lifecycle - Android Application class method onCreate being called multiple times

Question

i've overloaded the Application class in my android app and i'm using the ACRA report system. My app looks like ( real source code here ) :

public class MyApplication extends Application 
{
    @Override
    public void onCreate() {        
        ACRA.init( this );

        /*
         * Initialize my singletons etc
         * ...
         * ...
         */
        super.onCreate();
    }
}

And as far as i know, the Application object should be created only once, so the onCreate method should be called only once. The problem is, that in my crash reports ( from ACRA ) i have this:

java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create service it.evilsocket.myapp.net.N ...
java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create service it.evilsocket.myapp.net.NetworkMonitorService: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create application it.evilsocket.myapp.MyApplication: **java.lang.IllegalStateException: ACRA#init called more than once**
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleCreateService(ActivityThread.java:2283)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1600(ActivityThread.java:127)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1212)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:137)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4441)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:511)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:784)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:551)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create application it.evilsocket.myapp.MyApplication: java.lang.IllegalStateException: ACRA#init called more than once
    at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplication(LoadedApk.java:495)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleCreateService(ActivityThread.java:2269)
    ... 10 more
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: ACRA#init called more than once
    at org.acra.ACRA.init(ACRA.java:118)
    at it.evilsocket.myapp.MyApplication.onCreate(MyApplication.java:46)
    at android.app.Instrumentation.callApplicationOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:969)
    at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplication(LoadedApk.java:492)
    ... 11 more
java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create application it.evilsocket.myapp.MyApplication: java.lang.IllegalStateException: ACRA#init called more than once
    at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplication(LoadedApk.java:495)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleCreateService(ActivityThread.java:2269)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1600(ActivityThread.java:127)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1212)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:137)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4441)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:511)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:784)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:551)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: ACRA#init called more than once
    at org.acra.ACRA.init(ACRA.java:118)
    at it.evilsocket.myapp.MyApplication.onCreate(MyApplication.java:46)
    at android.app.Instrumentation.callApplicationOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:969)
    at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplication(LoadedApk.java:492)
    ... 11 more
java.lang.IllegalStateException: ACRA#init called more than once
    at org.acra.ACRA.init(ACRA.java:118)
    at it.evilsocket.myapp.MyApplication.onCreate(MyApplication.java:46)
    at android.app.Instrumentation.callApplicationOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:969)
    at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplication(LoadedApk.java:492)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleCreateService(ActivityThread.java:2269)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1600(ActivityThread.java:127)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1212)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:137)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4441)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:511)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:784)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:551)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)

So it seems like the app onCreate is being called multiple times, any idea on this ?

NOTES:

• In my android xml manifest, i did NOT use the android:process="string" attribute.
• Yes, i'm sure that in my initialization routines i'm not accidentally calling MyApplication.onCreate .

Answer 1

I think that you have additional process in your application. That is why Application.onCreate is called more than once. Look into your manifest file and try to find the activity or service with something like android:process= . This means that activity/service is starting in second Dalvik VM, and that's why another application instance is created.