Antennapod: Stuck notification for "Downloading postcast data"

[phene]

App version: 1.6.2.3 from Google Play

Android version: 6.0

Device model: LG-H811

Expected behaviour: Notifications indicating an ongoing operations should clear when that operation finishes. The notification should also be dismissable

Current behaviour: "Downloading podcast data. Processing downloads" notification is stuck and cannot be dismissed. Dismissing the notification requires force-stopping the app.

First occurred: Has been occurring for 4+ weeks.

Steps to reproduce:

Part of background behavior.

Environment: No special settings / configuration

[Adarma]

Also have this issue on Nexus 5x, Android 8.0.0

[bormotov]

Same with new 1.6.4.1 (commit cef70063) from GooglePlay. Sony Z3/Compact

[mfietz]

this is most likely a feed parsing issue.
can you send an OPML file to martin.fietz at gmail.com?

[n0ctua]

I'm experiencing the same issue with version 1.6.4.1 on a Samsung Galaxy S6.
@mfietz I've taken the liberty to send you my OPML export to the provided mail address as well.

Thank you for your efforts!

[mfietz]

I imported the subscriptions from both OPML files but could not reproduce this issue on 1.6.4.1

[bormotov]

main visual changes from previous google play version:

• downloads journal not contain records about each feed download - only episods.
• download new episod not start after feeds (wait 20-30 seconds)

issue with stick noification still present.
if I try "export OPML" -> "Send ..." - got error with ofer send report, and after this notification disappears

[finsterwalder]

How can we help you, to reproduce this problem? I will send you my OPML file in a minute.
Is there anything else I can do?
I'm a Java Devloper myself. I did built a VERY simple Android app, just to get my feet wet, a while ago.

[mfietz]

@finsterwalder first, you need a debug build because release builds are stripped off any logging.
Then either run this debug build on your phone or an emulator and log our for suspicious log lines, maybe there are even some exceptions.

[jannic]

I saw the same symptoms on my phone. But later I noticed that I subscribed to a podcast with a very long feed. After disabling that podcast (removed checkmark at 'Aktuell halten'), updating the feeds works, again.
The podcast feed in question is
https://packetpushers.net/podcast/feed/, which is an XML document with 9536 lines and 866kB.

[mfietz]

makes sense. the notification should be there until the feeds not only have been downloaded, but until they also have been parsed and stored.
the refresh animation currently only shows that downloading is in progress, but not processing

[finsterwalder]

But is it really still processing, or did it crash and never gets done, but "forgot" to clean up the notification?

[mfietz]

a crash while processing could be the reason for a stuck notification, yes.
I could not reproduce this issue with any of the opml lists I received, though

[finsterwalder]

When I update "by hand" I don't get the error. It only appears, when Auto Update kicks in during the night. Did you try that?

[finsterwalder]

Where do I find a debug-build with extra logging?

[keeperofdakeys]

I'm getting this same issue, and with the same podcast - packetpushers. It was working fine until the latest update (late october), and unlike @finsterwalder, it won't refresh manually or automatically, and I have a persistent notification.

The packetpushers podcast has moved feed provider once or twice recently, so there are quite a few duplicated items in my database. I don't know if this would affect the time to process it.

Edit: Re-adding the podcast using the non-https url - so it's duplicated - worked just fine.

[finsterwalder]

To clarify: I can refresh manually. It works fine. But in the past, the notification didn't stick, when I did a manual refresh. I just retried it and now the notification also sticks, when I do a manual refresh.

[finsterwalder]

Just found a description about the debug-builds in the Wiki.
There is a link, that should point to a debug build, but doesn't:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e9hsr39w09jjqkn/antennapod-logging.apk?dl=0
Could someone create a debug build and publish it? That way I would not have to go through the setup procedure and create a build myself. :grimacing:

[finsterwalder]

I think I solved my problem.

Here is what I did:

• I restarted AntennaPod, so no notification is stuck.
• I refreshed each podcast by hand, to find the one causing the problem.
• I removed this podcast and readded it.

The prodcast that caused the problem was:
https://www.heise.de/developer/rss/podcast-softwarearchitektour.rss

I remember that I changed this podcasts URL a while ago, but I must have done it by removing the old and and adding it with the new URL.

I don't know why this got stuck, but it doesn't seam to be stuck again.

[thomasctho]

Thank you @finsterwalder for your sharing above. I also identified the problematic podcast I subscribed to, which caused the stuck refresh notification.

Paul Merriman
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PaulMerriman

In my case, I believe the podcast simply changed to a new URL, so I haven't got updated episodes since mid-Oct. Thank you very much again.

[n0ctua]

@finsterwalder Interestingly enough, the exact same podcast caused the stuck notification on my device. Removing and readding this podcast solved this problem for me as well. Thank you!

[keeperofdakeys]

Any updates on the availability of the debug build?

[finsterwalder]

Then maybe the podcast had corrupt data in the past? Or more precisely: it had data that lead to a corrupt state on the device.
Maybe the feed was fixed and the corrupt data stayed on the device?
Don't know enough about the inner workings of Antennapod to know what could go wrong...

[Piscean]

Just in the last 2 weeks I've started seeing the originally stated problem:
"Downloading podcast data. Processing downloads" notification is stuck and cannot be dismissed. Dismissing the notification requires force-stopping the app.

Any info I can supply that would help debug this?

I'm on version 1.6.4.4. Android version 7.1.2.

[thomasctho]

@Piscean Take a look at comment from @finsterwalder above. It's a quick and easy way to identify the podcast feed that's causing the problem. Worked perfectly for me.

[Piscean]

@thomasctho That worked for 6 days. Now it's back.

[thomasctho]

@Piscean Then do it again! :)

[wasmer]

Saw this (kind of) issue with 1.6.4.5 on Samsung SM-G930FD on current Android 7.0.
After deleting "Luftpostpodcast" (empty or broken currently?) deleting the apps Cache it seems to be gone for now.

[wasmer]

http://luftpost-podcast.de/feed/podcast/
After adding it aggain, there are still no Episodes, but the "stuck notification" issue does not appear again.

[Piscean]

@wasmer Give it time. Until the bug is fixed, it will continue to happen. For me, it's never gone for more than 7 or 8 days before returning.

[patricktokeeffe]

I'm currently using 1.6.4.5 from the Play Store and have also been observing this symptom for at least several months now. It could be true the root cause is a particular feed, but I suspect it's a more general exception not being handled sufficiently.

For instance, right now I have a stuck notification from 8:58a Sat, Feb 17 but my download log doesn't indicate any activity happening that day: no errors, no successes. I don't usually get any new podcasts on Saturday so it's a strange day for the symptom to arise.

Conversely, over the past few days, there are more than a few Unknown Host and IO Error notices in my download log, but I've watched 'Downloading podcast data' notifications come and go properly.

I'm storing data on SD and refreshing hourly.

[cyplo]

Hello !
I spent some time trying to reproduce this - I wasn't able to pinpoint a particular line in the code that causes the problem, however:

• I have exported a full database that causes the error - please see AntennaPodBackup.db.zip
• logcat says:

03-04 18:17:21.274 26377-26674/de.danoeh.antennapod.debug E/FeedSyncThread: ExecutionException in FeedSyncThread: java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to read from field 'java.lang.String de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedFile.download_url' on a null object reference

Let me know if this helps or if you'd need more info.

thank you :)

```

[danlamanna]

Fwiw, I've been using antennapod for years and just started experiencing this issue in the last couple weeks or so.

Phone: Pixel 3
Version: 1.7.1
Commit: d26d21260