setBackgroundMessageHandler does not trigger on iOS

[hnqso]

Hello fellows coders,

I'm trying to debug this for a while. The setBackgroundMessageHandler never triggers on iOS. I can see the notification popping up when the app is on background but that's it.

// src/index.js
messaging().setBackgroundMessageHandler(message => {
  console.log('[notification] ', message) // nothing happens
})

I've tried the following:

• Using contentAvailable: true doesn't display the notification
• Using headers within apns doesn't display the notification
• Removing notifications and using silently data does not have any effect
• Removing the data: { payload: {} } does not have any effect

The payload:

{
  tokens: [],
  notification: {
    title: 'Test',
    body: 'Oi oi',
  },
  data: { payload: '{"type": "call"}'},
  android: {},
  apns: {
    payload: {
      aps: {
       'content-available': 1,
       'mutable-content': 1,
        sound: {
          critical: true,
          name: 'default',
          volume: 1.0,
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Using the v14.9.3

"@react-native-firebase/app": "^14.9.3",
"@react-native-firebase/messaging": "^14.9.3",

Background modes is properly set on Xcode.

What am I missing here?

Cheers!

[mikehardy]

If you include a notification block, it will not trigger anything in the background, it shows the notification but you get no control
When the user interacts with it you should see getInitialNotification contain the thing?

[hnqso]

@mikehardy yes, I've remove the notification block but the problem still there. It doesn't really trigger anything inside the setBackgroundMessageHandler method. The foreground messages are working.

[mikehardy]

Now you are probably in one of the (unfortunately - quite common) cases where you learn that data only messages have unreliable delivery in ios. by design from Apple

Make sure you have content-available set to 1
Make sure background refresh is on
Make sure the phone is fully charged up, maybe even plugged in!
Make sure you have granted notifications permissions to the app
Make sure the phone is not too hot (not kidding!)

Watch the Xcode console on the real device to see what the operating system thinks when the FCM arrives. Maybe Apple decides to wake up the app and deliver it, calling the handler, maybe it doesn't (and it should leave a message in the log as to why)

[hnqso]

Hey @mikehardy,

I'm gonna answer my own question hoping it will help someone else digging the same hole.

In their own documentation Apple highlights it:

The system treats background notifications as low priority: you can use them to refresh your app’s content, but the system doesn’t guarantee their delivery

On top of that iOS may put your app in a "suspended state". You should see something like this in the device logs:

com.apple.sleep.WakeUpResultsNotificationRetry.activity:[{ 
  name: FileProtectionPolicy, 
  policyWeight: 0.010, 
  response: {
    Decision: Absolutely Must Not Proceed, 
    Score: 0.00, 
    Rationale: [...]
  }
}], FinalDecision: Absolutely Must Not Proceed}

Checking the devices logs again, I can see the push notification did arrive but because the app is in a "suspended state" the notification alone can't wake it up. Pay attention to the wake: 0 param in the log:

[com.myapp] Request DUET delivers content-available push notification to application
[com.myapp] Received remote notification request 38DB-1D75 [ waking: 0, hasAlertContent: 1, hasSound: 1 hasBadge: 0 hasContentAvailable: 1 hasMutableContent: 1 pushType: Background]

For me use case because they are critical to the product, the only solution I found is to implement PushKit.

Cheers!

[hnqso]

@anhnch yes indeed. Because I’m working on a voice call app I found the voip push the best alternative. I did the notification service extension as well and it does a good job overall.

[prijai07]

@mikehardy, can you provide some references on how to use notifee with notification block?

I'm trying to update the app badge count using notifee, but facing the same issue of setBackgroundMessageHandler not triggering.

My index.js :

import {AppRegistry} from 'react-native';
import App from './App';
import {name as appName} from './app.json';
import messaging from '@react-native-firebase/messaging';
import notifee, {EventType} from '@notifee/react-native';

messaging().setBackgroundMessageHandler(async remoteMessage => {
console.debug('Received background notification: ', remoteMessage);
const {notification, data} = remoteMessage;

if (Platform === 'ios') {
// displays background notifications
notifee.displayNotification({
title: notification.title,
body: notification.body,
data,
});
}

notifee.incrementBadgeCount();
return Promise.resolve();
});

notifee.onBackgroundEvent(async ({type, detail}) => {
const {notification, pressAction} = detail;
if (type === EventType.PRESS) {
await notifee.decrementBadgeCount();
await notifee.cancelNotification(notification.id);
}
});

AppRegistry.registerComponent(appName, () => App);

[frankA10019]

@prijai07 I am facing the same issue, any solution?

[ROG3R-DEV]

@prijai07 @frankA10019 I am facing the same issue, any solution?

[zahoormohammed]

i need help, i am facing the same issue

[AbaidullahRajpoot]

----------------------------Am also facing this issue kindly help me-------------------------

---------------Here is my App.js file code-----------------------

/**

• @Format
  */

import { AppRegistry } from 'react-native';
import App from './App';
import { name as appName } from './app.json';
import messaging from '@react-native-firebase/messaging';
import { Text, TextInput } from 'react-native';

//----------------Request Permissions for Notifications ----------------\

async function requestUserPermission() {
const authStatus = await messaging().requestPermission();
const enabled =
authStatus === messaging.AuthorizationStatus.AUTHORIZED ||
authStatus === messaging.AuthorizationStatus.PROVISIONAL;
if (enabled) {
console.log('Authorization status:', authStatus);
}
}
requestUserPermission();

//----------------Call when App is in kill or background state------//

messaging().setBackgroundMessageHandler(async remoteMessage => {
console.log('Message handled in the background!', remoteMessage);
});

function HeadlessCheck({ isHeadless }) {
if (isHeadless) {
// App has been launched in the background by iOS, ignore
return null;
}

// Render the app component on foreground launch
return ;
}

AppRegistry.registerComponent(appName, () => HeadlessCheck);

//---------------disable font scaling IOS----------------------

if (Text.defaultProps == null) {
Text.defaultProps = {};
Text.defaultProps.allowFontScaling = false;
TextInput.defaultProps = TextInput.defaultProps || {};
TextInput.defaultProps.allowFontScaling = false;
}

---------------Here is my AppDelegate.mm file code----------------------

#import "RNFBMessagingModule.h"
#import <Firebase.h>
#import "AppDelegate.h"
#import <React/RCTBundleURLProvider.h>
//Facebook Setting
#import <AuthenticationServices/AuthenticationServices.h>
#import <SafariServices/SafariServices.h>
#import <FBSDKCoreKit/FBSDKCoreKit-swift.h>
#import <GoogleMaps/GoogleMaps.h>

@implementation AppDelegate

• (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
  {

  self.moduleName = @"ShoptaPlace";
  [FIRApp configure];
  self.initialProps = [RNFBMessagingModule addCustomPropsToUserProps:nil withLaunchOptions:launchOptions];
  [[FBSDKApplicationDelegate sharedInstance] application:application
  didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:launchOptions];
  [GMSServices provideAPIKey:@""]; // add this line using the api key obtained from Google Console
  // You can add your custom initial props in the dictionary below.
  // They will be passed down to the ViewController used by React Native.
  self.initialProps = @{};

  return [super application:application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:launchOptions];
  }

• (NSURL *)sourceURLForBridge:(RCTBridge *)bridge
  {
  #if DEBUG
  return [[RCTBundleURLProvider sharedSettings] jsBundleURLForBundleRoot:@"index"];
  #else
  return [[NSBundle mainBundle] URLForResource:@"main" withExtension:@"jsbundle"];
  #endif
  }

/// This method controls whether the concurrentRootfeature of React18 is turned on or off.
///
/// @see: https://reactjs.org/blog/2022/03/29/react-v18.html
/// @note: This requires to be rendering on Fabric (i.e. on the New Architecture).
/// @return: true if the concurrentRoot feature is enabled. Otherwise, it returns false.

• (BOOL)concurrentRootEnabled
  {
  return true;
  }

@EnD

-----------------Packages I am using--------------------

"react-native": "0.71.4",
"@notifee/react-native": "^7.8.2"
"@react-native-firebase/app": "^18.5.0",
"@react-native-firebase/auth": "^18.5.0",
"@react-native-firebase/dynamic-links": "^18.5.0",
"@react-native-firebase/messaging": "^18.5.0",

[ducsilva]

Is there any way? It doesn't activate so I can't update the Badge

[zahoormohammed]

I am facing the same issue,
messaging().setBackgroundMessageHandler(async (remoteMessage) =>

never triggers in background on IOS. but the same block is working on android. IOS is receiving the notification but setBackgroundMessageHandler is not triggering. i need help