Permission Denial: startForeground requires android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE

Lately we have suddenly been seeing a few of the following stack traces. Why could that be? This is from when the app tries to move an audio commentary service into the foreground with a media notification and everything.

java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial: startForeground from pid=1824, uid=10479 requires android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE
    at android.os.Parcel.createException(Parcel.java:1942)
    at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:1910)
    at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:1860)
    at android.app.IActivityManager$Stub$Proxy.setServiceForeground(IActivityManager.java:5198)
    at android.app.Service.startForeground(Service.java:695)
    at com.example.app.services.AudioService.setUpMediaNotification(AudioService.java:372)
    at com.example.app.services.AudioService.setUpAndStartAudioFeed(AudioService.java:328)
    at com.example.app.services.AudioService.onStartCommand(AudioService.java:228)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleServiceArgs(ActivityThread.java:3667)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1600(ActivityThread.java:199)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1681)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:106)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:193)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:6669)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
    at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:493)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:858)
 Caused by: android.os.RemoteException: Remote stack trace:
    at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.enforcePermission(ActivityManagerService.java:9186)
    at com.android.server.am.ActiveServices.setServiceForegroundInnerLocked(ActiveServices.java:1189)
    at com.android.server.am.ActiveServices.setServiceForegroundLocked(ActiveServices.java:870)
    at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.setServiceForeground(ActivityManagerService.java:20434)
    at android.app.IActivityManager$Stub.onTransact(IActivityManager.java:976)

This will happen if you have set targetSdkVersion = 28 (Android 9 / Pie) or above and have not declared the usage of the FOREGROUND_SERVICE permission.

From the migration notes for Android 9:

> Apps wanting to use foreground services must now request the > FOREGROUND_SERVICE permission first. This is a normal permission, so > the system automatically grants it to the requesting app. Starting a > foreground service without the permission throws a SecurityException.

The solution is to just add the following in AndroidManifest.xml:

<manifest ...>
     ...
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE" />
     ...
     <application ...>
     ...
</manifest>

>Permission Denial: startForeground requires android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE

Apps that target Android 9 (API level 28) or higher and use foreground services must request the FOREGROUND_SERVICE permission.

So now we need to add Foreground service permission in manifest file

• it Allows a regular application to use Service.startForeground

SAMPLE

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

>### FOREGROUND_SERVICE is a normal permission, so the system automatically grants it to the requesting app.

Check this the migration notes of Android 9 / Pie

• Change

>Foreground service permission

• Summary

>Apps wanting to use foreground services must now request the FOREGROUND_SERVICE permission first. This is a normal permission, so the system automatically grants it to the requesting app. Starting a foreground service without the permission throws a SecurityException.

Also Read startForeground()

• Apps targeting API Build.VERSION_CODES.P or later must request the permission Manifest.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE in order to use this API.

Noting that FOREGROUND_SERVICE doesn't require runtime permission requirement. only add below to Manifests

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

the above line should be added before <application

For API level 28 or higher, it requires FOREGROUND_SERVICE permission. Otherwise, it can not run and got an exception.

It will be solved by adding

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

in AndroidManifest.xml file.

A targetSdkVersion of at least 28 will be mandatory from Nov 1 2019 for app updates in the Play Store. So you'll need to change the target API, and then request the permission FOREGROUND_SERVICE to avoid the crash on startForeground()