Android app runs in background despite setting

Bug Reports
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#1

REPRODUCIBILITY (% or how often): unclear
BUILD ID = OS VERSION (Settings > About product): 4.1.0.24
HARDWARE (XA2, X10, X10 II, …): X10 II
UI LANGUAGE: English
REGRESSION: (compared to previous public release: Yes, No, ?): Unknown

DESCRIPTION:

Microsoft Teams still delivers notifications even if “Allow background services to start on bootup” is unchecked in Settings/Apps.

PRECONDITIONS:

Microsoft Teams installed under Aliendalvik. It had been closed and un-used for at least one day last time the bug happened.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

  1. get a notification, for instance for an incoming chat message

EXPECTED RESULT:

Nothing happens, because the app is not running in background

ACTUAL RESULT:

The notification appears with the other notifications in Sailfish OS.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

There is clearly something I don’t understand in how the new Android 10 layer handles background applications. Coming from an Xperia X, I expected that when I swipe-close an app it is totally gone and no code is running, unless the “allow background services” box is ticked.

1 Like
#2

I am told that Android apps can effectively ignore this setting and ‘cheat’ their way around the system to keep running in the background. This setting is therefore no guarantee of preventing apps running in the background. Apparently there is nothing Jolla can do about this without breaking something else in the process. See Native Browser Malware/Virus - #40 by Setok

2 Likes
#3

Oh - thanks for letting me know. This is quite worrisome. It opens the way to a lot of crap I was hoping to have left behind by using Sailfish instead of Android…

#4

Well that can actually do something about it, since they control the whole android layer and can modify it they way they want.

They just don’t.

1 Like
#5

…but it might not be that easy, and come with lots of breakages - and even more upset users.
Edit: and how do you know they are not working on it btw?

#6

Well, obviously we don’t know they are not working on it - any more than we know that they are working on it! Unless Jolla announce something we’re in the dark either way.

However, its a reasonable assumption that bugs (any bugs) that have been outstanding, in some cases for years and reported back in the old TJC days, aren’t getting any real level of attention - otherwise they presumably would have been fixed before now :disappointed:

#7

Another app like this is Likee. Despite having no checkbox on allowing background processes and even after being explicitly stopped in Settings->App->Likee and even after a reboot (OS upgrade) – it still sends notifications on the screen !!!

Sailfish OS v4.5.0.25
Xperia X10 III

It is completely non-sensical that the only way to stop an app is to remove it… something has to be done about this and fast because we have a very clear and easy way for malware and the shit flowing from Android here. I believe that a better process or an app/service which checks which apps were closed and opened themselves without consent and the either kill them / quarantine them and inform the user.

#8

You can always try disabling notifications per app, and restricting it from running in background. In Android settings ofc.

#9

Have you tried clearing the cache and stopping the app?

#10

The Sailfish settings (Android App Support for all apps, Settings->Apps-> for individual apps) only control notifications after boot before an app is started.

When an Android app is started, it uses the Android system settings and the settings in the app. As an example WhatsApp has 11 notification settings in the Android system settings.

1 Like