Android Question Widget in targetSdkVersion="31"

[davfla]

Hi all,

I've been trying for days now and can't get any further.

Since the forced update to Android Target API 31 in the Playstore, I get the following error message on devices with Android >= 12 when adding or remove the widget to/from the homescreen :

java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start receiver anywheresoftware.b4a.samples.homewidgets.widgetservice$widgetservice_BR: android.app.ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException: startForegroundService() not allowed due to mAllowStartForeground false: service anywheresoftware.b4a.samples.homewidgets/.widgetservice

Spoiler: Screenshot

After the error comes, the app takes about 2 minutes when you want to open it again. Sometimes Crash Window from Android also comes. The error is reproducible.

This also applies to Erel's example, which should serve as a guide to creating a widget.

Android home screen widgets tutorial - part I

Edit: widgets are handled with receivers now. See the attached example. This tutorial will explain how to implement your own home screen widgets (also named App Widgets). It is important to understand that the widgets are created and managed in another process, different than the process that...

www.b4x.com

Spoiler: Example Screen

I did not change anything in the example except the target version in the manifest. Then in this example the error comes as well.

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="14" android:targetSdkVersion="31" />

What I have already tried :
- B4A 12.00 Beta included Core 11.81 with Android-33
- All possible variants with Service.AutomaticForegroundMode including removing the function and Service.StopAutomaticForeground in all variants.
- Android API 30 = No problem, Android API 31 = Failure, API 33 = Failure
- The problem is also in the live version of my app according to Google Play Console and not only with emulator devices.

What I also wonder why apparently no one else has this problem ? I have not found another thread about it. Am I perhaps doing something wrong ?

 

[Erel]

Try to add:

Service.AutomaticForegroundMode = Service.AUTOMATIC_FOREGROUND_NEVER

to Service_Create.

 

[davfla]

Hi Erel,

thank you very much for your answer. Unfortunately, I can not see any change. It does not solve the problem.

- All possible variants with Service.AutomaticForegroundMode including removing the function and Service.StopAutomaticForeground in all variants.

I had attached the example.

David

 

[Erel]

It does work properly on Google Pixel running Android 13.

Based on Android documentation, apps are allowed to start foreground services when the user interacts with an app widget: https://developer.android.com/guide...vices#background-start-restriction-exemptions

 

[Erel]

I'm getting this error now. It will require a non-trivial workaround. I'm keeping it open for now.

 

[agraham]

My God! This is so frustrating. Microsoft manages decades of backwards compatibility but Google just breaks s??t with each release. I really wish there was a viable mobile platform other than Android (and no it's not Apple).

 

[davfla]

I'm glad you see the error now too. I already wanted to make a video Then I'm now waiting to see if you find a solution and also search.

@agraham : I think in hell is extra a place for such developers at Google who make such nonsense.

 

[ilpesce]

add this permission

Draw on top of other apps permission

Starting from Android 6 a special permission is required if you want to use the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission. This permission is not related to the runtime permissions. You can put this code in a class to check whether your app has permission and open the settings page if needed: Sub...

www.b4x.com

 

[davfla]

Hello ilpesce,

thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, this does not solve our problem when the widget is removed again. I have created a video here, which should show what exactly I mean. Included your suggestion.


However, the error probably does not occur only when the widget is removed. The many crashes of my live app speak for this.
So I am very grateful for your suggestion and would like to try other opinions about it.

David

 

[ilpesce]

Hello
I understand, my application gave a similar error only to the first widget inserted after installation then the following were ok.
I solved this by entering the aforementioned permission.
I recommend that you use a real device for testing.
every year it gets worse and worse ...

 

[davfla]

Hello ilpesce,

unfortunately I can not confirm this. I have now tried it on a real Device Samsung Galaxy A52s with Android 12. Installed via the B4A Bridge and read out with #Bridgelogger: True. And the result is exactly the same.
Edit : Permission was used.

Logger verbunden mit: samsung SM-A528B
--------- beginning of main
** Activity (main) Create, isFirst = true **
** Activity (main) Resume **
** Activity (main) Pause, UserClosed = false **
sending message to waiting queue (OnActivityResult)
running waiting messages (1)
** Activity (main) Resume **
Permission: true
** Activity (main) Pause, UserClosed = false **
** Activity (main) Create, isFirst = true **
** Activity (main) Resume **
** Activity (main) Pause, UserClosed = false **
** Receiver (widgetservice) OnReceive **
*** Service (widgetservice) Create ***
** Service (widgetservice) Start **
Service started in foreground mode.
** Receiver (widgetservice) OnReceive **
** Service (widgetservice) Start **
Service started in foreground mode.
** Service (widgetservice) Destroy **
android.app.ForegroundServiceDidNotStartInTimeException: Context.startForegroundService() did not then call Service.startForeground(): ServiceRecord{c17baf2 u0 anywheresoftware.b4a.samples.homewidgets/.widgetservice}
at android.app.ActivityThread.throwRemoteServiceException(ActivityThread.java:2147)
at android.app.ActivityThread.access$2800(ActivityThread.java:310)
at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:2376)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:106)
at android.os.Looper.loopOnce(Looper.java:226)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:313)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:8669)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:571)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:1135)

Fortunately, only an "internal" error message is thrown and the user does not notice anything.

The problem is that this error is transmitted to Google. In the future, Google plans to display the performance statistics in the Playstore with how the app works with the respective device. And that will look disastrous with a B4A widget usage with this error. Here is an example how it can look

Spoiler: Screenshot Crashes

>750 crashes ( ~150 users from ~8000) in 15 days is a hefty amount

But thanks for your suggestion.

David

 

[Pendrush]

In the future, Google plans to display the performance statistics in the Playstore

The Play Store will start applying store listing warnings on November 30, 2022.
Also apps will get lower visibility on store and will be excluded from trending categories.

Full text:

Raising the bar on technical quality on Google Play

Google Play is evolving its definition of technical quality to be more aligned to user experience with new features in Android vitals.

android-developers.googleblog.com

 

[PJLPJLPJL]

I hope this is helpful. I had some very similar problems after updating my widget program to TargetSDK 31 and added the permission mentioned above without improving things. However, when I uninstalled and reistalled my app it all worked perfectly.