How to fix: android.app.RemoteServiceException without any message (not related to Bad Notification or Broadcast)

Question

I have an android.app.RemoteServiceException (RSE) but without any message. I get the following crash report on Google Play Console. When I get a RSE due to a bad Notification or Broadcast I get the related message but in this case it is a black crash.

android.app.RemoteServiceException: 
  at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage (ActivityThread.java:1813)
  at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage (Handler.java:102)
  at android.os.Looper.loop (Looper.java:154)
  at android.app.ActivityThread.main (ActivityThread.java:6781)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke (Method.java)
  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run (ZygoteInit.java:1520)
  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main (ZygoteInit.java:1410)

I started getting these crashes primarily on Android 7 and Samsung devices (in large).

We are following standard guidelines for Notifications and Broadcasts.

targetSdkVersion 25
compileSdkVersion 26

I have gone through many StackOverflow questions related to RemoteServiceException but not been able to find RCA hence posting the new question.
Listed below are the questions I have checked and not been able to find a resolution for RSE:

I have the same issue as well. It'd be great if anyone posted what the solution is. — waseefakhtar, Jun 12 '19 at 13:23
Any news on this? I have got exactly the same stack trace in Google Play Console. Have not been able to reproduce this myself. — jannej, Jul 14 '19 at 17:17

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 30 '21 at 07:22

2

if you have started service using startforgroundservice()

then you have to call startforground() in service oncreate by following the google instructions for oreo.

answered Jul 30 '21 at 07:22

Waqas Yousaf

264
4
13

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 21 '20 at 08:03

It might be very late, but do you have content providers in your app? If they are, are they properly declared in the manifest? I saw ActivityThread class code for API 26. The line where the error happens is 1813.

 case INSTALL_PROVIDER:
                handleInstallProvider((ProviderInfo) msg.obj);
                break;

Following the code shows that the app is not able to publish the content provider and crashing there.

 try {
        ActivityManager.getService().publishContentProviders(
            getApplicationThread(), results);
    } catch (RemoteException ex) {
        throw ex.rethrowFromSystemServer();
    }

Late!! but might help others to debug their case.

How to fix: android.app.RemoteServiceException without any message (not related to Bad Notification or Broadcast)

2 Answers2