iOS push notification fails with NotificationHubClient in release mode

[intellimedhu]

Description

I was able to send push notifications in debug to my iPhone, through AzureNotificationHub.
But it fails in release mode (using TestFlight).

Using nuget package: Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs 4.2.0

During debugging, I found out that it fails to register to the NotificationHub.
When calling NotificationHubClient.CreateOrUpdateRegistrationAsync() method, it throws an exception.

Exception:

UnexpectedElementExpectingElements, Element, DeviceToken, http://schemas.microsoft.com/netservices/2010/10/servicebus/connect, PushVariables
System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.ThrowRequiredMemberMissingException(XmlReaderDelegator xmlReader, Int32 memberIndex, Int32 requiredIndex, XmlDictionaryString[] memberNames)

I tried enabling the Mono interpreter, just like they recommended in a previous issue and in the documentation but the problem still remains.

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
</PropertyGroup>

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <MtouchInterpreter>-all</MtouchInterpreter>
</PropertyGroup>

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <MtouchInterpreter>all</MtouchInterpreter>
</PropertyGroup>

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create new MAUI app
2. Add Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs nuget
3. Try to register to NotificationHub

Link to public reproduction project repository

No response

Version with bug

8.0.80 SR8

Is this a regression from previous behavior?

Not sure, did not test other versions

Last version that worked well

Unknown/Other

Affected platforms

iOS

Affected platform versions

iOS 17.5.1

Did you find any workaround?

No

Relevant log output

UnexpectedElementExpectingElements, Element, DeviceToken, http://schemas.microsoft.com/netservices/2010/10/servicebus/connect, PushVariables
System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.ThrowRequiredMemberMissingException(XmlReaderDelegator xmlReader, Int32 memberIndex, Int32 requiredIndex, XmlDictionaryString[] memberNames)

[github-actions]

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Please view the issues below to see if they solve your problem, and if the issue describes your problem please consider closing this one and thumbs upping the other issue to help us prioritize it. Thank you!

Open similar issues:

• MAUI .net7 / .net8 ios push notifications not received in DidReceiveRemoteNotification (#18012), similarity score: 0.76

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• iOS app fails when deployed to TestFlight using NotificationHubClient (#11131), similarity score: 0.82
• MAUI ios app not working/crashing after deployed to Testflight (#19026), similarity score: 0.73
• iOS Notification Service Extension Deploy Fails (#22586), similarity score: 0.73
• App sometimes crashes in Background on iOS Release (#23882), similarity score: 0.72

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[jfversluis]

Could you maybe try this and see if that helps: #11131 (comment)

[intellimedhu]

I also tried it with this:

<MtouchExtraArgs Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == '$(iOSTargetFramework)' and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
        --linkskip=Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs
</MtouchExtraArgs>

but this causes the whole app to crash, I can't even start it.

[PureWeen]

@rolfbjarne @dalexsoto thoughts?

@intellimedhu can you attach the exception you are seeing?

[rolfbjarne]

@rolfbjarne @dalexsoto thoughts?

No idea what's going on here, but the exception details + stack trace might help us to start looking in the right direction.

[intellimedhu]

@rolfbjarne @dalexsoto thoughts?

@intellimedhu can you attach the exception you are seeing?

ErrorInLine, 1, 995
UnexpectedElementExpectingElements, Element, DeviceToken, http://schemas.microsoft.com/netservices/2010/10/servicebus/connect, PushVariables---- at

System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.ThrowRequiredMemberMissingException(XmlReaderDelegator, Int32, Int32, XmlDictionaryString[]) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.GetMemberIndexWithRequiredMembers(XmlReaderDelegator, XmlDictionaryString[], XmlDictionaryString[], Int32, Int32, ExtensionDataObject) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.ReflectionXmlReader.ReflectionReadMembers(XmlReaderDelegator, XmlObjectSerializerReadContext,  XmlDictionaryString[],  XmlDictionaryString[], ClassDataContract, Object&) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.ReflectionReader.ReflectionReaderClass(XmlReaderDelegator, XmlObjectSerializerReadContext,
XmlDictionaryString[],  XmlDictionaryString[], ClassDataContract) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.ReflectionXmlClassReader.ReflectionReaderClass(XmlReaderDelegator xmlReader, 
XmlObjectSerializerReadContext context, XmlDictionaryString[] memberNames, XmlDictionaryString[] memberNameSpaces) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContracts.ClassDataContract.ReadXmlValue(XmlReaderDelegator, XmlObjectSerializerReadContext ) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.ReadDataContractValue(DataContract, XmlReaderDelegator ) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.InternalDeserialize(XmlReaderDelegator , String, String,
Type, DataContract&) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.InternalDeserialize(XmlReaderDelegator , Type, DataContract,
String, String) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer.InternalReadObject(XmlReaderDelegator , Boolean, DataContractResolver ) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerReadContext.ReadObjectHandleExceptions(XmlReaderDelegator, Boolean, DataContractResolver ) at

System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer.ReadObject(XmlReader ) at

Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.Messaging.EntityDescriptionSerializer.Deserialize(XmlReader reader, String typeName) at

Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.NotificationHubClient<ReadEntityAsync>d_219` 1[[Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.RegistrationDescription, Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs, Version=4.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35]].MoveNext() at

Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.NotificationHubClient.<>c_DisplayClass209_0`1.<<CreateOrUpdateRegistrationImplAsync>b_0>d[[Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.RegistrationDescription, Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs, Version=4.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35]].MoveNext() 
--- End of stack trace from previous location --- 

at

Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.NotificationHubRetryPolicy.<RunOperation>d_4`1[[Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.RegistrationDescription, Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs, Version=4.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35]].MoveNext() at

Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.NotificationHubRetryPolicy.<RunOperation>d_4`1[[Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.RegistrationDescription, Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs, Version=4.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35]].MoveNext() at

Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.NotificationHubClient.<CreateOrUpdateRegistrationImplAsync>d_209`1
[[Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs.RegistrationDescription, Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs, Version=4.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35]].MoveNext() at

[rolfbjarne]

I wonder if it's the linker removing stuff.

Can you try disable the linker + enable the interpreter:

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
    <MtouchLink>None</MtouchLink>
</PropertyGroup>

and see if that changes anything?

[intellimedhu]

I wonder if it's the linker removing stuff.

Can you try disable the linker + enable the interpreter:

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
    <MtouchLink>None</MtouchLink>
</PropertyGroup>

and see if that changes anything?

Sorry for the late reply. This causes the whole app to crash, it can't even start.

[rolfbjarne]

I wonder if it's the linker removing stuff.
Can you try disable the linker + enable the interpreter:

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
    <MtouchLink>None</MtouchLink>
</PropertyGroup>

and see if that changes anything?

Sorry for the late reply. This causes the whole app to crash, it can't even start.

What about this? This should be pretty close to the working Debug configuration.

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
    <MtouchUseLlvm>false</MtouchUseLlvm>
</PropertyGroup>

[intellimedhu]

I wonder if it's the linker removing stuff.
Can you try disable the linker + enable the interpreter:

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
    <MtouchLink>None</MtouchLink>
</PropertyGroup>

and see if that changes anything?

Sorry for the late reply. This causes the whole app to crash, it can't even start.

What about this? This should be pretty close to the working Debug configuration.

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.Contains('-ios')) and '$(Configuration)' == 'Release'">
    <UseInterpreter>true</UseInterpreter>
    <MtouchUseLlvm>false</MtouchUseLlvm>
</PropertyGroup>

This solved the problem, thank you! I was able to receive notifications, which were sent through the Azure Hub.
These changes how much affect the app (size, speed)?

[rolfbjarne]

This solved the problem, thank you!

That's great!

It looks like this is a problem with our LLVM support then. Would you be able to provide a test project we could use to reproduce the problem in order to track it down and fix it?

These changes how much affect the app (size, speed)?

Not compiling with LLVM can make the app slightly smaller (LLVM typically produces more code) although also slightly slower. Depending on the app, the slowness can range from impossible to measure to a noticeable delay, in particular for apps that use a lot of math in C# (for instances games). Most UI apps won't see any difference whatsoever though. If your app feels responsive as usual, then you're fine performance-wise.

[intellimedhu]

This solved the problem, thank you!

That's great!

It looks like this is a problem with our LLVM support then. Would you be able to provide a test project we could use to reproduce the problem in order to track it down and fix it?

These changes how much affect the app (size, speed)?

Not compiling with LLVM can make the app slightly smaller (LLVM typically produces more code) although also slightly slower. Depending on the app, the slowness can range from impossible to measure to a noticeable delay, in particular for apps that use a lot of math in C# (for instances games). Most UI apps won't see any difference whatsoever though. If your app feels responsive as usual, then you're fine performance-wise.

I created a test project and invited you.

But I also found out what causes the problem.
In my solution I have 2 projects (maui and a simple class library), if the class library contains the NotificationHubs nuget (and the maui project doesn't), then it throws the exception. But if there's only one project, it works fine.

[rolfbjarne]

But I also found out what causes the problem.
In my solution I have 2 projects (maui and a simple class library), if the class library contains the NotificationHubs nuget (and the maui project doesn't), then it throws the exception. But if there's only one project, it works fine.

That's interesting.

Can you get an MSBuild binlog for a build that works, and one that doesn't?

[intellimedhu]

But I also found out what causes the problem.
In my solution I have 2 projects (maui and a simple class library), if the class library contains the NotificationHubs nuget (and the maui project doesn't), then it throws the exception. But if there's only one project, it works fine.

That's interesting.

Can you get an MSBuild binlog for a build that works, and one that doesn't?

I uploaded the two binlog to the test repo.

[Zack-G-I-T]

We have a class library that uses the Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs which our maui app references. The notifications work in debug, and when releasing the app using Ad-hoc to firebase. However when the same code is uploaded to TestFlight using AppStoreConnect as distribution, we get nothing. I tried disabling the linker and enabling the interpreter but no luck.