Ably connection failure on android release mode | Ably Flutter

[Nouryounis1]

I am using Ably Flutter for real-time messaging.

Everything works well on iOS Debug, iOS Release, and Android Debug. However, when I try it on a real device in Android Release mode, Ably fails to connect.

I have already added rules to R8 and ProGuard, and I have also included the necessary network security configuration

┆Issue is synchronized with this Jira Task by Unito

[Nouryounis1]

I encountered connection interruptions when the app starts while using Flutter 3.38 with Android SDK 36. To address this, I created a native Android service using a foreground service approach to maintain a stable connection with Ably.

Here’s what I did:

1. Created AblyConnectionService.kt:

import android.app.*
import android.content.Intent
import android.os.IBinder

class AblyConnectionService : Service() {

    override fun onCreate() {
        super.onCreate()

        val channelId = "ably_service_channel"
        val channel = NotificationChannel(
            channelId,
            "Ably Connection Service",
            NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_LOW
        )

        val manager = getSystemService(NotificationManager::class.java)
        manager.createNotificationChannel(channel)

        val notification = Notification.Builder(this, channelId)
            .setContentTitle("Connecting to App Live")
            .setSmallIcon(android.R.drawable.ic_dialog_info)
            .build()

        startForeground(1, notification)
    }

    override fun onStartCommand(intent: Intent?, flags: Int, startId: Int): Int {
        return START_STICKY
    }

    override fun onBind(intent: Intent?): IBinder? = null
}

2. Added the service to AndroidManifest.xml:

<service
    android:name=".AblyConnectionService"
    android:enabled="true"
    android:exported="false"
    android:foregroundServiceType="dataSync" />

3. Result:

• The foreground service ensures that the connection is maintained even when the app is starting or in the background.
• This approach prevents the initial connection interruptions with Ably on app launch.