microg/GmsCore · error · IllegalArgumentException

Missing package name

Error message

Missing package name

What it means

SmsRetrieverService.handleServiceRequest throws this IllegalArgumentException when PackageUtils.getAndCheckCallingPackage(this, request.packageName) returns null — the caller's package could not be resolved or failed the consistency check between the binder calling identity and the claimed package name in the GetServiceRequest.

Source

Thrown at play-services-auth-api-phone/core/src/main/kotlin/org/microg/gms/auth/phone/SmsRetrieverService.kt:40

import com.google.android.gms.common.internal.GetServiceRequest
import com.google.android.gms.common.internal.IGmsCallbacks
import org.microg.gms.BaseService
import org.microg.gms.common.GmsService
import org.microg.gms.common.PackageUtils


private const val TAG = "SmsRetrieverService"
private val FEATURES = arrayOf(
    Feature("sms_retrieve", 1),
    Feature("user_consent", 3)
)

class SmsRetrieverService : BaseService(TAG, GmsService.SMS_RETRIEVER) {
    private val smsRetriever = SmsRetrieverCore(this, lifecycle)

    override fun handleServiceRequest(callback: IGmsCallbacks, request: GetServiceRequest, service: GmsService) {
        val packageName = PackageUtils.getAndCheckCallingPackage(this, request.packageName)
            ?: throw IllegalArgumentException("Missing package name")
        callback.onPostInitCompleteWithConnectionInfo(
            CommonStatusCodes.SUCCESS,
            SmsRetrieverServiceImpl(smsRetriever, packageName, lifecycle),
            ConnectionInfo().apply { features = FEATURES }
        )
    }
}


class SmsRetrieverServiceImpl(private val smsRetriever: SmsRetrieverCore, private val packageName: String, override val lifecycle: Lifecycle) :
    ISmsRetrieverApiService.Stub(), LifecycleOwner {

    override fun startSmsRetriever(callback: ISmsRetrieverResultCallback) {
        Log.d(TAG, "startSmsRetriever()")
        lifecycleScope.launchWhenStarted {
            val status = try {
                smsRetriever.startSmsRetriever(packageName)
                Status.SUCCESS

View on GitHub (pinned to 157c9d86ac)

Solutions

  1. Update the Google Play Services (client) library in the app so the GetServiceRequest carries a correct packageName
  2. Ensure the calling app is installed and its package name matches what it passes to the API
  3. If you maintain the service side, catch IllegalArgumentException in the binder path and return a status-code error to the client instead of crashing
  4. Test with the official play-services-auth-api-phone client rather than hand-rolled binder calls

Example fix

// before
val packageName = PackageUtils.getAndCheckCallingPackage(this, request.packageName)
    ?: throw IllegalArgumentException("Missing package name")
// after
val packageName = PackageUtils.getAndCheckCallingPackage(this, request.packageName)
if (packageName == null) {
    callback.onPostInitComplete(CommonStatusCodes.ERROR, null, null)
    return
}
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Try / catch

try { bindAndUseService() } catch (e: IllegalArgumentException) { Log.w(TAG, "Service rejected request: ${e.message}") }

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: A Google Play Services client binding to the SMS_RETRIEVER service without a resolvable calling package (null from getAndCheckCallingPackage), e.g. a malformed GetServiceRequest or a caller whose uid maps to no installed package.

Common situations: Outdated or mismatched play-services client library on the app side; instrumentation/test harnesses that bind without proper package attribution; modified/custom client builds that spoof or omit packageName.

Understand the failure class

Background: "missing required argument" and "the following required arguments were not provided": what required-argument errors mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of microg/GmsCore@157c9d86ac (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3a6455b146b50256. Report an issue: GitHub.