Android BLE API: GATT Notification not received

Question

Device used for testing: Nexus 4, Android 4.3

Connection is working fine but the onCharacteristicChangedMethod of my callback is never called. However I am registering for notifications using setCharacteristicNotification(char, true) inside onServicesDiscovered and that function even returns true.

Device log (there are actually no messages at all when notifications should appear / are sent via the Bluetooth device):

07-28 18:15:06.936  16777-16809/de.ffuf.leica.sketch D/BluetoothGatt: setCharacteristicNotification() - uuid: 3ab10101-f831-4395-b29d-570977d5bf94 enable: true
07-28 18:15:06.936    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.GattService: registerForNotification() - address=C9:79:25:34:19:6C enable: true
07-28 18:15:06.936    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btif_gattc_reg_for_notification
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btgattc_handle_event: Event 1018
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.GattService: onRegisterForNotifications() - address=null, status=0, registered=1, charUuid=3ab10101-f831-4395-b29d-570977d5bf94
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btgattc_handle_event: Event 1016
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btgattc_handle_event: Event 1018
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.GattService: onRegisterForNotifications() - address=null, status=0, registered=1, charUuid=3ab10102-f831-4395-b29d-570977d5bf94
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btgattc_handle_event: Event 1016
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7684/com.android.bluetooth E/bt-btif: already has a pending command!!
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btgattc_handle_event: Event 1013
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7684/com.android.bluetooth E/bt-btif: already has a pending command!!
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btgattc_handle_event: Event 1013
07-28 18:15:06.946    4372-7684/com.android.bluetooth E/bt-btif: already has a pending command!!
07-28 18:15:06.976    4372-7645/com.android.bluetooth D/BtGatt.btif: btif_gattc_upstreams_evt: Event 9

GATT Notifications work fine using iOS and the app basically does the same as on Android (registering for notification etc.).

Has anyone else experienced this with a possible solution?

Answer 1

It seems like you forgot to write the Descriptor which tells your BLE device to go in this mode. See the code lines that deal with descriptor at http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth-le.html#notification

Without setting this descriptor, you never receive updates to a characteristic. Calling setCharacteristicNotification is not enough. This is a common mistake.

code snipped

protected static final UUID CHARACTERISTIC_UPDATE_NOTIFICATION_DESCRIPTOR_UUID = UUID.fromString("00002902-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb");

public boolean setCharacteristicNotification(BluetoothDevice device, UUID serviceUuid, UUID characteristicUuid,
        boolean enable) {
    if (IS_DEBUG)
        Log.d(TAG, "setCharacteristicNotification(device=" + device.getName() + device.getAddress() + ", UUID="
                + characteristicUuid + ", enable=" + enable + " )");
    BluetoothGatt gatt = mGattInstances.get(device.getAddress()); //I just hold the gatt instances I got from connect in this HashMap
    BluetoothGattCharacteristic characteristic = gatt.getService(serviceUuid).getCharacteristic(characteristicUuid);
    gatt.setCharacteristicNotification(characteristic, enable);
    BluetoothGattDescriptor descriptor = characteristic.getDescriptor(CHARACTERISTIC_UPDATE_NOTIFICATION_DESCRIPTOR_UUID);
    descriptor.setValue(enable ? BluetoothGattDescriptor.ENABLE_NOTIFICATION_VALUE : new byte[] { 0x00, 0x00 });
    return gatt.writeDescriptor(descriptor); //descriptor write operation successfully started? 
}