Develop Reference

Binding to a started Service

I have a remote Service that I start with startService() then bind to with bindService(). I do this because I want the Service to run in the background until the app explicitly stops it, even if the user closes the Activity with a swipe. Here are the relevant parts of the Service:
public class TrackService extends Service {
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Log.i("onStartCommand","got to onStartCommand");
return START_NOT_STICKY;
}
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
Log.i("onBind", "got to onBind");
return trackServiceBinder;
}
}
Here is the activity:
public class GPSLoggerActivity extends Activity implements ServiceConnection {
#Override
protected void onStart() {
super.onStart();
Intent intent = new Intent(TrackService.class.getName());
intent.setClass(getApplicationContext(), TrackService.class);
startService(intent);
Log.i("onStart", "started TrackService");
if (!getApplicationContext().bindService(intent, this, 0)) {
// close the Activity
}
Log.i("onStart", "bound to TrackService");
}
#Override
public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName name, IBinder service) {
Log.i("onServiceConnected", "got here");
// get and use the interface from the Binder
}
}
Here is the manifest for the Service:
<service
android:name=".TrackService"
android:process=":track_service_process"
android:stopWithTask="false"
android:label="#string/track_service_label"
android:exported="false"
android:enabled="true">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.mydomain.gpslogger.TrackService" />
</intent-filter>
</service>
When I run this in the debugger step-wise through startService() and bindService() everything is fine. Within the Service, onStartCommand() is invoked followed by onBind(), and in the Activity onServiceConnected() is invoked with the Binder. However, when I'm not debugging, for some reason the Service gets its onBind() method invoked before its onStartCommand() method. Here's the output from the log:
11-28 23:17:01.805: I/onStart(1103): started TrackService
11-28 23:17:01.815: I/onStart(1103): bound to TrackService
11-28 23:17:01.985: I/onBind(1165): got to onBind
11-28 23:17:01.995: I/onStartCommand(1165): got to onStartCommand
The Activity's onServiceConnected() method is never invoked. I've tried using BIND_AUTO_CREATE in the bindService() call, to no effect. It's pretty clear I have some sort of race condition going on here, but I've run this probably 20 times and it always comes out in the same order. The only way I can think of to enforce the correct order of calls in the Service is to put a BroadcastReceiver in the Activity and send an Intent from the onStartCommand() method of the Service to let the Activity know that it's time to call bindService(). That seems pretty kludgy...is there a better way to do this? Or is there something that I'm missing that is causing the out-of-order calls?

You could call startService() and then wait some period of time before calling bindService(). How long to wait is certainly a question, but I would think if your Service doesn't do massive amounts of work when started, 500 or 1000 milliseconds delay should do it.
I would question why this is important. The Service has an onCreate() method, which is called when the Service is instantiated, regardless of whether onStartCommand() or onBind() is called first. You should be able to setup your architecture so that you do all important setup in onCreate() and then it shouldn't matter in what order onStartCommand() or onBind() is called. NOTE: You must use flag BIND_AUTO_CREATE in the call to bindService()
I also do not understand why the onServiceConnected() method is not called. Unless the call to bindService() returns false (which basically means that Android can't find the Service to bind to), you should get the onServiceConnected() callback. This sounds strange. One possibility is that the Service crashes in onCreate(), or it takes too long to execute the onCreate() method, in which case Android will declare the Service broken.

OnBind() on service always returns False - Android

I'm trying to bind a service, but onBind() always returns false.
This is the code for the ServiceConnection-
private ServiceConnection mConnection = new ServiceConnection() {
public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName className, IBinder service) {
// This is called when the connection with our service has been established,
// giving us the service object we can use to interact with our service.
mBoundService = ((ScheduleService.ServiceBinder) service).getService();
}
public void onServiceDisconnected(ComponentName className) {
mBoundService = null;
}
};
This is call to bindService() -
boolean test = getApplicationContext().bindService(new Intent(this, ScheduleService.class), mConnection, Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
This is the declaration of the service in the Manifest -
<service android:name=".Notifications.ScheduleService" android:enabled="true"/>
I've read previous questions regarding the subject and couldn't find an answer(tried switching the Activity context with the Application context, but it didn't help).
I'm using using Frgaments and ActionBarSherlock, and my Activity extends SlidingFragmentActivity (That's why i'm using the application context, which doesn't help).
Edit - This is the code of the service i'm trying to start -
public class ScheduleService extends Service {
/**
* Class for clients to access
*/
public class ServiceBinder extends Binder {
public ScheduleService getService() {
return ScheduleService.this;
}
}
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Log.i("ScheduleService", "Received start id " + startId + ": " + intent);
// We want this service to continue running until it is explicitly stopped, so return sticky.
return START_STICKY;
}
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
return mBinder;
}
// This is the object that receives interactions from clients. See
private final IBinder mBinder = new ServiceBinder();
/**
* Show an alarm for a certain date when the alarm is called it will pop up a notification
*/
public void setAlarm(Calendar c) {
// This starts a new thread to set the alarm
// You want to push off your tasks onto a new thread to free up the UI to carry on responding
new AlarmTask(this, c).run();
}
}
Any help will be appreciated . Thanks.

What is the fully qualified class-name of ScheduleService (i.e. including the full package-name)?
I'm asking this, because in your AndroidManifest.xml file, your service's name is .Notifications.ScheduleService, which seems a bit odd:
This tells me that either
The (last part of the) package-name contains a upper-case
character... not so good.
I would expect .notifications.ScheduleService instead, if this is the case.
The ScheduleService is defined within a file called Notifications.java.
I would expect .Notifications$ScheduleService instead, if this is the case (dollar sign instead of period).

Do you mean bindService() returns false? onBind() returns IBinder type.
Keep in mind that service binding takes some time. If you want to perform some action after binding is done you can perform it in the onServiceConnected() method.
public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName className, IBinder service) {
mBoundService = ((ScheduleService.ServiceBinder) service).getService();
Calendar c = new Calendar();
mBoundService.setAlarm(c);
}
If you need more guidance on this you need to show us your Activity code.

Why do you use the application context to bind the service?
The method bindService is called through the ContextWrapper. It might not be the issue but I'd share contexts across the place where you bind the service and where you have the connection.
In your case instead of
boolean test = getApplicationContext().bindService(new Intent(this, ScheduleService.class), mConnection, Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
I'd do the following
boolean test = bindService(new Intent(this, ScheduleService.class), mConnection, Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
Or if you want to keep a global context within the application, move everything to your Application file and call it similarly the same way suggested above.
The issue can also be on the package name of your app and the declaration of your service in your manifest. If you are unsure make sure to give the global route to your service in the manifest.

Starting Service Activity which may be running from boot complete

I have an application with a Service registered in the AndroidManifest to start up at boot time. I do this via an Intent Receiver for BOOT_COMPLETED, and this works fine. However, if the user is starting the app right after installation, I'd like to start off the Service from my main Activity since it may not be running.
I'm not sure of the best way to do this. I know I can call startService() from the activity, and that works, but then I can have multiple instances of the service running. I don't want to stop the service first, becusae if it's running, I just want that instance to keep running. The service could be in the middle of a task and I don't want it to stop.
In Activity:
Intent serviceIntent = new Intent();
serviceIntent.setAction(MessageReceiverService.ClassName);
startService(serviceIntent);
Android Manifest registeing intent:
<receiver android:name="com.app.proto1.service.StartupIntentReceiver" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
My Service overload methods:
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
return null;
}
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
Log.d(Tag, "onCreate()");
}
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
Log.d(Tag, "onDestroy()");
}
#Override
public void onStart(Intent intent, int startId) {
super.onStart(intent, startId);
Log.d(Tag, "onStart()");
this.registerReceiver(new SmsReceiver(), new IntentFilter(SMS_ACTION));
}
Is there a way I can check if the service is already running and not start it again, and without destroying the existing one?

Well if your Service is already running and you try to start service again, there will be no new instance created for the Service it will consider the previous running instance only. So, there is nothing to worry in that case. If you call the Service while its running its onStartCommand(Intent, int, int) will be called and not onCreate().

How can we prevent a Service from being killed by OS?

I am using Service in my application and it needs to run until my application is uninstalled, but the problem is it gets killed by OS.
How can we prevent it from being killed by OS? Or if it gets killed can we restart that service again through programmatically?

You may run the service in the foreground using startForeground().
A foreground service is a service that's considered to be something
the user is actively aware of and thus not a candidate for the system
to kill when low on memory.
But bear in mind that a foreground service must provide a notification for the status bar (read here), and that the notification cannot be dismissed unless the service is either stopped or removed from the foreground.
Note: This still does not absolutely guarantee that the service won't be killed under extremely low memory conditions. It only makes it less likely to be killed.

I've been puzzled by the same issue to yours recently.but now,I've found a good solution.
First of all,you should know that, even your service was killed by OS, the onCreate method of your service would be invoked by OS in a short while.So you can do someting with the onCreate method like this:
#Override
public void onCreate() {
Log.d(LOGTAG, "NotificationService.onCreate()...");
//start this service from another class
ServiceManager.startService();
}
#Override
public void onStart(Intent intent, int startId) {
Log.d(LOGTAG, "onStart()...");
//some code of your service starting,such as establish a connection,create a TimerTask or something else
}
the content of "ServiceManager.startService()" is:
public static void startService() {
Log.i(LOGTAG, "ServiceManager.startSerivce()...");
Intent intent = new Intent(NotificationService.class.getName());
context.startService(intent);
}
However, this solution is just available for the situation of your service being killed by GC.Sometimes our service might be killed by user with Programme Manager.In this situation,your prosses will be killed,and your service will never been re-instantiated.So your service can not be restarted.
But the good news is,when the PM kill your service,it will call your onDestroy method.So we can do something with that method.
#Override
public void onDestroy() {
Intent in = new Intent();
in.setAction("YouWillNeverKillMe");
sendBroadcast(in);
Log.d(LOGTAG, "onDestroy()...");
}
The string of "YouWillNeverKillMe" is a custom action.
The most important thing of this method is,don't add any code before send the broadcast.As system will not wait for completion of onDestroy(),you must send out the broadcast as soon as posible.
Then regist a receiver in manifast.xml:
<receiver android:name=".app.ServiceDestroyReceiver" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="YouWillNeverKillMe" >
</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(LOGTAG, "ServeiceDestroy onReceive...");
Log.d(LOGTAG, "action:" + intent.getAction());
Log.d(LOGTAG, "ServeiceDestroy auto start service...");
ServiceManager.startService();
}
Hope this will be helpful to you,and excuse my poor written english.

Override method onStartCommand() in your service class and simply return START_STICKY (as suggested by "Its not blank"). That's all you need. If the process that runs your service gets killed (by a low memory condition for example), the Android system will restart it automatically (usually with some delay, like 5 seconds).
Don't use onStart() anymore as suggested in another answer, it's deprecated.

use
#Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
//**Your code **
// We want this service to continue running until it is explicitly
// stopped, so return sticky.
return START_STICKY;
}
ref Documentation lifecycle of Service.
Edit added method.

As far i know, onDestroy() will be called only when the service is explicitly stopped(Force Stop). But this method won't get called in case the service gets killed by OS/swiping the Recent Apps list. In those cases another event handler named onTaskRemoved(Intent) gets called. This is due to a defect in Android 4.3-4.4 as per the link here. Try using the below code:-
public void onTaskRemoved(Intent intent){
super.onTaskRemoved(intent);
Intent intent=new Intent(this,this.getClass());
startService(intent);
}

I found another solution of the problem which gurantees that your service will be always alive. In my case, this scheme resloves also the problem with FileObserver, which stops work after some period of time.
Use an activity (StartServicesActivity) to start the service (FileObserverService) as Foreground service.
Use BroadcastReceiver class (in example CommonReceiver) to restart your service in some special situations and in case it was killed.
I used this code in my app "Email Pictures Automatically"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alexpap.EmailPicturesFree
Here is CommonReceiver class.
public class CommonReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
public void onReceive(Context paramContext, Intent paramIntent)
{
paramContext.startService(new Intent(paramContext, FileObserverService.class));
}
}
Here is its definition in AndroidManifest.xml just before application closing tag.
<receiver android:name="com.alexpap.services.CommonReceiver">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED"/>
</intent-filter>
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.net.conn.CONNECTIVITY_CHANGE"/>
</intent-filter>
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.USER_PRESENT"/>
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
Start service in StartServicesActivity activity.
Intent iFileObserver = new Intent(StartServicesActivity.this, FileObserverService.class);
StartServicesActivity.this.startService(iFileObserver);
Here is onStartCommand() method of the service.
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
int res = super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
/*** Put your code here ***/
startServiceForeground(intent, flags, startId);
return Service.START_STICKY;
}
public int startServiceForeground(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, StartServicesActivity.class);
notificationIntent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK | Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TASK);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, notificationIntent, 0);
Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this)
.setContentTitle("File Observer Service")
.setContentIntent(pendingIntent)
.setOngoing(true)
.build();
startForeground(300, notification);
return START_STICKY;
}
I tested this code using Task Killer app, and each time the service was killed, it was restarted again almost immediately (performs onStartCommand()). It is restarted also each time you turn on the phone and after rebooting.
I use this code in my application, which emails every picture you take with your phone to predefinde list of emails. The sending email and list of receiving emails are set in another activity and are stored in Shared Preferences. I took about 100 pictures in several hours and all they were sent properly to receiving emails.

#Override
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
startService(new Intent(this, YourService.class));
}
write above code in your service and your service will never stop even user want to destroy it or they want to kill it it will never kill untill your app not get uninstall from your device

You can try to start your service repeatedly, for example every 5 sec.
This way, when your service is running, it will perform onStartCommand() every 5 sec. I tested this scheme and it is very reliable, but unfortunately it increases slightly phone overhead.
Here is the code in your activity where you start the service.
Intent iFileObserver = new Intent(StartServicesActivity.this, FileObserverService.class);
PendingIntent pendingIntentFileObserver = PendingIntent.getService(StartServicesActivity.this, 0, iFileObserver, 0);
AlarmManager alarmManager = (AlarmManager)getSystemService(ALARM_SERVICE);
Date now = new Date();
//start every 5 seconds
alarmManager.setRepeating(AlarmManager.RTC_WAKEUP, now.getTime(), 5*1000, pendingIntentFileObserver);
And here is onStartCommand() of the service.
//class variable
public static boolean isStarted = false;
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
int res = super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
//check if your service is already started
if (isStarted){ //yes - do nothing
return Service.START_STICKY;
} else { //no
isStarted = true;
}
/**** the rest of your code ***/
return Service.START_STICKY;
}

First create service in another process, and write broadcaster which runs in recursion in time intervals
protected CountDownTimer rebootService = new CountDownTimer(9000, 9000) {
#Override
public void onTick(long millisUntilFinished) {
}
#Override
public void onFinish() {
sendBroadcast(reboot);
this.start();
Log.d(TAG, "rebootService sending PREVENT AUTOREBOT broadcast");
}
};
After that register broadcast receiver in main process also with timer recursion that is launched after first broadcast from service arrived
protected static class ServiceAutoRebooter extends BroadcastReceiver {
private static ServiceAutoRebooter instance = null;
private RebootTimer rebootTimer = null;
private static ServiceAutoRebooter getInstance() {
if (instance == null) {
instance = new ServiceAutoRebooter();
}
return instance;
}
public class RebootTimer extends CountDownTimer {
private Context _context;
private Intent _service;
public RebootTimer(long millisInFuture, long countDownInterval) {
super(millisInFuture, countDownInterval);
}
#Override
public void onTick(long millisUntilFinished) {
}
#Override
public void onFinish() {
_context.startService(_service);
this.cancel();
Log.d(TAG, "Service AutoRebooted");
}
}
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (rebootTimer == null) {
Log.d(TAG, "rebootTimer == null");
rebootTimer = new RebootTimer(10000, 10000);
rebootTimer._context = context;
Intent service = new Intent(context, SomeService.class);
rebootTimer._service = service;
rebootTimer.start();
} else {
rebootTimer.cancel();
rebootTimer.start();
Log.d(TAG, "rebootTimer is restarted");
}
}
}
Service will be auto-rebooted if time at RebootTimer (main process) expires, which means that "PREVENT AUTOREBOT" broadcast from service hasn't arrived

i found a solution .... late answer but i wanted to answer...
we can send a broadcast in the ondestroy of the service and create a receiver that receives the broadcast and starts the service again.... when it is destroyed by any reasons...

pls try following:
final Messenger mMessenger = new Messenger(new IncomingHandler());
class IncomingHandler extends Handler {
#Override
public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
switch (msg.what) {
default:
super.handleMessage(msg);
}
}
}
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
makeServiceForeground();
}
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent arg0) {
return mMessenger.getBinder();
}
private void makeServiceForeground() {
IActivityManager am = ActivityManagerNative.getDefault();
try {
am.setProcessForeground(onBind(null), android.os.Process.myPid(), true);
} catch (RemoteException e) {
Log.e("", "cant set to foreground" + e.toString());
}
}
also need add in manifest.xml
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SET_PROCESS_LIMIT"/>

How to stop service by itself?

I start a service in an activity then I want the service to stop itself after a while.
I called stopSelf() in the service but it doesn't work.
How to make the service stop itself?

By saying "doesn't work", I guess you mean that the onDestroy()-method of the service is not invoked.
I had the same problem, because I bound some ServiceConnection to the Service itself using the flag BIND_AUTO_CREATE.
This causes the service to be kept alive until every connection is unbound.
Once I change to use no flag (zero), I had no problem killing the service by itself (stopSelf()).
Example code:
final Context appContext = context.getApplicationContext();
final Intent intent = new Intent(appContext, MusicService.class);
appContext.startService(intent);
ServiceConnection connection = new ServiceConnection() {
// ...
};
appContext.bindService(intent, connection, 0);
Killing the service (not process):
this.stopSelf();
Hope that helped.

By calling stopSelf(), the service stops.
Please make sure that no thread is running in the background which makes you feel that the service hasn't stopped.
Add print statements within your thread.
Hope this helps.

since you didnt publish your code, i cant know exactly what you are doing, but you must declare WHAT you are stopping:
this.stopSelf();
as in:
public class BatchUploadGpsData extends Service {
#Override
public void onCreate() {
Log.d("testingStopSelf", "here i am, rockin like a hurricane. onCreate service");
this.stopSelf();
}

If by "doesn't work" you mean the process doesn't get killed, then that's how android works. The System.exit(0) or Process.killProcess(Process.myPid()) will kill your process. But that's not the Android way of doing things.
HTH

stopForeground(true);
stopSelf();

To let your service to stop itself.. create a BroadcastReceiver class.. In your service call your receiver like this..
In service
sendBroadcast(new Intent("MyReceiver"));
In Broadcast Receiver
public class MyReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
context.stopService(new Intent(context,NotificationService.class));
}
}
Manifest file
<receiver
android:name="MyReceiver"
android:enabled="true"
android:exported="true">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="MyReceiver"/>
</intent-filter>
</receiver>

Use stopSelf() to stop a service from itself.

I know this is an old question, but in my case (floating window as service) I had to remove the view first, and then call stopSelf().
windowManager.removeView(floatingView);
stopSelf();

I just ran into the same issue. In my case, I have a singleton service manager that I use to communicate with the service. In the manager the service is started like this:
context.bindService(new Intent(context, MyService.class), serviceConnection, Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
By removing Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE as suggested by Alik Elzin, I've been able to stop the service using this.stopSelf() and to have onDestroy() called when doing so. This problem is that after that I wasn't able to restart the service from the manager using the command above.
Finally I've fixed this by using a callback from the service that tells the manager to stop the service. This way the manager is always in charge when it comes to start/stop the service and everything seems to work fine. I don't know if there are any counter indications in doing it this way.
The code is really simple. Create a callback in the service and set it in the manager like this in your connection class:
private ServiceConnection mServiceConnection = new ServiceConnection() {
public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName className, IBinder service) {
myService = ((MyService.LocalBinder)service).getService();
myService.setCallback(new MyService.MyServiceCallback() {
#Override
public void onStop() {
stopService();
}
});
}
public void onServiceDisconnected(ComponentName className) {
myService = null;
}
};
and stop service:
public void stopService()
{
if(mServiceConnection != null){
try {
mContext.unbindService(mServiceConnection);
} catch (Exception e) {}
}
mContext.stopService(new Intent(mContext, BleDiscoveryService.class));
}
In the service, simply call myCallback.onStop() when you need to stop it.

Another dirty hack not mentioned here is to throw an exception like NPE. One day I needed to stop InputMethodService and this hack was useful.

if you use separate Thread in your service, after stopping service by calling stopSelf() or stopService() the Thread keeps running. if u want to stop Thread u should call Thread.interrupted() in the Thread(it might cause an Exception if Thread is already sleeping)