PushNotificationBackgroundService still uses deprecated JobIntentService, crashes on Android 16 / low-end devices

[houzx2581396]

Description

Description

PushNotificationBackgroundService in amplify_push_notifications still extends the deprecated
androidx.core.app.JobIntentService. On Android 16 (SDK 36) and on low-end Samsung / Oppo / Redmi devices, this triggers a
race in JobParameters.completeWork() that crashes the app with:

java.lang.RuntimeException: An error occurred while executing doInBackground()
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Given work is not active: JobWorkItem{...
  cmp=<pkg>/com.google.firebase.iid.FirebaseInstanceIdReceiver (has extras) } dcount=1}
  at android.app.job.JobParameters.completeWork(JobParameters.java:503)
  at androidx.core.app.JobIntentService$JobServiceEngineImpl$WrapperWorkItem.complete(JobIntentService.java:273)
  at androidx.core.app.JobIntentService$CommandProcessor.doInBackground(JobIntentService.java:399)

The TODO has been in the code for several minor releases:
https://github.com/aws-amplify/amplify-flutter/blob/main/packages/notifications/push/amplify_push_notifications/android/src/
main/kotlin/com/amazonaws/amplify/amplify_push_notifications/PushNotificationBackgroundService.kt#L24

//TODO(Samaritan1011001): Replace deprecated JobIntentService
class PushNotificationBackgroundService : JobIntentService(), ...

Reproduction

• amplify_push_notifications: 2.10.2
• amplify_push_notifications_pinpoint: 2.10.0
• Flutter: 3.38.10
• firebase-messaging (transitive): 25.0.1
• Devices: Samsung A16/A53/A54, Oppo (MediaTek MT6769/MT6873/MT6897), Redmi (Mediatek)
• OS distribution we see in Play Vitals: Android 16 Beta 52.5%, Android 14 16.9%, Android 13 10.2%
• Crash frequency increases when the app is held in foreground/idle (e.g. force-update modal) while FCM pushes arrive.

Expected

PushNotificationBackgroundService should use WorkManager (or handle the FCM message synchronously inside
PushNotificationFirebaseMessagingService.onMessageReceived, which already gets ~10s of execution time) instead of the
deprecated JobIntentService.

Additional notes

• Crashlytics does not capture this (thrown from AsyncTask.done); Play Console Vitals does.
• JobIntentService was deprecated in androidx.core 1.3.0 and Google recommends WorkManager as replacement.

Categories

• Analytics
• API (REST)
• API (GraphQL)
• Auth
• Authenticator
• DataStore
• Notifications (Push)
• Storage

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a Flutter app with amplify_push_notifications: ^2.10.2 and amplify_push_notifications_pinpoint: ^2.10.0
   (transitively pulls in firebase-messaging:25.0.1 and androidx.core:core:1.17.0).

2. Configure Amplify Pinpoint push notifications normally — no custom Android code needed; the bundled
   PushNotificationFirebaseMessagingService and PushNotificationBackgroundService are auto-registered via the plugin's
   manifest.

3. Install the app on a low-end Android device running Android 16 Beta (SDK 36), e.g.:

   • Samsung Galaxy A16 / A53 / A54 (Exynos)
   • Oppo with MediaTek MT6769 / MT6873 / MT6897
   • Redmi (MediaTek)

4. Send several FCM push notifications to the device in quick succession while the app is in the foreground but idle —
   easiest way to reproduce is to:

   • Open the app
   • Trigger a blocking modal (e.g. force-update screen) so the user cannot interact
   • Push 3–5 FCM messages within ~30 seconds
   • Wait for the OS to enter Doze / app-standby

5. Observe in adb logcat (or Play Console → Android Vitals → Crashes after release):

   FATAL EXCEPTION: AsyncTask Initial Commit #1
   java.lang.RuntimeException: An error occurred while executing doInBackground()
   at android.os.AsyncTask$4.done(AsyncTask.java:415)
   ...
   Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Given work is not active:
   JobWorkItem{id=1 intent=Intent { act=com.google.android.c2dm.intent.RECEIVE
   flg=0x11000010 pkg=<your.pkg>
   cmp=<your.pkg>/com.google.firebase.iid.FirebaseInstanceIdReceiver
   (has extras) } dcount=1}
   at android.app.job.JobParameters.completeWork(JobParameters.java:503)
   at androidx.core.app.JobIntentService$JobServiceEngineImpl$WrapperWorkItem.complete(JobIntentService.java:273)
   at androidx.core.app.JobIntentService$CommandProcessor.doInBackground(JobIntentService.java:399)

Why it happens

PushNotificationFirebaseMessagingService.onMessageReceived() calls
PushNotificationBackgroundService.enqueueWork(...), which goes through
androidx.core.app.JobIntentService → JobScheduler.

On SDK 36 / aggressive OEM ROMs, the system marks the queued JobWorkItem
as inactive (Doze, memory pressure, or stricter background-work enforcement)
before CommandProcessor calls WrapperWorkItem.complete(), causing
JobParameters.completeWork() to throw.

Notes

• 100% reproducible on Android 16 Beta low-end devices under memory pressure;
  rare but non-zero on Android 13/14.
• Cannot be caught by Crashlytics because the exception is thrown from
  AsyncTask#done and is not routed through the default uncaught handler
  reliably on all OEM ROMs — only Play Console Vitals captures it.
• JobIntentService was deprecated in androidx.core:core:1.3.0
  (Sep 2020); recommended replacement is WorkManager or running the work
  synchronously inside FirebaseMessagingService.onMessageReceived
  (which already provides ~10s of guaranteed execution time).

Screenshots

No response

Platforms

• iOS
• Android
• Web
• macOS
• Windows
• Linux

Flutter Version

3.38.10

Amplify Flutter Version

2.10.0

Deployment Method

Amplify Gen 2

Schema

[jvh-aws]

Thanks a lot for reporting this. We are taking a look.

[jvh-aws]

@houzx2581396 I couldn't reproduce the reported bug on my test devices, but it appears that JobIntentService has some reported bugs that fit into your description, see this issue on Google Issue Tracker. We're working on updating to WorkManager and will report back here.

[jvh-aws]

@houzx2581396 I have opened a candidate fix PR #7000 (moving from JobIntentService to WorkManager). It's still under review, so the final form may change, but it'd be really helpful to know whether it resolves the crash you can reproduce on your Android 16 Beta device.

You can use dependency overrides in your pubspec_overrides.yaml to verify:

dependency_overrides:
  amplify_push_notifications:
    git:
      url: https://github.com/aws-amplify/amplify-flutter.git
      ref: jv/migrate-push-notification-bg-worker-to-work-manager
      path: packages/notifications/push/amplify_push_notifications
  amplify_push_notifications_pinpoint:
    git:
      url: https://github.com/aws-amplify/amplify-flutter.git
      ref: jv/migrate-push-notification-bg-worker-to-work-manager
      path: packages/notifications/push/amplify_push_notifications_pinpoint