[Due for payment 2026-04-01] [$250] DEV console error: BGTaskSchedulerErrorDomain error 1

[m-natarajan]

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Version Number:
Reproducible in staging?: Needs Reproduction (Reproduction blocked)
Reproducible in production?: Needs Reproduction
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack:
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers):
Logs: https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4856
Expensify/Expensify Issue URL:
Issue reported by: @QichenZhu
Slack conversation (hyperlinked to channel name): #Expensify Bugs

Action Performed:

1. Launch the iOS HybridApp

Expected Result:

No console errors appear

Actual Result:

A console error appears: Uncaught (in promise, id: 0): "Error: The operation couldn't be completed. (BGTaskSchedulerErrorDomain error 1.)"

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Select the officially supported platforms where the issue was reproduced:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

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Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @mallenexpensify

Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022035070433289501893
• Upwork Job ID: 2035070433289501893
• Last Price Increase: 2026-03-20

[MelvinBot]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

On iOS HybridApp launch, a console error appears: Uncaught (in promise, id: 0): "Error: The operation couldn't be completed. (BGTaskSchedulerErrorDomain error 1.)". This is BGTaskScheduler.Error.unavailable.

What is the root cause of that problem?

In HybridApp mode, the React Native app runs inside the OldDot (Expensify Classic) native app from Mobile-Expensify/iOS/, not from App/ios/. The standalone NewExpensify's Info.plist at App/ios/NewExpensify/Info.plist:5-8 declares BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers with com.chat.expensify.backgroundTaskSync and the required UIBackgroundModes (fetch, processing) at lines 110-116 — but these configurations are not used in HybridApp builds.

Per App/contributingGuides/HYBRID_APP.md: "modifying any code in ./android and ./ios folders in the root of the project will not affect the HybridApp build at all."

When the app launches, App/src/App.tsx:58 unconditionally imports ./setup/backgroundTask, which triggers App/src/setup/backgroundTask/index.native.ts:7 to call TaskManager.defineTask(). This calls the native ReactNativeBackgroundTask.defineTask() method (App/modules/background-task/ios/ReactNativeBackgroundTask.mm:38), which:

1. Reads BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers from [[NSBundle mainBundle] objectForInfoDictionaryKey:] (line 55) — in HybridApp, mainBundle is OldDot's bundle, which likely lacks this key
2. Calls submitTaskRequest (line 86→26) which returns BGTaskSchedulerErrorDomain error 1 because the scheduler is unavailable without proper configuration

The native method rejects the promise (line 100-102), but the JS caller at index.native.ts:7 never attaches .catch(), so it surfaces as an unhandled promise rejection.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Two changes needed:

1. Guard against HybridApp mode in App/src/setup/backgroundTask/index.native.ts — wrap the defineTask call with a CONFIG.IS_HYBRID_APP check to skip background task registration when running in HybridApp mode, since the OldDot host app doesn't have the required BGTask configuration.

2. Add .catch() as a safety net — even with the HybridApp guard, the defineTask() call should handle promise rejections gracefully (e.g., log a warning) to prevent unhandled promise rejections from surfacing as console errors in any edge case (like iOS Simulator).

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

An alternative would be to add BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers and UIBackgroundModes to the OldDot Info.plist in Mobile-Expensify/iOS/, and call RNBackgroundTaskManager.setup() from the OldDot AppDelegate. However, this is a larger change that requires modifying the Mobile-Expensify repo, and it's unclear whether background fetch is needed/desired in HybridApp mode. The guard approach is simpler and more targeted.

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Next Steps for Contributor+ team: Reply with @MelvinBot implement this to create a draft PR, @MelvinBot <your feedback> to refine this analysis, or explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @mkhutornyi (External)

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022035070433289501893

[surafeal-dev]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.
On iOS HybridApp launch a console error appears: Uncaught (in promise, id: 0): "Error: The operation couldn't be completed. (BGTaskSchedulerErrorDomain error 1.)" (BGTaskScheduler.Error.unavailable). It surfaces as an unhandled promise rejection during app startup.

What is the root cause of that problem?

• The NewDot app unconditionally imports and registers background tasks (App/src/setup/backgroundTask/index.native.ts) on startup. That code calls TaskManager.defineTask() which invokes native code that expects BGTaskScheduler configuration (BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers and UIBackgroundModes) to be present in the host app Info.plist.
• In HybridApp mode the JS runs inside the OldDot native host (Mobile-Expensify). The OldDot host bundle does not include the NewDot Info.plist keys, so the native call to schedule/submit background tasks fails with BGTaskSchedulerErrorDomain error 1 and rejects the promise.
• The JS caller does not attach a .catch() to the promise, so the rejection becomes an unhandled promise error in the console.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

1. Guard background task registration in HybridApp:

• Update App/src/setup/backgroundTask/index.native.ts to detect HybridApp mode (using CONFIG.IS_HYBRID_APP or equivalent runtime flag) and skip TaskManager.defineTask() when running inside HybridApp. The host app likely doesn't intend NewDot to schedule background tasks.

2. Add robust promise handling as a defensive measure:

• Ensure TaskManager.defineTask() calls are followed by .catch() that logs a non-fatal warning instead of surfacing an unhandled rejection. This prevents console noise even in edge cases (simulator, misconfigured bundle, or temporary scheduler unavailability).

Crucial implementation details

• File changes:
  • App/src/setup/backgroundTask/index.native.ts: wrap defineTask call with if (!CONFIG.IS_HYBRID_APP) { ... } and attach .catch() to the returned promise.
  • Add a safe logger call (e.g., Log.warn('backgroundTask', '...')) on failure so errors are recorded but non-fatal.

Alternative solutions considered

• Add required background keys to the OldDot host Info.plist (Mobile-Expensify): feasible but cross-repo and may enable background behavior not desired by the host app.
• Always swallow the promise rejection without a guard: reduces console noise but would register background tasks in a host that may not be configured for them — risky.

[mkhutornyi]

@MelvinBot implement this

[MelvinBot]

🤖 Draft PR created: #85988
Please mark it as "Ready for review" when it is ready for review.