CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidandroid-intentandroid-serviceandroid-mediaplayer
dengn
dengn

Reputation: 3

Android Service, do we have to use startService or BindService?

I am developping a MusicPlayer app, and I use a local Service to be make the MediaPlayer run in the background. It seems that we can either send intent to start a Service or bind a Service. I understand the point of for startService, we leave it running and send intent to stopService, and for bindService, we get back a IBinder to communicate with the service. However, I'm wondering what's the point of doing this? Do we have to send intents to make it work? If I just retrieve an static instance of Service, and directly call its methods, I can also implement both start it and communicate with it.

I found an example of not using startService nor bindService, but it works well as a simple MusicPlayer.

The fragment calls Service: https://github.com/zacharytamas/spotify-sampler/blob/master/app/src/main/java/com/zacharytamas/spotifysampler/ui/PlayerFragment.java

The Service class: https://github.com/zacharytamas/spotify-sampler/blob/master/app/src/main/java/com/zacharytamas/spotifysampler/services/PlayerService.java

Upvotes: 0

Views: 641

Answers (2)

iblancasa
iblancasa

Reputation: 354

startService is used when you don't need to communicate with the service. BindService is used when yout need to communicate with it.

In your app, I think you will communicate with the service (for example, if you have an activity where you choose the song, your will send data to the service to say: "this is the song which you have to play now") and I think you will need BindService instead startService.

I hope this will help you :D

Upvotes: 0

CommonsWare
CommonsWare

Reputation: 1006614

However, I'm wondering what's the point of doing this?

To have the service be running, to tell the OS "hey, we are doing work here on behalf of the user, please let my process live a bit longer".

This is covered in the documentation.

Do we have to send intents to make it work?

Yes.

If I just retrieve an static instance of Service, and directly call its methods, I can also implement both start it and communicate with it.

Then it is merely a Java object, and there is no point in inheriting from Service. Also, it means that your process will live for less time when your UI is not in the foreground.

I found an example of not using startService nor bindService, but it works well as a simple MusicPlayer.

The service is started, via startService(), in ArtistSearchActivity. Until this is done, the service does not exist, and the singleton will be null.

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions