RuntimeException from Google Analytics for Android "sending message to a handler on a dead thread"

Question

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 (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)!

Answer 1

You could do a dispatch in onPause()

tracker.dispatch();

to avoid losing data and then recreate the tracker