Foreground services

Foreground services perform operations that are noticeable to the user.

Foreground services show a status bar notification, to make users aware that your app is performing a task in the foreground and is consuming system resources.

Examples of apps that use foreground services include the following:

• A music player app that plays music in a foreground service. The notification might show the current song being played.
• A fitness app that records a user's run in a foreground service, after receiving permission from the user. The notification might show the distance that the user has traveled during the current fitness session.

Only use a foreground service when your app needs to perform a task that is noticeable by the user, even when they're not directly interacting with the app. If the action is of low enough importance that you want to use a minimum-priority notification, create a background task instead.

This document describes the required permission for using foreground services, and how to start a foreground service and remove it from the background. It also describes how to associate certain use cases with foreground service types, and the access restrictions that take effect when you start a foreground service from an app that's running in the background.

User can dismiss notification by default

Starting in Android 13 (API level 33), users can dismiss the notification associated with a foreground service by default. To do so, users perform a swipe gesture on the notification. Traditionally, the notification isn't dismissed unless the foreground service is either stopped or removed from the foreground.

If you want the notification non-dismissable by the user, pass true into the setOngoing() method when you create your notification using Notification.Builder.

Services that show a notification immediately

If a foreground service has at least one of the following characteristics, the system shows the associated notification immediately after the service starts, even on devices that run Android 12 or higher:

• The service is associated with a notification that includes action buttons.
• The service has a foregroundServiceType of mediaPlayback, mediaProjection, or phoneCall.
• The service provides a use case related to phone calls, navigation, or media playback, as defined in the notification's category attribute.
• The service has opted out of the behavior change by passing FOREGROUND_SERVICE_IMMEDIATE into setForegroundServiceBehavior() when setting up the notification.

On Android 13 (API level 33) or higher, if the user denies the notification permission, they still see notices related to foreground services in the Task Manager but don't see them in the notification drawer.

Declare foreground services in your manifest

In your app's manifest, declare each of your app's foreground services with a <service> element. For each service, use an android:foregroundServiceType attribute to declare what kind of work the service does.

For example, if your app creates a foreground service that plays music, you might declare the service like this:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" ...>

    <service
        android:name=".MyMediaPlaybackService"
        android:foregroundServiceType="mediaPlayback"
        android:exported="false">
    </service>
</manifest>

If your multiple types apply to your service, separate them with the | operator. For example, a service that uses the camera and microphone would declare it like this:

android:foregroundServiceType="camera|microphone"

Request the foreground service permissions

Apps that target Android 9 (API level 28) or higher and use foreground services need to request the FOREGROUND_SERVICE in the app manifest, as shown in the following code snippet. This is a normal permission, so the system automatically grants it to the requesting app.

In addition, if the app targets API level 34 or higher, it must request the appropriate permission type for the kind of work the foreground service will be doing. Each foreground service type has a corresponding permission type. For example, if an app launches a foreground service that uses the camera, you must request both the FOREGROUND_SERVICE and FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CAMERA permissions. These are all normal permissions, so the system grants them automatically if they're listed in the manifest.

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" ...>

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

    <application ...>
        ...
    </application>
</manifest>

Foreground service prerequisites

Beginning with Android 14 (API level 34), when you launch a foreground service, the system checks for specific prerequisites based on service type. For example, if you try to launch a foreground service of type location, the system checks to make sure your app already has either the ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION or ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission. If it doesn't, the system throws SecurityException.

For this reason, you must confirm that the required prerequisites are met before you start a foreground service. The foreground service type documentation lists the required prerequisites for each foreground service type.

Start a foreground service

Before you request the system to run a service as a foreground service, start the service itself:

val intent = Intent(...) // Build the intent for the service
context.startForegroundService(intent)

Context context = getApplicationContext();
Intent intent = new Intent(...); // Build the intent for the service
context.startForegroundService(intent);

Inside the service, usually in onStartCommand(), you can request that your service run in the foreground. To do so, call ServiceCompat.startForeground() (available in androidx-core 1.12 and higher). This method takes the following parameters:

• The service
• A positive integer that uniquely identifies the notification in the status bar
• The Notification object itself
• The foreground service types identifying the work done by the service

These types might be a subset of the types declared in the manifest, depending on the specific use case. Then, if you need to add more service types, you can call startForeground() again.

For example, suppose a fitness app runs a running-tracker service that always needs location information, but might or might not need to play media. You would need to declare both location and mediaPlayback in the manifest. If a user starts a run and just wants their location tracked, your app should call startForeground() and pass just the ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission. Then, if the user wants to start playing audio, call startForeground() again and pass the bitwise combination of all the foreground service types (in this case, ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION|FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK).

Here is an example that launches a camera foreground service:

class MyCameraService: Service() {

  private fun startForeground() {
    // Before starting the service as foreground check that the app has the
    // appropriate runtime permissions. In this case, verify that the user has
    // granted the CAMERA permission.
    val cameraPermission =
            ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.CAMERA)
    if (cameraPermission == PackageManager.PERMISSION_DENIED) {
        // Without camera permissions the service cannot run in the foreground
        // Consider informing user or updating your app UI if visible.
        stopSelf()
        return
    }

    try {
        val notification = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, "CHANNEL_ID")
            // Create the notification to display while the service is running
            .build()
        ServiceCompat.startForeground(
            /* service = */ this,
            /* id = */ 100, // Cannot be 0
            /* notification = */ notification,
            /* foregroundServiceType = */
            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.R) {
                ServiceInfo.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_TYPE_CAMERA
            } else {
                0
            },
        )
    } catch (e: Exception) {
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.S
                && e is ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException) {
            // App not in a valid state to start foreground service
            // (e.g. started from bg)
        }
        // ...
    }
  }
}

public class MyCameraService extends Service {

    private void startForeground() {
        // Before starting the service as foreground check that the app has the
        // appropriate runtime permissions. In this case, verify that the user
        // has granted the CAMERA permission.
        int cameraPermission =
            ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.CAMERA);
        if (cameraPermission == PackageManager.PERMISSION_DENIED) {
            // Without camera permissions the service cannot run in the
            // foreground. Consider informing user or updating your app UI if
            // visible.
            stopSelf();
            return;
        }

        try {
            Notification notification =
                new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, "CHANNEL_ID")
                    // Create the notification to display while the service
                    // is running
                    .build();
            int type = 0;
            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.R) {
                type = ServiceInfo.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_TYPE_CAMERA;
            }
            ServiceCompat.startForeground(
                    /* service = */ this,
                    /* id = */ 100, // Cannot be 0
                    /* notification = */ notification,
                    /* foregroundServiceType = */ type
            );
        } catch (Exception e) {
            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.S &&
                    e instanceof ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException
            ) {
                // App not in a valid state to start foreground service
                // (e.g started from bg)
            }
            // ...
        }
    }

    //...
}

Remove a service from the foreground

To remove the service from the foreground, call stopForeground(). This method takes a boolean, which indicates whether to remove the status bar notification as well. Note that the service continues to run.

If you stop the service while it runs in the foreground, its notification is removed.

Handle user-initiated stopping of apps running foreground services

Starting in Android 13 (API level 33), users can complete a workflow from the notification drawer to stop an app that has an ongoing foreground services, regardless of that app's target SDK version. This affordance, called the Task Manager, shows a list of apps that are currently running a foreground service.

This list is labeled Active apps. Next to each app is a Stop button. Figure 1 illustrates the Task Manager workflow on a device that runs Android 13.

When the user presses the Stop button next to your app in the Task Manager, then the following actions occur:

• The system removes your app from memory. Therefore, your entire app stops, not just the running foreground service.
• The system removes your app's activity back stack.
• Any media playback stops.
• The notification associated with the foreground service is removed.
• Your app remains in history.
• Scheduled jobs execute at their scheduled time.
• Alarms go off at their scheduled time or time window.

To test that your app behaves as expected while and after a user stops your app, run the following ADB command in a terminal window:

adb shell cmd activity stop-app PACKAGE_NAME

Exemptions

The system provides several levels of exemptions for certain types of apps, which the following sections describe.

Exemptions are per app, not per process. If the system exempts one process in an app, all other processes in that app are also exempt.

Exemptions from appearing in the Task Manager at all

The following apps can run a foreground service and not appear in the Task Manager at all:

• System-level apps
• Safety apps; that is, apps that have the ROLE_EMERGENCY role
• Devices that are in demo mode

Exemptions from being stoppable by users

When the following types of apps run a foreground service, they appear in the Task Manager, but there is no Stop button next to the app's name for the user to tap:

• Device owner apps
• Profile owner apps
• Persistent apps
• Apps that have the ROLE_DIALER role

For many use cases, there are platform or Jetpack APIs you can use to do work you might otherwise use a foreground service for. If there is a suitable purpose-built API, you should almost always use it instead of using a foreground service. Purpose-built APIs often provide additional use-case specific capabilities that you would otherwise have to build on your own. For example, the Bubbles API handles the complex UI logic for messaging apps that need to implement chat-bubble features.

The documentation for the foreground service types lists good alternatives to use instead of foreground services.

Restrictions on starting a foreground service from the background

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

In addition, if an app wants to launch a foreground service that needs while-in-use permissions (for example, body sensor, camera, microphone, or location permissions), it cannot create the service while the app is in the background, even if the app falls into one of the exemptions from background start restrictions. The reason for this is explained in the section Restrictions on starting foreground services that need while-in-use permissions.

Exemptions from background start restrictions

In the following situations, your app can start foreground services even while your app runs 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.

• Your app receives the ACTION_TIMEZONE_CHANGED, ACTION_TIME_CHANGED, or ACTION_LOCALE_CHANGED intent action in a broadcast receiver.

• Apps with certain system roles or permission, such as device owners and profile owners.

• Your app uses the Companion Device Manager and declares the REQUEST_COMPANION_START_FOREGROUND_SERVICES_FROM_BACKGROUND permission or the REQUEST_COMPANION_RUN_IN_BACKGROUND permission. Whenever possible, use REQUEST_COMPANION_START_FOREGROUND_SERVICES_FROM_BACKGROUND.

• Your app holds the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission.

• The user turns off battery optimizations for your app.

Restrictions on starting foreground services that need while-in-use permissions

On Android 14 (API level 34) or higher, there are special situations to be aware of if you're starting a foreground service that needs while-in-use permissions.

If your app targets Android 14 or higher, the operating system checks when you create a foreground service to make sure your app has all the appropriate permissions for that service type. For example, when you create a foreground service of type microphone, the operating system verifies that your app currently has the RECORD_AUDIO permission. If you don't have that permission, the system throws a SecurityException.

For while-in-use permissions, this causes a potential problem. If your app has a while-in-use permission, it only has that permission while it's in the foreground. This means if your app is in the background, and it tries to create a foreground service of type camera, location, or microphone, the system sees that your app doesn't currently have the required permissions, and it throws a SecurityException.

Similarly, if your app is in the background and it creates a health service that needs the BODY_SENSORS_BACKGROUND permission, the app doesn't currently have that permission, and the system throws an exception. (This doesn't apply if it's a health service that needs different permissions, like ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION.) Calling ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission() does not prevent this problem. If your app has a while-in-use permission, and it calls checkSelfPermission() to check if it has that permission, the method returns PERMISSION_GRANTED even if the app is in the background. When the method returns PERMISSION_GRANTED, it's saying "your app has this permission while the app is in use."

For this reason, if your foreground service needs a while-in-use permission, you must call Context.startForegroundService() or Context.bindService() while your app has a visible activity, unless the service falls into one of the defined exemptions.

In some situations, even if a foreground service is started while the app runs in the background, it can still access location, camera, and microphone information while the app runs in the foreground ("while-in-use").

In these same situations, if the service declares a foreground service type of location and is started by an app that has the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission, this service can access location information all the time, even when the app runs in the background.

The following list contains these situations:

• A system component starts the service.
• The service starts by interacting with app widgets.
• The service starts by interacting with a notification.
• The service starts as a PendingIntent that is sent from a different, visible app.
• The service starts by an app that is a device policy controller that runs in device owner mode.
• The service starts by an app which provides the VoiceInteractionService.
• The service starts by an app that has the START_ACTIVITIES_FROM_BACKGROUND privileged permission.

Determine which services are affected in your app

When testing your app, start its foreground services. If a started service has restricted access to location, microphone, and camera, the following message appears in Logcat:

Foreground service started from background can not have \
location/camera/microphone access: service SERVICE_NAME