Notification Service Extension in iOS works sometimes but stops working other times. User needs to restart device to get it working again.

Question

Created Jul ’23

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We have an app where the notification service extension works well most of the time. However, sometimes we have noticed that the extension completely stops working even when the notification is sent successfully via the APNS server in production. We do not see even the log from the didReceive() function in that case. The only way we can get the extension working again is after restarting the iPhone.

Trying to understand when this might happen?

Is it something that is throttled by iOS?

Would it happen when the device memory is low or the app is using too much memory?

We have seen the extension crash sometimes due to hitting memory limits, however, the extension process is spawned again when a new notification comes in.

Any kind of help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

We have setup acknowledgment API calls in the notification service extension processing to be notified when the notifications reach the device. So based on that we know how often the devices stop responding with the ACK to sent notifications. It happens seldom with some users and we have to ask them to restart their device to get the extension functional again.

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Answer 1

vitosik OP

Nov ’23

I have the same problem, I noticed that the extension also stops working after updating the application and starts working again after a long time (it can be 10-20 hours) or immediately after rebooting the device. @tanay_phoneic did you find a solution to this problem?

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Answer 2

seboslaw OP

Jan ’24

Same problem here. Has anyone figured this out?

0

Answer 3

shamim.tigerit OP

Feb ’24

Any work around found?

0

Answer 4

mvohra708 OP

Feb ’24

I took code-level support from Apple and they told me that this is a known issue in iOS, and the only workaround is for the user to reboot the device.

"The problem you are encountering is due to a currently known issue in iOS, where in some cases, after an app update, the Notification Extension fails to launch. At this time, the only workaround to this is to reboot the device, after which the extension will be launched as expected.

The time frame for a fix is not known at this time. We will invite you to file a bug report about this to increase the visibility of the issue, and help the team adequately prioritize a solution. In the bug report please explain the impact on your customers and an approximate number of customers that are being affected. Also include all the logging information you have about it.

You can file your report at https://developer.apple.com/bug-reporting"

Hopefully, this helps someone save a day's worth of time investigating this issue.

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