🔥 messaging().getInitialNotification() returns null after opening app from a quit state

[Slisandro]

Issue

When opening my app from a FCM notification (while app is quit), messaging().getInitialNotification() always returns null.
Notifications are working fine in background and foreground states.
I already checked common issues:

• I'm not using react-native-splash-screen (I have a custom animated splash screen with Animated component).

• I'm not using Notifee.

• Using a physical Android device.

• Tried sending notification and data payload.

• Using the correct setBackgroundMessageHandler inside a useEffect.

• expo-notifications has been uninstalled.

Still, getInitialNotification() keeps returning null.

Project Files

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package.json:

"dependencies": {
    "@expo/vector-icons": "^14.0.2",
    "@google/generative-ai": "^0.24.0",
    "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage": "^1.24.0",
    "@react-native-firebase/app": "^21.14.0",
    "@react-native-firebase/firestore": "^21.14.0",
    "@react-native-firebase/messaging": "^21.14.0",
    "@react-navigation/native": "^7.0.14",
    "axios": "^1.8.4",
    "expo": "~52.0.40",
    "expo-clipboard": "~7.0.1",
    "expo-constants": "~17.0.8",
    "expo-dev-client": "~5.0.20",
    "expo-font": "~13.0.4",
    "expo-linear-gradient": "^14.0.2",
    "expo-linking": "~7.0.5",
    "expo-router": "~4.0.19",
    "expo-secure-store": "~14.0.1",
    "expo-status-bar": "~2.0.1",
    "firebase": "^11.5.0",
    "firebase-admin": "^13.2.0",
    "formik": "^2.4.6",
    "google-auth-library": "^9.15.1",
    "react": "18.3.1",
    "react-native": "0.76.7",
    "react-native-country-codes-picker": "^2.3.5",
    "react-native-markdown-display": "^7.0.2",
    "react-native-paper": "^5.13.1",
    "react-native-reanimated": "~3.16.1",
    "react-native-safe-area-context": "4.12.0",
    "react-native-screens": "~4.4.0",
    "react-native-webview": "13.12.5",
    "toastify-react-native": "^6.0.0",
    "yup": "^1.6.1"
  } 

app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "name": "apptest",
    "slug": "apptest",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "orientation": "portrait",
    "scheme": "myapp",
    "userInterfaceStyle": "automatic",
    "newArchEnabled": true,
    "ios": {
      "supportsTablet": true,
      "googleServicesFile": "./GoogleService-Info.plist",
      "bundleIdentifier": "com.slisandro.apptest"
    },
    "android": {
      "adaptiveIcon": {
        "foregroundImage": "./assets/icon.png",
        "backgroundColor": "#ffffff"
      },
      "googleServicesFile": "./google-services.json",
      "package": "com.slisandro.apptest"
    },
    "web": {
      "bundler": "metro",
      "output": "static",
      "favicon": "./assets/icon.png"
    },
    "plugins": [
      "expo-router",
      "expo-secure-store",
      "@react-native-firebase/app"
    ],
    "experiments": {
      "typedRoutes": true
    },
    "extra": {
      "router": {
        "origin": false
      },
      "eas": {
        "projectId": "75c14a30-6da9-4007-b857-b886016aa243"
      }
    },
    "owner": "slisandro"
  }
}

eas.json:

{
  "cli": {
    "version": ">= 16.3.1",
    "appVersionSource": "remote"
  },
  "build": {
    "development": {
      "developmentClient": true,
      "distribution": "internal"
    },
    "preview": {
      "distribution": "internal"
    },
    "production": {
      "developmentClient": false,
      "distribution": "internal",
      "android": {
        "buildType": "apk"
      }
    }
  },
  "submit": {
    "production": {}
  }
}

Field for send test notification:

const sendNotification = async () => {
  const message = {
    token: "",

    notification: {
      title: "Notificación de prueba",
      body: "Esta es una prueba",
    },

    data: {
      screen: "/detail",
      id: "ID_PRODUCT",
    },
  };

  try {
    const response = await admin.messaging().send(message);
    console.log("✅ :", response);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("❌ :", error);
  }
};

---

• Platform that you're experiencing the issue on:
  • Android
• Are you using TypeScript?
  • Yes & ^5.8.2

[MichaelVerdon]

Hey there, thanks for the details on solutions you have tried. Can you please check the docs here to ensure correct usage of getInitialMessage() and onNotificationOpenedApp(). If that does not work can you show me a snipper or repo branch to investigate myself? Maybe you are not properly awaiting the initial message so the app opens before the message is received and handled properly.

[hirbod]

I can confirm this issue. All listeners work, and getInitialMessage works fine on iOS, but it’s always null for us on Android when launched from a quit state. But I only tested "dev mode", so it might work in release when expo-dev-clients is not involved?

RN 0.79 with the new architecture enabled.

Unlike the OP, we do have expo-notifications installed, but we’re not setting up any listeners from Expo. We’re only using it to handle notification permissions and checks for Android and to setup the default channel (since those aren’t shipped by this library). Everything else works fine though.

[mikehardy]

I'm not using react-native-splash-screen (I have a custom animated splash screen with Animated component).

Do you handle the reason react-native-splash-screen is problematic? Do you handle the specific case where on Android 12 the intent isn't passed correctly for various reasons (it's subtle - check react-native-bootsplash for example)?

I recommend you remove the splash screen as a temporary measure to test things and make sure your splash screen code doesn't have a fault. A splash screen would be considered a violation of the principle of "minimum reproducible example" for the purposes of recreating this issue and it is such a classic source of problems on Android with initial notifications I can't justify spending any time investigating as long as a splash screen is involved and no minimum example is provided

[dayron9110]

I have the same problem, I have tried different ways and the result is the same in Android the remoteMessage is null in getInitialNotification. I have removed the use of Splash screen to see if that was the problem and it is not either.

[Slisandro]

I managed to solve it (although I don't know if it's the best way), but now the app opens even when it's completely closed. The project is compiled with Expo, so I installed the expo-notifications library and added the following separate hook to the notification handling when the app is opened and minimized. I hope this helps.

useEffect(() => {
    let isMounted = true;

    function redirect(notification: Notifications.Notification) {
      if (notification?.request?.content?.data) {
        handleRedirect(notification.request.content.data);
      }
    }

    Notifications.getLastNotificationResponseAsync().then((response) => {
      if (!isMounted || !response?.notification) {
        return;
      }
      redirect(response?.notification);
    });

    const subscription = Notifications.addNotificationResponseReceivedListener(
      (response) => {
        redirect(response.notification);
      }
    );

    return () => {
      isMounted = false;
      subscription.remove();
    };
}, []);

[dayron9110]

After a whole day wasted, I decided to try to make it work with expo-notifications. What I did was in the index.js add the following:

Notifications.addNotificationResponseReceivedListener(response => {
  console.log('FCM Mensaje Abierto desde background or quite expo :', JSON.stringify(response ?? 'null', null, 2));
  setTimeout(() => {
    router.push({
      pathname: '/home/searchResultsList',
      params: {
        searchTerm: 'withcat.bienes-raices',
        category: 'bienes-raices',
        origin: 'home',
        subCat: '',
      },
    })
  }, 10000);
});

messaging().setBackgroundMessageHandler(async remoteMessage => {
  console.log('FCM Mensaje de fondo:', remoteMessage);
  return Promise.resolve();
});

messaging().onMessage(async remoteMessage => {
  console.log('FCM Mensaje recibido primer plano:', remoteMessage);
  Alert.alert('FCM Mensaje recibido', JSON.stringify(remoteMessage.notification));
});

The above code was tested in Android in debug and release modes.

In iOS I tested it in debug mode.