microg/GmsCore · critical · IOException

ERROR_MISSING_INSTANCEID_SERVICE

ERROR_MISSING_INSTANCEID_SERVICE

Error message

ERROR_MISSING_INSTANCEID_SERVICE

What it means

InstanceIdRpc.sendRegisterMessage throws ERROR_MISSING_INSTANCEID_SERVICE when initialize() cannot resolve any package on the device that hosts the instance-ID registration service (ACTION_INSTANCE_ID_SERVICE / the IID receiver). Without a provider app (Play Services or microG) the registration intent has no target package.

Source

Thrown at play-services-iid/src/main/java/org/microg/gms/iid/InstanceIdRpc.java:279

            intent.setPackage("com.google.example.invalidpackage");
            selfAuthToken = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(context, 0, intent, 0);
        }
        return selfAuthToken;
    }

    private static synchronized String getRequestId() {
        return Integer.toString(lastRequestId++);
    }

    private void sendRegisterMessage(Bundle data, KeyPair keyPair, String requestId) throws IOException {
        long elapsedRealtime = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime();
        if (nextAttempt != 0 && elapsedRealtime <= nextAttempt) {
            Log.w(TAG, "Had to wait for " + interval + ", that's still " + (nextAttempt - elapsedRealtime));
            throw new IOException(ERROR_BACKOFF);
        }
        initialize();
        if (iidPackageName == null) {
            throw new IOException(ERROR_MISSING_INSTANCEID_SERVICE);
        }
        Intent intent = new Intent(ACTION_C2DM_REGISTER);
        intent.setPackage(iidPackageName);
        data.putString(EXTRA_GMS_VERSION, Integer.toString(getGmsVersionCode(context)));
        data.putString(EXTRA_OS_VERSION, Integer.toString(SDK_INT));
        data.putString(EXTRA_APP_VERSION_CODE, Integer.toString(getSelfVersionCode(context)));
        data.putString(EXTRA_APP_VERSION_NAME, getSelfVersionName(context));
        data.putString(EXTRA_CLIENT_VERSION, "iid-" + GMS_VERSION_CODE);
        data.putString(EXTRA_APP_ID, InstanceID.sha1KeyPair(keyPair));
        String pub = base64encode(keyPair.getPublic().getEncoded());
        data.putString(EXTRA_PUBLIC_KEY, pub);
        data.putString(EXTRA_SIGNATURE, sign(keyPair, context.getPackageName(), pub));
        intent.putExtras(data);
        intent.putExtra(EXTRA_APP, getSelfAuthToken());
        sendRequest(intent, requestId);
    }

    private static String sign(KeyPair keyPair, String... payload) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 157c9d86ac)

Solutions

1. Verify Google Play Services is installed and up to date on the device (check GooglePlayServicesUtil.isGooglePlayServicesAvailable / ensure updated via the provider)
2. Ensure the device/setup provides the IID service: on de-Googled devices install and configure microG with the required GMS components
3. If supporting devices without Play Services, use an alternate push transport (e.g. UnifiedPush) instead of InstanceID/GCM
4. Check that the app depends on a compatible com.google.android.gms:play-services-iid version matching the device's GMS

Example fix

// before
String token = InstanceID.getInstance(ctx).getToken(senderId, "GCM");
// after
int status = GoogleApiAvailability.getInstance().isGooglePlayServicesAvailable(ctx);
if (status != ConnectionResult.SUCCESS) {
    GoogleApiAvailability.getInstance().getErrorDialog(activity, status, REQ).show();
    return;
}
String token = InstanceID.getInstance(ctx).getToken(senderId, "GCM");

int status = GoogleApiAvailability.getInstance()
    .isGooglePlayServicesAvailable(context);
if (status != ConnectionResult.SUCCESS) {
    GoogleApiAvailability.getInstance()
        .getErrorDialog(activity, status, 0).show();
}

try {
    String token = instanceId.getToken(senderId, "GCM");
} catch (IOException e) {
    if ("ERROR_MISSING_INSTANCEID_SERVICE".equals(e.getMessage())) {
        promptUserToInstallOrUpdatePlayServices();
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling getToken on a device with no Google Play Services (or an outdated/broken install), or on a microG build where the com.google.android.gms IID service component is missing or disabled, so iidPackageName remains null after initialize().

Common situations: Running a GCM/FCM-dependent app on devices without Play Services (e.g. Kindle, emulators without Google APIs, de-Googled ROMs without microG installed); Play Services mid-update or disabled by the user; wrong build variant relying on microG that isn't configured.

Understand the failure class

Background: 'Could not be found', 'does not exist', 'not found in database': the resource-not-found family when an ID, slug, key, or URI lookup comes back empty — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

• Access denied, missing google package permission for
• No acceptable module " + moduleId + " found. Local version i
• Required caller information missing
• (String) res
• UnsupportedOperationException

AI-assisted analysis of microg/GmsCore@157c9d86ac (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/eb8ba63c3e5e096a. Report an issue: GitHub.