hello, Steve!

Hi Mark!

how can I help you today?

Let me paste in my question:

My app requires Bluetooth communication the entire time it runs. I'm thinking of implementing it as a started service and starting the service in an Application subclass. Is that reasonable? (Note that in our application we provide the Android devices, which all run 4.4.4.)

what do you mean by "the entire time it runs"?

I mean from the time the is first started until it's shutdown (if it's shutdown)

*the app

um, that didn't help

do you mean "the entire time the UI is in the foreground?", "the entire time the process is running?", "until Ft. Lauderdale freezes over?", or something else

Multiple activities of the app require Bluetooth, so I would like Bluetooth to be available to every activity in the app

and if the user navigates away (HOME, RECENTS, etc.)... what then?

This is a kiosk app, so there shouldn't be any navigation away in normal circumstances. But even if there were navigation away, it would be best if incoming Bluetooth messages kept getting received

OK

then the started service seems reasonable

ok

And starting it in onCreate of the Application subclass is a reasonable place to start it?

in a kiosk situation, starting from Application is probably OK, though you could perhaps get by with just doing that in onCreate() of your launcher activity

ok

I have another question:

seriously? Google shows that?

all I/O on the main application thread is a bad idea

I would write on a background thread

ok

ok

I was thinking that was probably the case, but wasn't sure because of the example

By the way, the Google example is called BluetoothChat

ok, no more questions today

Thank you so much! I appreciate your guidance.

FWIW, it seems like BluetoothChat is using background threads

looks like the I/O is being done by these ConnectedThread instances

But not for writing, as far I can tell

Yes, but not in the run() method.

Maybe I'm not understanding.

ah

yeah, that's probably just a bug

this example is as old as the hills

(I think the 2014 copyright date lies)

it's the only example I've ever been able to find

yeah, maybe in 2017, I'll get around to writing about Bluetooth

er, 2018

and everybody else who has an example that I've found has based it on BluetoothChat, perpetuating that bug

groovy

ah well, no rest for the weary, and all that

it would be great if you could write about it

it's on one of my many lists

i have a rewritten version of BluetoothChat that does the write off the main thread, so i'll stick with that then

sounds like a plan

i'm going to post a comment to a Stackoverflow post about this issue. Would it be ok if i mention your view (with proper attribution)?

sure

thanks so much

you're very welcome!

you've solved all my problems today!

that seems a bit over the top

well, maybe a little...

have a great rest of the day

you too!