Foreground Services | Services | Android Development Tutorial

Introduction

In Android development, a foreground service is a service that the user is actively aware of and interacts with. Foreground services must display a notification, which appears as an icon in the status bar. This notification cannot be dismissed unless the service is either stopped or removed from the foreground.

Use Cases

Foreground services are used for tasks that need to be performed immediately and continuously, such as:

Playing music
Tracking location
Handling active network connections

Creating a Foreground Service

To create a foreground service, you need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Define the Service

First, create a new service class that extends Service. In this class, override the onStartCommand method to start the service in the foreground.

public class MyForegroundService extends Service {
    @Override
    public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
        // Create a notification
        Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID)
            .setContentTitle("Foreground Service")
            .setContentText("Service is running")
            .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_service)
            .build();

        // Start the service in the foreground
        startForeground(1, notification);

        // Do background work here

        return START_NOT_STICKY;
    }

    @Override
    public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
        return null;
    }
}

Step 2: Create the Notification Channel

For Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher, you must create a notification channel to display the notification.

if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
    NotificationChannel serviceChannel = new NotificationChannel(
        CHANNEL_ID,
        "Foreground Service Channel",
        NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_DEFAULT
    );

    NotificationManager manager = getSystemService(NotificationManager.class);
    if (manager != null) {
        manager.createNotificationChannel(serviceChannel);
    }
}

Step 3: Start the Foreground Service

Start the service from an activity or another component using the startService method and then call startForeground within the service itself.

Intent serviceIntent = new Intent(this, MyForegroundService.class);
startService(serviceIntent);

Stopping a Foreground Service

To stop a foreground service, call the stopForeground(boolean) method to remove the notification and then call stopSelf to stop the service.

public void stopService() {
    // Stop the foreground service and remove the notification
    stopForeground(true);
    // Stop the service
    stopSelf();
}

Handling Configuration Changes

Foreground services should handle configuration changes gracefully. Ensure that any necessary data is retained across these changes.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices for using foreground services:

Always provide a clear and concise notification.
Avoid using foreground services for tasks that do not require immediate user attention.
Ensure that the service stops promptly when it is no longer needed.

Foreground Services in Android Development