Multiple apps relying on Google Play services (maps) crash - help?

[zxmon21]

Hi,
I am running Android 5.0 on a Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F), rooted.

I noticed a while ago that several apps started crashing. I noticed they all have in common that they use the map component from Google play services. Here's the list of apps I noticed "unfortunately stop":
- Runkeeper
- Runtastic
- Pendelkollen (public transport app in Stockholm, Sweden)
- Moves app (runs fine, only crashes when I enter part of the app that shows a map)
- CellMapper (runs fine, only crashes when I enter part of the app that shows a map)
(by the way, Google Maps works just fine)

As detail, I am attaching a stack trace (sorry, only as PNG screenshots) from some of the crashes.




I am running version 7.8.99 (2134222-438) of Google Play services.
I have experimented to uninstall updates to Google Play services, which reverts to version 6.1.88 (1557022-738) and stops the crashes. However, it also affects functionality in these apps:
- Runkeeper - app runs, but msg "This app won't run unless you update Google Play services" shows in the place where the map should be
- Runtastic - app runs, but maps only show blank
- Pendelkollen - runs, map shows fine
- Moves app - runs, map shows fine
- CellMapper - app runs, but msg "This app won't run unless you update Google Play services" shows in the place where the map should be

When I update Google Play services (to version 7.8.99, as before) the old crashing behavior is restored.

Now, that if frustrating...

To add to the confusion... My wife uses a Moto X with the same version of Google Play services, and experiences no problems (with some of the same apps).

Could someone help me understand the problem further, and (ideally) help me find a solution?

Thanks for any help!

 

[srkmagnus]

Welcome to Android Central!

Try clearing cache of the device and let us know if that helps. If it doesn't, then I would suggest a factory reset and keep a close eye on things as you re-install apps and setup the device.

 

[zxmon21]

Hej Magnus,
thanks for the suggestion. Clearing the cache didn't visibly make a difference - the same apps still keep crashing in the same way.

I am still trying to get away without a full factory reset... Isn't there some way I can understand what component is malfunctioning? Remove that, reinstall it?

 

[Linda Fredian]

OMG, another person who has the same problem as me. I started a google forum for the exact same thing you are experiencing and there are three other people with the same problem. Try Yelp, their maps crash too. I also have the Samsung Galaxy S5. I have used several weather apps and have the same problem when I click on the radar map, they all crash. It is related to Google Play services and/or possibly the 5.0 lollipop. I tried going to the developer of the google maps and they just say to try the forum. I basically am getting no where. I have cleared cache and the partition cache. Battery out, then put back in, restart phone and uninstall updates, but eventually you have to have the newer one. Which for the services I have the same version as you. I wish a lot more people would come forward, but I don't know who to contact. One guy thought it was Samsung, I highly doubt that. I don't want to do a factory restart, actually someone did and reported it didn't help them.

 

[zxmon21]

Hi Linda,
thanks for putting this in context and informing about what your status is. Could you point to the exact thread on Yelp, so I (and other readers) can post updates and follow that thread directly?

I did a factory reset yesterday and can confirm that my apps still crash.

 

[zxmon21]

I just downloaded the Android software development kit, latest versions of everything. I downloaded Google Play services support, and built a minimal app that uses Google maps display (such an app is available as a template in Android Studio).
The app builds fine and gets installed on my Galaxy S5. Upon start, it crashes with the same errors that I get in the commercial applications listed above.

08-18 11:41:56.648  10307-10307/com.example.[myname].myapplication E/AndroidRuntime﹕ FATAL EXCEPTION: main
    Process: com.example.timconze.myapplication, PID: 10307
    java.lang.IncompatibleClassChangeError: Class 'java.lang.reflect.ArtMethod' does not implement interface 'android.os.Parcelable$Creator' in call to 'java.lang.Object android.os.Parcelable$Creator.createFromParcel(android.os.Parcel)' (declaration of 'java.lang.reflect.ArtMethod' appears in /system/framework/core-libart.jar)
            at com.google.android.gms.common.internal.safeparcel.a.a(SourceFile:227)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.b.a(SourceFile:93)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.internal.u.onTransact(SourceFile:63)
            at android.os.Binder.transact(Binder.java:380)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.internal.IMapFragmentDelegate$zza$zza.onInflate(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.SupportMapFragment$zza.onInflate(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.dynamic.zza$2.zzb(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.dynamic.zza$1.zza(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.SupportMapFragment$zzb.zzwP(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.SupportMapFragment$zzb.zza(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.dynamic.zza.zza(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.dynamic.zza.onInflate(Unknown Source)
            at com.google.android.gms.maps.SupportMapFragment.onInflate(Unknown Source)
            at android.support.v4.app.FragmentManagerImpl.onCreateView(FragmentManager.java:2169)
            at android.support.v4.app.FragmentActivity.onCreateView(FragmentActivity.java:300)
            at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:734)
            at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:483)
            at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:415)
            at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:366)
            at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.setContentView(PhoneWindow.java:428)
            at android.app.Activity.setContentView(Activity.java:2241)
            at com.example.[myname].myapplication.MapsActivity.onCreate(MapsActivity.java:18)
            at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:6221)
            at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1119)
            at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2611)
            at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2725)
            at android.app.ActivityThread.access$900(ActivityThread.java:172)
            at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1422)
            at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
            at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:145)
            at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5834)
            at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
            at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:372)
            at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:1388)
            at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:1183)

Please remember, this is behavior 2 days after the phone was factory reset

 

[zxmon21]

I manually removed any updates to Google Play services (to version 6.something) and manually installed com.google.android.gms-7.0.97-(1791429-430)-7097430-Android-5.0 (a rather old version).

Applications are no longer crashing, but several complain that I need to update GP services for them to work!

If I have time and motivation, I might manually update and narrow down which version introduces the crashes.

 

[zxmon21]

I have tried to downgrade to the "factory reset" version, and then updated until problems with my apps occur. Maybe this will help someone else:

Moves, runkeeper, pendelkollen, taxi 020, and basically all the Google Play services-dependent apps I tested (in their most recent versions as of today) work with the following version:
com.google.android.gms-v7.5.73-(1976294-440)-7573440-Android-5.0

After version com.google.android.gms-v7.8.93-(2104405-430)-7893430-Android-5.0 I get crashes in several apps "unfortunately ... stopped"

I think for this to hold I needed to disable automatic updates of Google Play services. I think I achieved this by (being root), disconnecting Google Play services from the Google Play store using Titanium backup (pro version, costs USD 6).

I do hope that a future version of Google Play services will work again, so I can enable automatic updates and forget about this...

 

[Fernando Suarez Ornani]

Same problem here... Phone is SM-G900M. Also tried a factory reset and my testbed was Samsung's S Health app. Whenever you hit Start Walking it tries to display a map so this hangs the app.
I've succesfully downloaded 7.5.74.438 from apk mirror to temporarily fix the problem.
Unfortunately Titanium Backup solution of disconnecting an app from the market only works for a cuple of minutes (hours if you are lucky) and won't survive a reboot (Titanium Backup people already knows this and doesn't have a permanent solution)

 

[zxmon21]

I fixed my problem today. This is how I did it:

I downloaded Samsung Kies on my computer. Connecting the phone, it suggested a firmware update. It also warned that my phone might be bricked by the firmware update, as the phone was rooted. I proceeded anyway.

A tiresome download later, my phone now has the most recent firmware, is running my apps as it should (no more crashes, with the most recent version of Google Play services), and is no longer rooted (side-effect of firmware upgrade).

Now I have to decide whether to root it again, or stay in the status quo - it's working after all.

I'm not sure what helped, either firmware update or un-rooting. If you guys try anything, please post your experience here. My problem is solved!

 

[Hawat]

I fixed my problem today. This is how I did it:

I downloaded Samsung Kies on my computer. Connecting the phone, it suggested a firmware update. It also warned that my phone might be bricked by the firmware update, as the phone was rooted. I proceeded anyway.

A tiresome download later, my phone now has the most recent firmware, is running my apps as it should (no more crashes, with the most recent version of Google Play services), and is no longer rooted (side-effect of firmware upgrade).

Now I have to decide whether to root it again, or stay in the status quo - it's working after all.

I'm not sure what helped, either firmware update or un-rooting. If you guys try anything, please post your experience here. My problem is solved!

Same problem here but finally found a workaround to make Apps like Runstatic work again almost entirely keeping root privileges and avoid a firmware update/downgrade. The trick is using an app like «Link2SD» or similar, which can be used to freeze «Play Google Services». After doing this, any app relying on PGS works again mostly, with the exception of any function that depends on PGS directly. It just a temporal solution until a better solution shows up...

 

[anteli91 OtoKar]

Hello, i have the same phone with lollipop 5.0 and the same bugs as you for quit a month, wich update of android did you make with kies?
Thks

 

[zxmon21]

I did not write down from which version to which version the firmware upgrade was done.

But I know that now the Settings -> About device -> Baseband version is G900FXXU1BOE5, kernel version 3.4.0-4920185, build number LRX21T.G900FXXU1BOE5.

I hope that one of these numbers answers your question