Using the WorkManager on Android

Question

In my app I need to upload data periodically to a server if data to be uploaded is available. This doesn't need to happen right away, but can also be delayed for a couple of minutes. WorkManager seems to be a good starting point from what I've read about it.

I'm now unsure which way to choose:

• I could schedule a one-time job every time I have something to upload and have the WorkManager retry if the upload fails.

• I could schedule a periodic job that checks whether there is work to do and if so, does the work.

Both solutions seem to have their pros and cons. The choice depends on some questions I still have:

• Presume I want to use a periodic job - when would I start it? Of course, I'd start it first if my app is run for the first time. But then: will it survive reboots and pick up where it left or would I have to start it again when my app starts (or if the BOOT FINISHED broadcast is received)?
• Is my understanding correct that once the periodic job is started, it will keep running even if my app is no longer active or even running, but only until the device is restarted?
• How will one-time job retries be handled? Once scheduled, I understand they run until done and are then disposed of or they can be automatically re-scheduled. Presume they are re-scheduled, will they be picked up once the device has rebooted or will I have to re-schedule them in that case because the system forgets about them when it is restarted?

EDIT
OK, I just found a blog post that stated that WorkManager ensures that the work is done even if the app or the device is restarted. I'm going to give it a try and see what happens. Still, feel free to answer my questions so I can sleep better...

Answer 1

One more point to note in your use case that to make sure you are using a unique periodic work concept otherwise you will have multiple periodic works running around unnecessarily.