Android: ActivityCompat.requestPermissions does not show a popup (Android 13, targetSdkVersion=33)

Question

There are many (one, two, three, four) questions on this topic on SO already. However, none of the answers I have found so far resolves the issue for me.

The problem is that the ActivityCompat.requestPermissions does not trigger a popup, asking the user to give permission for notifications.

Setup:

• Testing on physical device (Android 13, Pixel 6)
• Targeting SDK version 33 (targetSdkVersion=33)
• minSdkVersion = 29
• AndroidManifest has permission: <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATION" />
• in onCreate in an otherwise working Activity, I do:

if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_DENIED)
{
    ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS}, 1);
}

and the callback is like so:

@Override
public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions,int[] grantResults) {
    super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);
    switch (requestCode) {
        case 1:
            if (grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
                Toast.makeText(MainScreenActivity.this, "Woho, you have enabled notifications!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            } else {
                Toast.makeText(MainScreenActivity.this, "Ouch, this is gonna hurt without notifications", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            }
            return;
    }
}

Here are the build.gradle files:

TheApp\build.gradle

// Top-level build file where you can add configuration options common to all sub-projects/modules.

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
        maven { url 'https://raw.github.com/xujiaao/mvn-repository/master/releases' }
        maven {
            url 'https://jitpack.io'
        }
        maven { url 'http://dl.bintray.com/ahmedrizwan/maven'
            allowInsecureProtocol = true
        }
        google()

    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:4.3.10'  // Google Services plugin
        classpath 'com.google.firebase:firebase-crashlytics-gradle:2.5.2'
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:7.3.1'
        classpath "io.realm:realm-gradle-plugin:10.0.0"

        // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
        // in the individual module build.gradle files
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        maven { url 'http://oss.jfrog.org/artifactory/oss-snapshot-local'
            allowInsecureProtocol = true
        }
        google()
        jcenter()
        flatDir {
            dirs 'src/main/libs'
        }
    }
}

TheApp\app\build.gradle

apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
apply plugin: 'realm-android'
apply plugin: 'com.google.firebase.crashlytics'

android {
    compileSdkVersion 33
    lintOptions {
        abortOnError false
    }

    buildFeatures{
        dataBinding = true
    }

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "test.myapp"
        minSdkVersion 29
        targetSdkVersion 33
        versionCode 60
        versionName "1.60"

    }
    buildTypes {

        debug {
            signingConfig signingConfigs.debug_keystore
            aaptOptions.setProperty("cruncherEnabled", false)
        }

        release {
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release_keystore
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
            aaptOptions.setProperty("cruncherEnabled", false)
        }
    }

    compileOptions {
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    }
    namespace 'test.myapp'
}

dependencies {
    implementation fileTree(include: ['*.jar'], dir: 'libs')
    implementation 'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.2.0'
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.2.1'
    implementation 'androidx.cardview:cardview:1.0.0'

    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-core:17.5.1'
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging:20.3.0'

    implementation 'com.google.code.gson:gson:2.8.6'
    implementation 'androidx.recyclerview:recyclerview:1.1.0'
    implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-gcm:17.0.0'
    implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:17.1.0'
    implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-maps:17.0.0'

    implementation "androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-extensions:2.2.0"
    implementation "androidx.preference:preference-ktx:1.1.1"
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-crashlytics:17.2.2'
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-analytics:17.6.0'
    implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.0.2'
    implementation 'com.google.android.play:app-update:2.0.1'

    def fragment_version = "1.5.4"

    // Java language implementation
    implementation "androidx.fragment:fragment:$fragment_version"
    // Kotlin
    implementation "androidx.fragment:fragment-ktx:$fragment_version"
    // Testing Fragments in Isolation
    debugImplementation "androidx.fragment:fragment-testing:$fragment_version"
}
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'  // Google Play services Gradle plugin

I have stepped through the code via the debugger, and can confirm that the requestPermissions is executed, but that the onRequestPermissionsResult is triggered immediately with no popup on device.

I also read this, but I figured that it was down to developers not implementing the opt-in model as described here, but maybe, this is an issue after all? Because I cannot make sense of this...

Update

I ask for other permissions in other parts of the app, and this line works well - I get the popup to grant permission:

ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE}, BaseActivity.PHONE_STATE_PERMISSION_CODE);

Update 2

In another part of the code base, I have the same requestPermission call, but for another permission, and this works fine:

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_splash);

    ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE}, BaseActivity.PHONE_STATE_PERMISSION_CODE);
}

When this is executed, I get this:

But, if I change the requestPermissions call so it looks like this, nothing happens and I get to the callback immediately, with a "rejected":

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_splash);

    ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS}, BaseActivity.PHONE_STATE_PERMISSION_CODE);
}

Picture:

Update 3

I have also tried using the new ActivityResultLauncher, but the behaviour is the same - it goes directly to the callback without showing any popup.

Answer 1

Stupid me. In the Q above, I did post what the AndroidManifest contained, and I wrote:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATION" />

This is not correct. I am missing an s, it shoul be:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS" />

Oops! :-)