I am using Google Analytics for Android to track events, page views on an Android app. When calling the tracker's dispatch method, I receive a RuntimeException:
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): Handler{44a08620} sending message to a Handler on a dead thread
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): java.lang.RuntimeException: Handler{44a08620} sending message to a Handler on a dead thread
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.os.MessageQueue.enqueueMessage(MessageQueue.java:179)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.os.Handler.sendMessageAtTime(Handler.java:457)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.os.Handler.sendMessageDelayed(Handler.java:430)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.os.Handler.post(Handler.java:248)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.NetworkDispatcher$DispatcherThread.dispatchEvents(Unknown Source)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.NetworkDispatcher.dispatchEvents(Unknown Source)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.GoogleAnalyticsTracker.dispatch(Unknown Source)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.company.activity.set(MyActivity.java:177)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.company.activity.access$34(MyActivity.java:175)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.company.activity.$45.onClick(MyActivity.java:1982)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.android.internal.app.AlertController$ButtonHandler.handleMessage(AlertController.java:158)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:123)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4627)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:868)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:626)
07-12 18:02:05.594: WARN/MessageQueue(12823): at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
--EDIT-- At first I was convinced it had to do with my placement of tracker, putting it in onResume, Threads, etc. magically made it throw exceptions. Turns out, Google's own example code (http://code.google.com/intl/iw-IL/mobile/analytics/docs/android/index.html , also available in their SDK download) also throws this Exception:
07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): null sending message to a Handler on a dead thread 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): java.lang.RuntimeException: null sending message to a Handler on a dead thread 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.os.MessageQueue.enqueueMessage(MessageQueue.java:179) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.os.Looper.quit(Looper.java:173) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.NetworkDispatcher.stop(Unknown Source) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.NetworkDispatcher.init(Unknown Source) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.GoogleAnalyticsTracker.start(Unknown Source) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.GoogleAnalyticsTracker.start(Unknown Source) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.GoogleAnalyticsTracker.start(Unknown Source) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.google.android.apps.analytics.sample.AnalyticsSample.onCreate(AnalyticsSample.java:23) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1047) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2627) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2679) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.ActivityThread.handleRelaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:3815) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.ActivityThread.access$2400(ActivityThread.java:125) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:2037) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:123) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4627) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:868) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:626) 07-12 23:47:09.343: WARN/MessageQueue(18468): at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
This happens when you force the original activity to be destroyed (i.e. changing orientation, going to Home screen, etc.) . I can't store the original tracker object via onSavedInstance, since tracker isn't a Parcelable. Any other ideas, clues how to get rid of this error?
--EDIT-- Even stranger, it seems that this is also causing the following problem:
07-13 00:50:02.581: WARN/googleanalytics(27605): Dispatcher thinks it finished, but there were -4 failed events
While most mentions of this online point their fingers back to whitespaces in the Events or PageViews which corrupt the db, I have confirmed this not to be the case. Also, I'm not sure what it means to have a negative event (-4)!