Develop Reference

Service is killed after a short period of time (1 minute)

I've created a service that its job is to clear the notifications when the app is closed by the user. Everything works perfectly well but sometimes when the application is in the background for more than 1 minute the service is killed (which means that the notifications are not cancelled).
Why is this happening? I thought that the only way that you can stop a service is by using either stopSelf() or stopService().
public class OnClearFromRecentService extends Service {
private static final String TAG = "onClearFromRecentServic";
private NotificationManagerCompat mNotificationManagerCompat;
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
mNotificationManagerCompat = NotificationManagerCompat.from(getApplicationContext());
}
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
return null;
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Log.d(TAG, "Service Started");
return START_NOT_STICKY;
}
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
Log.d(TAG, "Service Destroyed");
}
#Override
public void onTaskRemoved(Intent rootIntent) {
//Put code here which will be executed when app is closed from user.
Log.d(TAG, "onTaskRemoved was executed ");
if (mNotificationManagerCompat != null) {
mNotificationManagerCompat.cancelAll();
} else {
Log.d(TAG, "onTaskRemoved: mNotifManager is null!");
}
stopSelf();
}
}
I start the service from the splash screen Activity like this: startService(new Intent(this, OnClearFromRecentService.class));
Also here are some Log messages:

Try returning START_STICKY form onStartCommand.
Then system will try to recreate.
check this official doc.
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Log.d(TAG, "Service Started");
return START_NOT_STICKY;
}
Also you can try returing START_REDELIVER_INTENT,if you also want Intent to be re-delivered.
START_REDELIVER_INTENT
Constant to return from onStartCommand(Intent, int, int): if this
service's process is killed while it is started (after returning from
onStartCommand(Intent, int, int)), then it will be scheduled for a
restart and the last delivered Intent re-delivered to it again via
onStartCommand(Intent, int, int).
From docs.

I found a solution with the help of #emandt.
I just added these lines of code in onStartCommand() :
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Log.d(TAG, "Service Started");
Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNELID)
.setContentTitle("title")
.setContentText("text")
.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.baseline_pause_white_24)
.build();
startForeground(2001,notification);
return START_NOT_STICKY;
}
According to docs the startForeground method :
If your service is started then also make this service run in the foreground, supplying the ongoing notification to be shown to the user while in this state...By default started services are background, meaning that their process won't be given foreground CPU scheduling (unless something else in that process is foreground)
Also,
If your app targets API level 26 or higher, the system imposes restrictions on using or creating background services unless the app itself is in the foreground. If an app needs to create a foreground service, the app should call startForegroundService(). That method creates a background service, but the method signals to the system that the service will promote itself to the foreground. Once the service has been created, the service must call its startForeground() method within five seconds.

How to setup START_STICKY in service

I wish to ensure my service runs in the background even after a user closes the app (from the task manager or related). I am attempting to implement START_STICKY but do not know how to properly override the startService method to allow for this to work.
At present I am simply using the startService method to start and bind the LoggingIn.class to the MessagingService.class as:
startService(new Intent(LoggingIn.this, MessagingService.class));
I have researched that the method onStartCommand is the common location for implementing START_STICKY, but I have not found a need for it within my app as once the service has started I bind all other classes to it:
private ServiceConnection mConnection = new ServiceConnection() {
public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName className, IBinder service) {
imService = ((MessagingService.IMBinder) service).getService();
}
public void onServiceDisconnected(ComponentName className) {
imService = null;
Toast.makeText(GroupMessaging.this, R.string.local_service_stopped,
Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
};
and
bindService(new Intent(GroupMessaging.this, MessagingService.class),
mConnection, Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
How can I properly implement START_STICKY and ensure that my service stays active or restarted even after the app closes?

All you need to do is return the START_STICKY flag in the onStartCommand() method:
#Override
public int onStartCommand (Intent intent, int flags, int startId){
// several lines of awesome code
return START_STICKY;
}
Further considerations:
If you use a Service without overriding onStartCommand(), it returns START_STICKY by default, although normally the code run by a Service is put in the onStartCommand() method.
That's it. You're done, go home.

The only way to ensure that your Service continues running after being dismissed in task manager, is to make it a foreground service:
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
startForeground(ONGOING_NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
return super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
}
Read here: https://developer.android.com/guide/components/services.html#Foreground
Returning START_STICKY alone is not the solution.

Android service onStartCommand never called

I noticed that Service.START_STICKY doesn't work and when I tokk a closer look, I saw the onCreate() is running but onStartCommand is not called.
Any ideas why?
#Override
public void onCreate() {
mGlobalData = GlobalData.getInstance();
mNotificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
if (mTimer == null)
mTimer = new Timer();
Log.e(TAG, "onCreate()");
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
int t = START_STICKY;
Log.e(TAG, "call me redundant BABY! onStartCommand service");
// We want this service to continue running until it is explicitly
// stopped, so return sticky.
return t;
}

If you have the same situation I had, my Service starts up and runs just fine (onCreate() and onServiceConnected() are both invoked) but onStartCommand(Intent,int) was never called. I found it's because the system started my Service instead of me explicitly starting the Service in code. According to the docs:
[onStartCommand(Intent,int) is] called by the system every time a client explicitly starts the service by calling startService(Intent)
So I had to call startService(new Intent(context, MyService.class)) explicitly in code to get onStartCommand(Intent,int) to trigger. Note that doing this will not restart the Service created by the system and it won't create a new instance of that Service either.

Try to insert the line android.os.Debug.waitForDebugger(); at the end of onCreate(). The debugger didn't reach onStartCommand()'s breakpoints for me until I did this.

Android: Re-invoke application if task manager kill

Application thread get close if its killed by task manager. Need to re-invoke application as though its killed by other application or task manager. Any idea?

You have to run background service with START_STICKY command.
Just extends Service and override onCommand like this :
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent,int flags,int startId) {
super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
return START_STICKY;
}
Like this your Service is restart when it's close (by system or anything else)
You just have now check on your service (onCreate for example) if application is running or not and launch it again if not. I suppose PackageManager let you check this or simply put a static boolean is_alive to see if your activity is always running.
Regards
Jim

Bug in Android 2.3 with START_STICKY
I needed to keep alive a Service with all my forces. If the service is running anytime you can pop the UI.
onDestroy()
it will re-launch.
Can't be uninstalled the app, because it has a Device Administrator.
It is a kind of parental control, the user knows it is there.
Only way to stop is to remove the Device Admin, and uninstall it, but removing Device Admin will lock the phone as Kaspersky how it does.
There are a loot of braodcast receivers, such as boot finshed, user presen, screen on, screen off... , many other, all starting the service, you can do it with UI too. Or in the service check if your activity alive , visible, if not, than pop it.
I hope you will use with good reason the info!
Edit: Restart service code snippet:
// restart service:
Context context = getApplicationContext();
Intent myService = new Intent(context, MyService.class);
context.startService(myService);
Edit2: add spippet to check if the service is running in ... a load of Broadcasts
public static boolean isMyServiceRunning(Context context) {
ActivityManager manager = (ActivityManager) context.getSystemService(Context.ACTIVITY_SERVICE);
for (RunningServiceInfo service : manager.getRunningServices(Integer.MAX_VALUE)) {
if (MyService.class.getName().equals(service.service.getClassName())) {
Log.d("myTag", "true");
return true;
}
}
Log.d("myTag", "false");
return false;
}
Edit3 other service start:
public static void startTheService(Context context) {
Intent myService = new Intent(context, MyService.class);
context.startService(myService);
}
Dont't forget Android 2.3 bug: do the logic for initialization in
#Override
public void onCreate()
and not in:
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId)

While look at Google IO official product source code I have found the following
((AlarmManager) context.getSystemService(ALARM_SERVICE))
.set(
AlarmManager.RTC,
System.currentTimeMillis() + jitterMillis,
PendingIntent.getBroadcast(
context,
0,
new Intent(context, TriggerSyncReceiver.class),
PendingIntent.FLAG_CANCEL_CURRENT));
URL for code
You can start a sticky service and register an alarm manager that will check again and again that is your application is alive if not then it will run it.
You can also make a receiver and register it for <action android:name="android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED" /> then you can start your service from your receiver. I think there should be some broadcast message when OS or kills some service/application.
Just to give you a rough idea I have done this and its working
1) register receiver
Receiver Code:
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
try {
this.mContext = context;
startService(intent.getAction());
uploadOnWifiConnected(intent);
} catch (Exception ex) {
Logger.logException(ex);
Console.showToastDelegate(mContext, R.string.msg_service_starup_failure, Toast.LENGTH_LONG);
}
}
private void startService(final String action) {
if (action.equalsIgnoreCase(ACTION_BOOT)) {
Util.startServiceSpawnProcessSingelton(mContext, mConnection);
} else if (action.equalsIgnoreCase(ACTION_SHUTDOWN)) {
}
}
Service Code:
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Logger.logInfo("Service Started onStartCommand");
return Service.START_STICKY;
}
I prefer doing nothing in onStartCommand because it will get called each time you start service but onCreate is only called 1st time service is started, so I do most of the code in onCreate, that way I don't really care about weather service is already running or not.

according to #RetoMeyer from Google, the solution is to make the app "sticky".
for this, you must establisH START_STICKY in your intent service management.
check this reference from developer android

Yes, Once memory low issue comes android os starts killing application to compensate the required memory. Using services you can achieve this, your service should run parallely with your application but see, some of the cases even your service will be also killed at the same time. After killing if memory is sufficient android os itself try to restart the application not in all the cases. Finally there is no hard and fast rule to re-invoke your application once killed by os in all the cases it depends on os and internal behaviours.

Android service killed immediately after start, despite calling startForeground()

I'm having a problem with my IntentService. Every time I start my service, the onDestroy() method is called as soon as the service becomes idle. I set up my service to run in the foreground, and despite this the service is still being killed right away. I have only one other activity in my application, and it is not calling stopService().
Reading the developer docs gives me the impression that calling startForeground() will allow your service to persist, even when idle, except when there is an very high demand for memory, or am I reading this wrong?
My code below:
public class FileMonitorService extends IntentService {
public int mNotifyId = 273;
public FileMonitorService(){
super("FileMonitorService");
}
#Override
protected void onHandleIntent(Intent arg0) {
}
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
Toast.makeText(this, getText(R.string.toast_service_stop), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
stopForeground(true);
super.onDestroy();
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Notification notification = new Notification(R.drawable.icon, getText(R.string.notification_short), System.currentTimeMillis());
notification.flags|=Notification.FLAG_NO_CLEAR;
Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, FileMonitorActivity.class);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, notificationIntent, 0);
notification.setLatestEventInfo(this, getText(R.string.notification_short),getText(R.string.notification_long), pendingIntent);
startForeground(mNotifyId, notification);
Toast.makeText(this, getText(R.string.toast_service_start), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
return super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
}
}

You need to look into using a regular Service instead of an IntentService. IntentService is designed to keep running while it has work to do. Once you've finished your onStartCommand method, it tries to stop.
See the docs:
Clients send requests through startService(Intent) calls; the service is started as needed, handles each Intent in turn using a worker thread, and stops itself when it runs out of work.
(Emphasis mine)