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FAQ

FMD is not working in the background, only when I open the app​

For some users, FMD does not work in the background:

  • When you send a command to the phone, it only handles it and only replies when the display is on, or when FMD is opened.
  • The regular background location upload runs less often than the interval configured in the settings.

On ROMs that are close to vanilla AOSP (Pixel stock, LineageOS, GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, etc.), this should not happen. It did happen in the past due to a bug in how FMD used the JobScheduler API, so feel free to report a bug.

Other ROMs often have modifications that prevent background jobs from running. If you are on a non-vanilla ROM (Samsung stock, Xiaomi stock, OnePlus stock, etc.) please first check out https://dontkillmyapp.com/ before asking in the chat or reporting a bug.

And before you ask: yes, Android has Doze. That's why FMD uses JobScheduler to schedule background jobs. For historical reasons, we started with JobScheduler and have not yet migrated to WorkManager (which is now recommended by Google). But under the hood WorkManager uses JobScheduler, so it shouldn't make a difference.

The problem is that only vanilla AOSP handles Doze correctly, other vendors add additional restrictions on top of it.

If you are using FMD Server, make sure that your UnifiedPush distributor app (e.g., ntfy) can also run in the background.

If in doubt, check the logs in the FMD app. Does FMD receive a push notification? Does it start handling the command but then abort? Try to narrow down where it fails.

I cannot grant FMD some permissions​

Android 15 has made it harder to grant permissions that are often abused by malware. Relevant for FMD, this includes: SMS, Display over other Apps, Device Admin. To fix this:

  1. Go to the FMD app details in the OS settings.
  2. Click on the three-dot overflow menu.
  3. Click "Allow restricted settings".

See also:

Screenshots
Restricted settings screenshot 1Restricted settings screenshot 2Restricted settings screenshot 3