[🐛] IllegalStateException makeGooglePlayServicesAvailable must be called from the main thread

[lorenzomilesi]

Issue

After upgrading from 23.8.6 to 23.8.8, I started getting this Sentry reports for some Android 10 Huawei devices.

java.lang.IllegalStateException: makeGooglePlayServicesAvailable must be called from the main thread
    at com.google.android.gms.common.internal.Preconditions.checkMainThread(SourceFile:3)
    at com.google.android.gms.common.GoogleApiAvailability.makeGooglePlayServicesAvailable(:4)
    at io.invertase.firebase.utils.ReactNativeFirebaseUtilsModule.androidMakePlayServicesAvailable(:16)
    at com.facebook.jni.NativeRunnable.run(SourceFile)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:900)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:103)
    at com.facebook.react.bridge.queue.MessageQueueThreadHandler.dispatchMessage(:5)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:219)
    at com.facebook.react.bridge.queue.MessageQueueThreadImpl$Companion.startNewBackgroundThread$lambda$0(:14)
    at com.facebook.react.bridge.queue.MessageQueueThreadImpl$Companion.a(:0)
    at com.facebook.react.bridge.queue.b.run(:2)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:929)

---

Project Files

Javascript

Click To Expand

package.json:

    "@invertase/react-native-apple-authentication": "2.5.1",
    "@react-native-firebase/analytics": "23.8.8",
    "@react-native-firebase/app": "23.8.8",
    "@react-native-firebase/messaging": "23.8.8",
    "@react-navigation/bottom-tabs": "7.15.5",
    "@react-navigation/elements": "2.9.10",
    "@react-navigation/native": "7.1.33",
    "@react-navigation/native-stack": "7.14.5",
    "@sentry/react-native": "8.4.0",
    "react": "19.2.3",
    "react-native": "0.83.4",
    "react-native-gesture-handler": "2.30.0",
    "react-native-reanimated": "4.2.2",
    "react-native-screens": "4.24.0",
    "react-native-worklets": "0.7.4",

firebase.json for react-native-firebase v6:

# N/A

iOS

Click To Expand

ios/Podfile:

• I'm not using Pods
• I'm using Pods and my Podfile looks like:

# N/A

AppDelegate.m:

// N/A

---

Android

Click To Expand

Have you converted to AndroidX?

• my application is an AndroidX application?
• I am using android/gradle.settings jetifier=true for Android compatibility?
• I am using the NPM package jetifier for react-native compatibility?

android/build.gradle:

// N/A

android/app/build.gradle:

// N/A

android/settings.gradle:

// N/A

MainApplication.java:

// N/A

AndroidManifest.xml:

<!-- N/A -->

---

Environment

Click To Expand

react-native info output:

System:
  OS: macOS 15.7
  CPU: (8) arm64 Apple M2
  Memory: 113.86 MB / 16.00 GB
  Shell:
    version: "5.9"
    path: /bin/zsh
Binaries:
  Node:
    version: 24.7.0
  Yarn:
    version: 3.6.4
  npm:
    version: 11.5.1
  Watchman:
    version: 2025.06.23.00
Managers:
  CocoaPods:
    version: 1.16.2
SDKs:
  iOS SDK:
    Platforms:
      - DriverKit 25.1
      - iOS 26.1
      - macOS 26.1
      - tvOS 26.1
      - visionOS 26.1
      - watchOS 26.1
  Android SDK: Not Found
IDEs:
  Android Studio: 2025.1 AI-251.27812.49.2514.14217341
  Xcode:
    version: 26.1.1/17B100
Languages:
  Java:
    version: 17.0.12
  Ruby:
    version: 3.1.7
npmPackages:
  "@react-native-community/cli":
    installed: 20.0.2
    wanted: 20.0.2
  react:
    installed: 19.2.3
    wanted: 19.2.3
  react-native:
    installed: 0.83.4
    wanted: 0.83.4
  react-native-macos: Not Found
npmGlobalPackages:
  "*react-native*": Not Found
Android:
  hermesEnabled: true
  newArchEnabled: true
iOS:
  hermesEnabled: true
  newArchEnabled: true

• Platform that you're experiencing the issue on:
  • iOS
  • Android
  • iOS but have not tested behavior on Android
  • Android but have not tested behavior on iOS
  • Both
• react-native-firebase version you're using that has this issue:
  • 23.8.8
• Firebase module(s) you're using that has the issue:
  • e.g. Instance ID
• Are you using TypeScript?
  • Y

---

• 👉 Check out React Native Firebase and Invertase on Twitter for updates on the library.

[mikehardy]

Hi there 👋

Indeed, the API in question is annotated for / is documented as requiring MainThread execution context

https://developers.google.com/android/reference/com/google/android/gms/common/GoogleApiAvailability#makeGooglePlayServicesAvailable(android.app.Activity)

Needs to use the UiThreadUtil::runOnUiThread API, it seems

This line right here

react-native-firebase/packages/app/android/src/reactnative/java/io/invertase/firebase/utils/ReactNativeFirebaseUtilsModule.java

Line 111 in 47208f0

GoogleApiAvailability.getInstance().makeGooglePlayServicesAvailable(activity);

...needs conversion to a Runnable and to be sent in to this API:

https://github.com/facebook/react-native/blob/d92e70b11d696b1e0297cf03905dc38df4f34194/packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/bridge/UiThreadUtil.kt#L57

Note this just calls Handler.postDelayed under the covers which returns a boolean that only indicates success in placing the request into the queue for handling it does not convey at all whether it is or will be handled or whether the task has or will have a successful or failed execution.

The Task returned by the native API will either resolve void or throw an exception - void indicates things are okay with Play Services available, exception means Play Services not available, and javascript-level code should have an exception handler already, but the Runnable sent in to the Handler needs to handle the Main thread exception and propagate a Promise rejection I believe

A test case for error handling would involve starting the e2e app on a non-play-services emulator to check current exception behavior in the absence of Play Services, and compare with an emulator that has Play Services, then re-test after

[mikehardy]

I would be surprised if this really had anything to do with the upgrade to 23.8.8 - this seems like a bug that's been present for ever - but I've been surprised before - I think rather this is a coincidental bit of timing where Google simultaneously had a Play Services base SDK release where they altered some threading and they began enforcing this more strictly somehow:

https://developers.google.com/android/guides/releases#january_12_2026

Either way, appears to be an error in the code here and needs a fix here in the lines mentioned above

[lorenzomilesi]

Hi and thanks for the quick reply, your analysis is clear.

It turned out that the occurrences are on devices installed from unofficial stores.
More so, I agree that the problem is not related to the upgrade to version 23.8.8.