React-native-code-push: In multi deployment builds, run-android launches the wrong version of the app

[chetstone]

Thanks so much for filing an issue or feature request! Please fill out the following (wherever relevant):

• react-native-code-push version: 1.14.6-beta
• react-native version: 0.32.1
• iOS/Android/Windows version: android Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900T - 6.0.1
• Does this reproduce on a debug build or release build? debug build
• Does this reproduce on a simulator, or only on a physical device? Both
• Repro steps and/or stack trace:

I followed the instructions in the README for installing both debug and release builds simultaneously on the same device. It mostly works, but when I build the debug version with react-native run-android it installs the debug version on the device but launches the release version when the install is done. Not a serious problem but a minor annoyance to have to launch the debug version by hand. There must be a setting missing in the gradle files.

Sometimes, when the release version is already running, run-android will print the following message:

Starting: Intent { cmp=io.malamode/.MainActivity }
Warning: Activity not started, its current task has been brought to the front

(The more info the faster we will be able to address it!)

[matrosov-nikita]

Hi @chetstone

It is problem of react-native, which ignores applicationIdSuffix property from build.gradle file. There are two ways to resolve this problem - either run debug version manually (something that you already mentioned) or run the following script from your app directory:

cd android && ./gradlew installDebug && adb -s <DEVICE_ID> shell am start -n <PACKAGE_ID>.debug/<PACKAGE_ID>.MainActivity

cd android && gradlew.bat installDebug && adb -s <DEVICE_ID> shell am start -n <PACKAGE_ID>.debug/<PACKAGE_ID>.MainActivity

where PACKAGE_ID is you package identifier (something like com.mycompany.myapp) and DEVICE_ID is a device identifier as listed by adb devices

Based on this I'd suggest you to report this issue in react-native or use these workarounds.

[chetstone]

@matrosov-nikita Thanks very much for the script. I'll give it a try.

This issue has been reported on Product Pains and there is a PR pending to fix it.

[vladimir-kotikov]

Cool, thanks for the links, @chetstone!

[nordfogel]

@matrosov-nikita: thanks for your workaround which is still necessary even a year after your suggestion. this issue is still valid and its initial PR pointed out from @chetstone led to a corresponding PR which has been closed misleadingly without merge. At least it has gotten some attention since last week. Unfortunately it seems like a new issue needs to be filed..

a short addition
-d instead of -s <DEVICE_ID>
can be used if there is only one device connected via usb. e.g.
$ cd android && ./gradlew installAlphaRelease && adb -d shell am start -n <PACKAGE_ID>.alpha/<PACKAGE_ID>.MainActivity
while Alpha is a build flavour

[xanderberkein]

You can run your app with the appIdSuffix param

react-native run-android --appIdSuffix "debug"

You can find all the available params here: https://github.com/facebook/react-native/blob/master/local-cli/runAndroid/runAndroid.js#L301

Source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/48340408/5791025

[johanforssell]

I'm writing new versions of old apps, and thus I have inherited old app id's.

My code have the package com.common.package (in source files and AndroidManifest.xml).

My build.gradle contains

    buildTypes {
        debug {
        }
        release {
            minifyEnabled enableProguardInReleaseBuilds
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile("proguard-android.txt"), "proguard-rules.pro"
        }
    }

    flavorDimensions "appName"
    productFlavors {
        appAAA {
            dimension "appName"
            applicationId "com.AAA.app"
            versionCode 100
            versionName "3.0.0"
        }
        appBBB {
            dimension "appName"
            applicationId "com.BBB.app"
            versionCode 100
            versionName '3.0.0'
        }
    }

First the app can be installed with gradlew

cd android && ./gradlew installAppBBBDebug

The I can start it manually with

adb -s emulator-5554 shell am start -n com.BBB.app/com.common.package.MainActivity

This is a bloody hassle. I would rather not have to mess with it like this.

[rafaelmaeuer]

This is still an issue using android debug with launch.json in vscode. Is there no fix yet or planned?
As @matrosov-nikita mentioned, react-native is ignoring applicationIdSuffix property from build.gradle.

[lucianbc]

This is still an issue. The code in this PR seems to solve it, but in the meantime, I guess the CLI has been moved here and since it fails to find the correct package, I assume the new file has a bug.
My assumption is that the manifest file is not picked up correctly from the build folder in android.