[android] Uncaught Error: java.lang.String cannot be cast as java.lang.Boolean after bundle update

Environment

  Expo CLI 2.10.1 environment info:
    System:
      OS: macOS 10.14.3
      Shell: 5.3 - /bin/zsh
    Binaries:
      Node: 8.11.4 - ~/.nvm/versions/node/v8.11.4/bin/node
      Yarn: 1.13.0 - /usr/local/bin/yarn
      npm: 5.6.0 - ~/.nvm/versions/node/v8.11.4/bin/npm
      Watchman: 4.9.0 - /usr/local/bin/watchman
    IDEs:
      Android Studio: 3.1 AI-173.4720617
      Xcode: 10.1/10B61 - /usr/bin/xcodebuild
    npmPackages:
      expo: 32.0.0 => 32.0.0
      react: 16.5.0 => 16.5.0
      react-native: https://github.com/expo/react-native/archive/sdk-32.0.0.tar.gz => 0.57.1
      react-navigation: 3.3.2 => 3.3.2
    npmGlobalPackages:
      expo-cli: 2.10.1

Update settings in app.json:

"updates": {
  "enabled": true,
  "checkAutomatically": "ON_ERROR_RECOVERY",
  "fallbackToCacheTimeout": 0
}

Steps to Reproduce

This problem has been very difficult to troubleshoot. It only occurs on Android and only after a new bundle update has been pushed. It has been plaguing us since SDK v28.

We are using Updates.checkForUpdateAsync() to check for updates and use Updates.fetchUpdateAsync() to fetch new updates, if available. After the update has been downloaded, we show an alert with a button using Updates.reloadFromCache().

I have been publishing under a different account (and monitoring network traffic with mitmproxy) with a custom build of the app in the hope that I would be able to spot something funky (corrupt bundle, empty manifest etc). I was unable to get this error condition. It just happens when it happens…

We also have Fabric and Sentry enabled, both of which do not give any information about this crash.

The real problem here is that there is some vital information missing from the error that Expo is returning. If at least there would be some way of getting more info then we at least would know where to look.

I also posted to the forum (no replies yet): https://forums.expo.io/t/uncaught-error-java-lang-string-cannot-be-cast-to-java-lang-boolean-after-publish/20588. I also tried to join the Slack channel, but I didn’t receive the invite for some reason.

If anyone could point me in the right direction to troubleshoot, that would be very much appreciated!

Expected Behavior

Reloading the app after an update should work.

Actual Behavior

The app needs to be completely reinstalled for it to work again.

Reproducible Demo

Since this app has been ejected to Expokit it is not possible to create a reproducible demo.

[thiemo--bleeken]

Same for me. Not working in emulator and on android devices. iOS is not showing this error

[tsapeta]

SDK32 and ExpoKit are no longer supported so I’m closing this issue. I recommend migrating to bare workflow instead of using ExpoKit.