Cisco warns Android 14 breaks Webex, Jabber clients

Cisco is warning that Webex and Jabber on Android will lose the ability to receive calls or messages from various unified communication servers in August, due to an API change in Android.

The issue has to do with Android 14’s handling of the foreground service (FGS) API.

In a field notice, Cisco advised that Webex and Jabber affect a number of other products that use them for messaging, including Expressway, Unified Communication Manager (UCM), and Unified Presence Server.

“Google updated how applications in background mode are notified of incoming calls and messages”, the field notice states.

After August 31, Cisco warns, the “VoIP socket deprecation” will break background notifications in Webex and Jabber.

The API change is a battery-saving measure, Cisco said: if either app moves to background mode, Android terminates them, preventing the server from contacting them.

That impacts how the various unified communications systems interact with Webex and Jabber, Cisco explained.

A Webex Android client registered to the unified communication manager will be unable to receive calls; and a Jabber Android client registered to UCM for calling and UCM’s instant messenger and presence service will be unable to receive calls or messages.

Fixed software is available for all versions of the software, which switch the products to use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) push notifications instead of the VoIP socket to process the background messages.

Updated software is available for all affected products except the Webex client for Android; for that, Cisco said, FCM will be supported in version 44.8 which will be available in August 2024.