can restart it by using a BroadcastReceiver which handles the broadcast sent from onDestroy() of your service.
StickyService.java
public class StickyService extends Service
{
private static final String TAG = "StickyService";
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
return null;
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Log.e(TAG, "onStartCommand");
return START_STICKY;
}
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
sendBroadcast(new Intent("YouWillNeverKillMe"));
}
}
RestartServiceReceiver.java
public class RestartServiceReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver
{
private static final String TAG = "RestartServiceReceiver";
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
Log.e(TAG, "onReceive");
context.startService(new Intent(context.getApplicationContext(), StickyService.class));
}
}
Declare the components in manifest file:
<service android:name=".StickyService" >
</service>
<receiver android:name=".RestartServiceReceiver" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="YouWillNeverKillMe" >
</action>
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
Start the StickyService in a Component (i.e. Application, Activity, Fragment):
startService(new Intent(this, StickyService.class));
OR
sendBroadcast(new Intent("YouWillNeverKillMe"));

You have to create a sticky service with overriding onTaskRemoved method, where you can set an alarm service to trigger your code again.
public class BackgroundService extends Service {
#Nullable
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
return null;
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
return START_STICKY;
}
#Override
public void onTaskRemoved(Intent rootIntent) {
//create an intent that you want to start again.
Intent intent = new Intent(getApplicationContext(), BackgroundService.class);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getService(this, 1, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_ONE_SHOT);
AlarmManager alarmManager = (AlarmManager) getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE);
alarmManager.set(AlarmManager.RTC_WAKEUP, SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() + 5000, pendingIntent);
super.onTaskRemoved(rootIntent);
}
}
Also in some devices like Xiaomi, Huwaei the app gets force closed once it's removed from recent apps. This is because the manufacturers have task manager features which improve ram/battery performance.
You can check this link for more information: https://stackoverflow.com/a/41360159/2798289

As per the Android document
Starting from Android 3.1, the system's package manager keeps track of applications
that are in a stopped state and provides a means of controlling their launch from
background processes and other applications.
Note that an application's stopped state is not the same as an Activity's stopped
state. The system manages those two stopped states separately.
FLAG_INCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES — Include intent filters of stopped applications in the
list of potential targets to resolve against.
FLAG_EXCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES — Exclude intent filters of stopped applications from the
list of potential targets.
When neither or both of these flags is defined in an intent, the default behavior is to
include filters of stopped applications in the list of potential targets.
Note that the system adds FLAG_EXCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES to all broadcast intents.
It does this to prevent broadcasts from background services from inadvertently or
unnecessarily launching components of stopped applications. A background service
or application can override this behavior by adding the FLAG_INCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES
flag to broadcast intents that should be allowed to activate stopped applications.
On Force stop of app, Android just kill the process ID. No warnings, callbacks are given to service/activities. As per the Android document, When the app is killed there are chances that it calls onPause().
When I tried in my app, even onPause() was not called. I think the only way is use to FLAG_INCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES intent flag and send it from another app

If I understand correctly, then actually this is not possible, Android feature to force close application was designed to allow user to get rid of unwanted applications, so it disallows any activities from it until user again starts any of its Activity.
Restart the service even if app is force-stopped and Keep running service in background even after closing the app How?

Whenever a service is killed, its onDestroy method is always called.
Its better to use a BroadcastReceiver to start your service when it is killed.
Here is a sample code illustrating its implementation:-
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
Intent in = new Intent();
in.setAction("StartkilledService");
sendBroadcast(in);
Log.d("debug", "Service Killed");
}
Then register a receiver in AndroidManifest.xml:-
<receiver android:name=".app.ServiceDestroyReceiver" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="StartKilledService" >
</action>
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
Finally,create a BroadcastReceiver,and start your service in the onReceive method:-
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
Log.d("debug", "ServeiceDestroy onReceive...");
Log.d("debug", "action:" + intent.getAction());
Log.d("debug", "Starting Service");
ServiceManager.startService();
}
Hope this helps.

on the service's startCommand method return START_STICKY. generally it tell the OS to start the service when it is killed.

If the situation allows to use 'root' it's usually possible to implement Humpty-Dumpty paradigm.
Your application (1st) installs another application (2nd, taking APK from assets) and runs the service of the 2nd app.
2nd app's service bind to the 1st app service and rebinds when disconnected. The 1st app does the same.
Sure it will not help when all apps are killed by some Free RAM or similar application but when Android kills either of those two, the other one will restart its counterpart.

The only real solution for keeping services alive ist to call Service.startForeground(...) with a provided Notification. This will be the only valid solution, every other one will be very dependent on how Google will change the behaviour of it's system. With every API update, Google could prevent every other hack.
This also keeps the user aware, that your app is performing some background task which will keep the app alive and the user has to stop this. If you provide the user the ability to stop it is part of your application, though.
See the Documentation:
void startForeground (int id, Notification notification)
Make this service run in the foreground, supplying the ongoing notification to be shown to the user while in this state. By default services are background, meaning that if the system needs to kill them to reclaim more memory (such as to display a large page in a web browser), they can be killed without too much harm. You can set this flag if killing your service would be disruptive to the user, such as if your service is performing background music playback, so the user would notice if their music stopped playing.

There is a very hacky solution to keep service running even you force stop it. I do not recommend that because it is against user willingness. You can define a broadcast receiver to receive intent with action X. onStartCommand handler of your service, broadcast X (if the service is not started yet). on broadcast receiver upon receipt of X, first start the service, then, sleep for some minutes, and finally re-broadcast X.

I think the only foolproof solution here is to have 2 services in separate processes (android:process="somecustomprocessname" in manifest, in the service entry) that both listen to broadcasts and restart each other, because currently the UI doesn't let users kill multiple processes in one action. You can then set up a pinger thread in each service that checks if the other service is running every 100 milliseconds or so, and if not, attempts to restart it. But this is starting to look more and more like malware...

START_STICKY does not work on Android KitKat

One of my apps has a backgrouod service that uses the START_STICKY return code from onStartCommand to automatically restart when the system kills it.
It seems that this is no longer working on Android KitKat.
Is there any solution for this ?
Should I be doing something different on Kitkat to keep the service running ?
Note: There is a similar discussion on the Android-Devlopers group about swiping the app from the recent apps list behaves. Could this two issues be related ?
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/android-developers/H-DSQ4-tiac
Edit: Saw that there are open bugs on Android issue tracker:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=63793
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=63618
Edit2: The same happens even if service is running using startForeground, in a separate process and with the flag android:stopWithTask="false" in the AndroidManifest.xml file...
Edit3: More related bugs on Android issue tracker:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=62091
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=53313
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=104308
Is there some sort of workaround to get the previous behavior ?

Seems that this is a bug present in Android 4.4, got around it with the following:
#Override
public void onTaskRemoved(Intent rootIntent) {
Intent restartService = new Intent(getApplicationContext(),
this.getClass());
restartService.setPackage(getPackageName());
PendingIntent restartServicePI = PendingIntent.getService(
getApplicationContext(), 1, restartService,
PendingIntent.FLAG_ONE_SHOT);
AlarmManager alarmService = (AlarmManager)getApplicationContext().getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE);
alarmService.set(AlarmManager.ELAPSED_REALTIME, SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() +1000, restartServicePI);
}
Found this answer from this post

The problem here appears to not to occur on AOSP based ROMs. That is, I can easily recreate this on a CyanogenMod 11 based ROM, but on an AOSP ROM (and on an Emulator), START_STICKY behaves exactly as I'd expect. That said, I am seeing reports from folks on Nexus 5's that appear to be seeing this behavior, so perhaps it is still an issue in AOSP.
On an emulator and on an AOSP ROM, I see the following from a logcat when I do a 'kill 5838' against the process (as I'd expect):
12-22 18:40:14.237 D/Zygote ( 52): Process 5838 terminated by signal (15)
12-22 18:40:14.247 I/ActivityManager( 362): Process com.xxxx (pid 5838) has died.
12-22 18:40:14.247 W/ActivityManager( 362): Scheduling restart of crashed service com.xxxx/com.xxxx.NotifyingService in 5000ms
12-22 18:40:19.327 I/ActivityManager( 362): Start proc com.xxxx for service xxxx.pro/com.xxxx.NotifyingService: pid=5877 uid=10054 gids={50054, 3003, 3002, 1028}
I see the same restart behavior if I end the task by 'swiping' from the recent tasks list. So this is all good - it means that the core AOSP code is behaving as it has in previous levels.
I am looking at the Cyanogenmod service code to try and figure out why things aren't getting scheduled for restart - no luck yet. It appears that it should reschedule it. Cyanogenmod uses a service map which AOSP doesn't - but unclear whether that is an issue or not (doubtful)
https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_frameworks_base/blob/cm-11.0/services/java/com/android/server/am/ActiveServices.java#L2092
A rather hackish workaround you can do is to use a similar mechanism as your onTaskRemoved AlarmService to enable an alarm for X minutes later. Then every few minutes while your app is up and running, you can reset the alarm - so it only goes off if things really have been killed and not restarted. This isn't foolproof - using a Handler gives you uptime vs the alarm service which uses realtime, so it's possible for your alarm to trigger even though it was set at a longer time than your 'reset' handler. But if you set an intent extra you can chose to ignore the onStartCommand if your service was already up and running, turning this into a noop.
I'm not a fan of the following hack at all - but it shouldn't do any real harm. If the user does an explicit Force Close, then the alarm manager will destroy any alarms set so that the service won't restart (which is what the user wants).
First, create a helper method that will set an alarm for 20 minutes which will cause onStartCommand to be triggered for your service. Every 2 minutes have a Handler which will reset the 20 minute alarm. If the handler runs within the realtime 20 minutes, the alarm will never go off. The handler isn't guaranteed to run though if the device is asleep (which is good).
private void ensureServiceStaysRunning() {
// KitKat appears to have (in some cases) forgotten how to honor START_STICKY
// and if the service is killed, it doesn't restart. On an emulator & AOSP device, it restarts...
// on my CM device, it does not - WTF? So, we'll make sure it gets back
// up and running in a minimum of 20 minutes. We reset our timer on a handler every
// 2 minutes...but since the handler runs on uptime vs. the alarm which is on realtime,
// it is entirely possible that the alarm doesn't get reset. So - we make it a noop,
// but this will still count against the app as a wakelock when it triggers. Oh well,
// it should never cause a device wakeup. We're also at SDK 19 preferred, so the alarm
// mgr set algorithm is better on memory consumption which is good.
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT)
{
// A restart intent - this never changes...
final int restartAlarmInterval = 20*60*1000;
final int resetAlarmTimer = 2*60*1000;
final Intent restartIntent = new Intent(this, NotifyingService.class);
restartIntent.putExtra("ALARM_RESTART_SERVICE_DIED", true);
final AlarmManager alarmMgr = (AlarmManager)getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE);
Handler restartServiceHandler = new Handler()
{
#Override
public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
// Create a pending intent
PendingIntent pintent = PendingIntent.getService(getApplicationContext(), 0, restartIntent, 0);
alarmMgr.set(AlarmManager.ELAPSED_REALTIME, SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() + restartAlarmInterval, pintent);
sendEmptyMessageDelayed(0, resetAlarmTimer);
}
};
restartServiceHandler.sendEmptyMessageDelayed(0, 0);
}
}
In your onCreate you can call this method. Also - in your onStartCommand, be sure to ignore this if your service is already up and running. EG:
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
...
if ((intent != null) && (intent.getBooleanExtra("ALARM_RESTART_SERVICE_DIED", false)))
{
Log.d(TAG, "onStartCommand after ALARM_RESTART_SERVICE_DIED");
if (IS_RUNNING)
{
Log.d(TAG, "Service already running - return immediately...");
ensureServiceStaysRunning();
return START_STICKY;
}
}
// Do your other onStartCommand stuff..
return START_STICKY;
}

This is not a 100% working solution but it's the best so far as it almost completely eliminates the problem. So far I integrated this solution along with overriding onTaskRemoved (See this answer) and a keep-alive notification (See this answer).
Additional answers are very appreciated !
After further investigation, it seems that the bug already exists in Jelly Bean and looks like there is a solution for that (At least in my case that seems to work. will keep on testing and update the answer if required).
From what I observed this only happens with services that receive broadcasts set by AlarmManager.
To reproduce the bug follow these steps:
Start the app
start the service as a foreground service (use startForeground for that) from within the app
Swipe the app from "Recent Apps" list
Send a broadcast that is handled by the service
The service is killed !
Using adb shell dumpsys >C:\dumpsys.txt you can monitor the state of the service between the different steps. (look for Process LRU list in the dumpsys output)
on steps 2 and 3 you will see something like this:
Proc # 2: prcp F/S/IF trm: 0 11073:<your process name>/u0a102 (fg-service)
Specifically, notice the F/S/IF and the (fg-service) that indicate the service is running as a foreground service (more details on how to analyze the dumpsys at this link: https://stackoverflow.com/a/14293528/624109).
After step 4 you will not see your service in the Process LRU list.
Instead, you can look at the device logcat and you will see the following:
I/ActivityManager(449): Killing 11073:<your process name>/u0a102 (adj 0): remove task
What seems to be causing that behavior is the fact that the received broadcast takes the service out of its foreground state and then killed.
To avoid that, you can use this simple solution when creating your PendingIntent for the AlarmManager (Source: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=53313#c7)
AlarmManager am = (AlarmManager)getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE);
Intent intent = new Intent("YOUR_ACTION_NAME");
intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_RECEIVER_FOREGROUND);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(context, 1, intent, 0);
Pay attention to the following steps:
Call addFlags on the intent and use FLAG_RECEIVER_FOREGROUND
Use a non-zero request code in PendingIntent.getBroadcast
If you leave any of those steps out it will not work.
Note that the FLAG_RECEIVER_FOREGROUND was added on API 16 (Jelly Bean) so it makes sense that this is when the bug first appeared...
Most likely that KitKat is just more aggressive when it comes to killing processes and this is why it was emphasized with KitKat, but looks like this was already relevant on Jelly Bean.
Note 2: Notice the details in the question about the service configuration - running in a separate process, as a foreground service, with endWithTask set to false in the manifest.
Note 3: The same thing happens when the app receives the android.appwidget.action.APPWIDGET_CONFIGURE message and shows a configuration activity for a new widget (Replace step 4 above with creating a new widget). I found that only happens when the widget provider (the receiver that handles android.appwidget.action.APPWIDGET_UPDATE) is set to run on a different process than the activity process. After changing that so both the configuration activity and the widget provider are on the same process, this no longer happens.

i found this simple trick to solve this problem without using AlarmManager.
create a broadcast receiver that listens broadcast everytime onDestroy() method in service is called:
public class RestartService extends BroadcastReceiver {
private static final String TAG = "RestartService";
public RestartService() {
}
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
Log.e(TAG, "onReceive");
context.startService(new Intent(context, YourService.class));
}
}
add customized broadcast intent to your manifest
<receiver
android:name=".RestartService"
android:enabled="true" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="restartApps" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
then, send broadcast from onDestroy(), probably like this:
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
Intent intent = new Intent("restartApps");
sendBroadcast(intent);
super.onDestroy();
stopThread();
}
call onDestroy() from onTaskRemoved(Intent intent)
this trick will restart your service everytime user close service from both task manager and force close from settings, i hope this will help you too

Android long running service with alarm manager and inner broadcast receiver

I have a Service that uses a custom Connection class (extends thread) to a hardware controller. When the User prefers, I wish to maintain this connection on a permanent basis. I already have the code to handle when the Android device loses its internet connection, switches between wi-fi, etc.
In order to stay connected, the controller requires that you speak to it within every 5 minutes. I currently, within the Connection class start a thread that runs in a while(), and checks the system time and the last time it communicated, and when > 4 minutes it requests a status. For some reason, at different times the communication doesn't occur in time. i.e., occurs after 5 minutes. The Service doesn't die, as far as I can tell but the "Ping" to the controller is late. This doesn't happen when I have the phone plugged into the charger (or debugger). Additionally, the behavior is the same when I move the Service to the foreground.
Does the phone slow down it's processor when it goes to sleep?
Is there a better way?
I'm thinking it's the AlarmManger, but I'm having trouble getting it to work with an inner-class, within the Service. I tried using the API demos as a starting point, but I can't seem to figure out how to get the Broadcast receiver registered. I am trying to register the receiver programmatically, with no changes to the manifest.
public class DeviceConnectionService extends Service {
#Override
public void onCreate() {
Intent intent = new Intent(this, PingConnection.class);
intent.setAction("KEEP_CONNECTION_ALIVE");
PendingIntent sender = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(this,
0, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
// We want the alarm to go off 30 seconds from now.
long firstTime = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime();
firstTime += 15*1000;
// Schedule the alarm!
AlarmManager am = (AlarmManager) getSystemService(ALARM_SERVICE);
am.setRepeating(AlarmManager.ELAPSED_REALTIME_WAKEUP,
firstTime, 15*1000, sender);
// register to listen to the Alarm Manager
if (mPingConnectionReceiver == null) {
mPingConnectionReceiver = new PingConnection();
getApplicationContext().registerReceiver(mPingConnectionReceiver,
new IntentFilter("KEEP_CONNECTION_ALIVE"));
}
}
// ...
public class PingConnection extends BroadcastReceiver {
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (dBug) Log.i("PingConnection", "Pinging Controller");
// do real work here
}
}
}

Does the phone slow down it's processor when it goes to sleep?
The phone shuts down its processor when it goes to sleep. That is the definition of "sleep".
I'm thinking it's the AlarmManger, but I'm having trouble getting it to work with an inner-class, within the Service. I tried using the API demos as a starting point, but I can't seem to figure out how to get the Broadcast receiver registered. I am trying to register the receiver programatically, with no changes to the manifest.
That is an unusual approach for AlarmManager. That being said, since you declined to describe "having trouble" in any detail, it is difficult to help you.
Get rid of getApplicationContext() (you don't need it and really don't want it in this case). I would register the receiver before touching AlarmManager. Before you go to production, please choose an action name that has your package name in it (e.g., com.something.myapp.KEEP_CONNECTION_ALIVE).
Beyond that, check LogCat for warnings.
UPDATE
In your LogCat, you should have a warning from AlarmManager complaining about not being able to talk to your BroadcastReceiver.
Replace:
Intent intent = new Intent(this, PingConnection.class);
intent.setAction("KEEP_CONNECTION_ALIVE");
with:
Intent intent = new Intent("KEEP_CONNECTION_ALIVE");
and you may have better luck.

you can't register AlarmManager in a Service.
All you can do is declare it as global in the Manifest.xml.
You can start the alarm from service in this way, by declaring it in Manifest.xml
If you have a remote service and you close the launcher activity, the AlarmManager will still run, but don't forget to stop it on onDestroy() method of the service.
I've tried to register only in the Service the AlarmManager as I didn't used it for the main activity, but no success!
It didn't work as registering as a normal BroadCastReceiver.
that's how the things are, you have to declare it in Manifest.xml as global

I know it's late, but maybe it's useful for someone else.
You can register it, the problem is when the Intent tries to call it.
Instead of calling it like this:
Intent intent = new Intent(this, PingConnection.class);
Create an empty intent and add an action you are going to listen to:
Intent intent = new Intent();
intent.setAction("value you want to register");
Then create the pending intent and send the broadcast like you have it.
Create an attribute for the receiver so you can access it in the whole class and unregister if necessary (if the pendingIntent is also an attribute you can unregister any time):
private PingConnection pingConnection = new PingConnection();
Register it like this:
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("the value you used before");
getApplicationContext().registerReceiver(pingConnection, filter);
Now you won't get any errors, and the class is not static, and it's an inner class.