Android: Data only payload notifications are not appearing in terminate state

[Karpakamani-r]

My payload is similar to the below mentioned one.

{
  "data": {
    "title": "You have a notification",
    "body": "The body of the notification"
  }
}

Since we have callbacks for the foreground and background states, the plugin is working as expected in those cases. However, it does not work when the app is in the terminated state.

[Karpakamani-r]

@ben-xD

I believe this is because the plugin uses a BroadcastReceiver instead of a FirebaseMessagingService. (I understand the BroadcastReceiver approach is intended to support multiple push providers such as FCM, Huawei, etc.) Since Android 8.0, there are restrictions on background services and static BroadcastReceivers (those registered in the manifest).

For a message with a notification payload, the system handles it automatically.

For data-only payloads, which are generally not considered high-priority notifications, the system may ignore them. Combined with the BroadcastReceiver restrictions, this means the plugin cannot reliably receive data-only messages when the app is terminated.

After implementing a custom FirebaseMessagingService, everything works as expected:

When the app is in the foreground, I let the plugin handle push notifications.

When the app is terminated, the custom FirebaseMessagingService handles them.

Is this the only reliable way to handle terminated-state data-only messages, or does the plugin provide any additional capabilities for this scenario?

[maxistefan-ah]

Hi @Karpakamani-r! Would you mind sharing the code for the custom FirebaseMessagingService? I am trying to implement similar logic, however, with the use of Method Channels & Pigeon bypassing the user of a plugin and I am encountering all sorts of issues. Thanks in advance!

[Karpakamani-r]

@maxistefan-ah Apologies for the delay in getting back to you! below are the steps to implement custom firebase messaging service class

Step 1: Add Firebase Messaging dependency

In your app/build.gradle:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging:23.4.0' // or latest
}

Step 2: Create a custom FirebaseMessagingService

Create a new file:
MyFirebaseMessagingService.java (or .kt if using Kotlin).

Java version:

package com.example.myapp;

import android.app.NotificationChannel;
import android.app.NotificationManager;
import android.app.PendingIntent;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.media.RingtoneManager;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Build;
import android.util.Log;

import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat;

import com.google.firebase.messaging.FirebaseMessagingService;
import com.google.firebase.messaging.RemoteMessage;

public class MyFirebaseMessagingService extends FirebaseMessagingService {

    private static final String TAG = "MyFcmService";

    // Called whenever a new token is generated
    @Override
    public void onNewToken(@NonNull String token) {
        super.onNewToken(token);
        Log.d(TAG, "New token: " + token);

        // 👉 send token to your server here
    }

    // Called whenever a push notification is received
    @Override
    public void onMessageReceived(@NonNull RemoteMessage remoteMessage) {
        super.onMessageReceived(remoteMessage);

        Log.d(TAG, "Message received from: " + remoteMessage.getFrom());

        // Check if the message contains data payload
        if (remoteMessage.getData().size() > 0) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Data Payload: " + remoteMessage.getData());

            // 👉 Handle your data-only payload here
            String screen = remoteMessage.getData().get("screen");
            String message = remoteMessage.getData().get("message");

            // You can show a notification OR
            // process silently if app is in foreground
            showNotification(message, screen);
        }
    }

    // Function to show a simple notification
    private void showNotification(String messageBody, String screen) {
        Intent intent = new Intent(this, MainActivity.class);
        intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TOP);

        // 👉 Pass "screen" so you can redirect user after tapping notification
        intent.putExtra("screen", screen);

        PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(
                this,
                0,
                intent,
                PendingIntent.FLAG_ONE_SHOT | PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE
        );

        String channelId = "default_channel_id"; // mention you channel id 
        Uri soundUri = RingtoneManager.getDefaultUri(RingtoneManager.TYPE_NOTIFICATION);

        NotificationCompat.Builder notificationBuilder =
                new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, channelId)
                        .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_launcher_foreground) // use your notitification icon
                        .setContentTitle("My App Notification")
                        .setContentText(messageBody)
                        .setAutoCancel(true)
                        .setSound(soundUri)
                        .setContentIntent(pendingIntent);

        NotificationManager notificationManager =
                (NotificationManager) getSystemService(NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);

        // Create channel for Android O+
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
            NotificationChannel channel = new NotificationChannel(
                    channelId,
                    "Default Channel",
                    NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_DEFAULT
            );
            notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(channel);
        }

        notificationManager.notify(101, notificationBuilder.build());
    }
}

Step 3: Register Service in AndroidManifest.xml

Inside tag:

<service
    android:name=".MyFirebaseMessagingService"
    android:exported="false">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" />
    </intent-filter>
</service>

Step 4: Sending Data-Only Payload

When sending push from server (via FCM), ensure you only send data key, not notification, like this:

{
  "to": "<device-token>",
  "data": {
    "screen": "OrderDetails",
    "message": "Your order has been shipped!"
  }
}