MuntashirAkon/AppManager · error · BadParcelableException

Parcelable protocol requires a non-null Parcelable.Creator o

Error message

Parcelable protocol requires a non-null Parcelable.Creator object called CREATOR on class " + name

What it means

After resolving the CREATOR field, ParcelUtils checks the retrieved value is non-null. A CREATOR field that is declared but never assigned (null) violates the Parcelable protocol and raises BadParcelableException.

Source

Thrown at libcore/io/src/main/java/aosp/android/content/pm/ParcelUtils.java:92

                        throw new BadParcelableException("Parcelable protocol requires a "
                                + "Parcelable.Creator object called "
                                + "CREATOR on class " + name);
                    }
                    creator = (Parcelable.Creator<?>) f.get(null);
                } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
                    Log.e(TAG, "Illegal access when unmarshalling: " + name, e);
                    throw new BadParcelableException(
                            "IllegalAccessException when unmarshalling: " + name);
                } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
                    Log.e(TAG, "Class not found when unmarshalling: " + name, e);
                    throw new BadParcelableException("ClassNotFoundException when unmarshalling: " + name);
                } catch (NoSuchFieldException e) {
                    throw new BadParcelableException("Parcelable protocol requires a "
                            + "Parcelable.Creator object called "
                            + "CREATOR on class " + name);
                }
                if (creator == null) {
                    throw new BadParcelableException("Parcelable protocol requires a "
                            + "non-null Parcelable.Creator object called "
                            + "CREATOR on class " + name);
                }
                map.put(name, creator);
            }
        }

        return creator;
    }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 0152f468fc)

Solutions

1. Assign a real Parcelable.Creator instance to the CREATOR field
2. Check for static-initializer exceptions that could leave CREATOR null
3. Remove leftover scaffolding placeholders and complete the Parcelable implementation

Example fix

// before
public static final Parcelable.Creator<MyData> CREATOR = null;
// after
public static final Parcelable.Creator<MyData> CREATOR = new Parcelable.Creator<MyData>() {
    public MyData createFromParcel(Parcel in) { return new MyData(in); }
    public MyData[] newArray(int size) { return new MyData[size]; }
};

try {
    Object c = Class.forName(name, false, loader).getField("CREATOR").get(null);
    if (c == null) throw new IllegalStateException("CREATOR is null on " + name);
} catch (ReflectiveOperationException e) { /* handle */ }

try {
    T p = ParcelUtils.readParcelable(parcel, loader);
} catch (BadParcelableException e) {
    Log.e(TAG, "Null CREATOR — check static init of " + name, e);
}

When it happens

Trigger: A Parcelable class declares CREATOR but initializes it to null (or assigns it in a static block/constructor that fails or hasn't run), and the class is read from a parcel.

Common situations: Placeholder CREATOR = null left from scaffolding; static initialization order/exception leaving CREATOR null; bytecode transformations stripping the initializer.

Understand the failure class

Background: "is not a compatible type" / "cannot merge" errors: when a value's type doesn't match what the library requires — this error's family across 65 libraries.

Related errors

• Can't unparcel type " + actual.getName() + " in list of type
• Parcelable protocol requires that the class implements Parce
• Parcelable protocol requires a Parcelable.Creator object cal
• ClassNotFoundException when unmarshalling: " + name
• Empty profile path

AI-assisted analysis of MuntashirAkon/AppManager@0152f468fc (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d24edb27207793cb. Report an issue: GitHub.