Fatal Android 12: Exception: startForegroundService() not allowed due to mAllowStartForeground false

Question

I noticed one exception (Firebase Crashlytics) for Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (both on Android 12), no other devices, happened only two times, one time for each device.

What does it mean? Android 11 and 12 have the same rules for working with foreground services, but there are no issues with Android 11. Is this a bug of Pixel?

From Firebase Crashlytics:

Fatal Exception: android.app.ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException
startForegroundService() not allowed due to mAllowStartForeground false: service com.*.*/.service.RecorderService

android.app.ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException$1.createFromParcel (ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException.java:54)
androidx.core.content.ContextCompat.startForegroundService (ContextCompat.java:6)
MyAppPackageHidden.service.RecorderService$Companion.startService (RecorderService.java:2)
MyAppPackageHidden.ui.rec.RecActivity$getConnectionRecorderService$1.onServiceConnected (RecActivity.java:4)
android.app.LoadedApk$ServiceDispatcher.doConnected (LoadedApk.java:2077)
com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main (ZygoteInit.java:1003)

Fatal Exception: android.app.ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException: startForegroundService() not allowed due to mAllowStartForeground false: service MyAppPackageHidden/.service.RecorderService
       at android.app.ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException$1.createFromParcel(ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException.java:54)
       at android.app.ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException$1.createFromParcel(ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException.java:50)
       at android.os.Parcel.readParcelable(Parcel.java:3333)
       at android.os.Parcel.createExceptionOrNull(Parcel.java:2420)
       at android.os.Parcel.createException(Parcel.java:2409)
       at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:2392)
       at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:2334)
       at android.app.IActivityManager$Stub$Proxy.startService(IActivityManager.java:5971)
       at android.app.ContextImpl.startServiceCommon(ContextImpl.java:1847)
       at android.app.ContextImpl.startForegroundService(ContextImpl.java:1823)
       at android.content.ContextWrapper.startForegroundService(ContextWrapper.java:779)
       at androidx.core.content.ContextCompat$Api26Impl.startForegroundService(ContextCompat.java)
       at androidx.core.content.ContextCompat.startForegroundService(ContextCompat.java:6)
       at MyAppPackageHidden.service.RecorderService$Companion.startService(RecorderService.java:2)
       at MyAppPackageHidden.ui.rec.RecActivity$getConnectionRecorderService$1.onServiceConnected(RecActivity.java:4)
       at android.app.LoadedApk$ServiceDispatcher.doConnected(LoadedApk.java:2077)
       at android.app.LoadedApk$ServiceDispatcher$RunConnection.run(LoadedApk.java:2110)
       at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:938)
       at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
       at android.os.Looper.loopOnce(Looper.java:201)
       at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:288)
       at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:7838)
       at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java)
       at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:548)
       at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:1003)

Caused by android.os.RemoteException: Remote stack trace:
    at com.android.server.am.ActiveServices.startServiceLocked(ActiveServices.java:691)
    at com.android.server.am.ActiveServices.startServiceLocked(ActiveServices.java:616)
    at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.startService(ActivityManagerService.java:11839)
    at android.app.IActivityManager$Stub.onTransact(IActivityManager.java:2519)
    at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.onTransact(ActivityManagerService.java:2498)

Answer 1

Apps that target Android 12 (API level 31) or higher can't start foreground services while running in the background, except for a few special cases. If an app tries to start a foreground service while the app is running in the background, and the foreground service doesn't satisfy one of the exceptional cases, the system throws a ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException.

Exemptions from background start restrictions

In the following situations, your app can start foreground services even while your app is running in the background:

• Your app transitions from a user-visible state, such as an activity.
• Your app can start an activity from the background, except for the case where the app has an activity in the back stack of an existing task.
• Your app receives a high-priority message using Firebase Cloud Messaging.
• The user performs an action on a UI element related to your app. For example, they might interact with a bubble, notification, widget, or activity.
• Your app invokes an exact alarm to complete an action that the user requests.
• Your app is the device's current input method.
• Your app receives an event that's related to geofencing or activity recognition transition.
• After the device reboots and receives the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED, ACTION_LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED, or ACTION_MY_PACKAGE_REPLACED intent action in a broadcast receiver.

For more info please check link1 link2