Android WorkManager, JobScheduler do all the heavy lifting (AI Generated representation image)

User-Initiated Data Transfer (UIDT) in Android: What, Why, and How? (Yes there’s a WorkManager, but now there’s something new and shiny)

Introduction

With the release of Android 14, Google introduced User-Initiated Data Transfer (UIDT) — a powerful feature designed to improve the reliability of long-duration data transfers. Whether your app handles large file downloads, media uploads, or cloud backups, UIDT ensures a seamless and user-controlled experience.

In this blog, we’ll explore what UIDT is, why it matters, and how you can implement it in your Android app. Plus, we’ll look at how Google Maps improved offline download reliability by 10% using UIDT.

What is UIDT?

UIDT is a feature of JobScheduler that allows users to initiate long-running data transfers that may take more than 10 minutes. Unlike regular background jobs, UIDT jobs:

1. Start immediately when triggered by the user.
2. Run without being restricted by App Standby Buckets.
3. Support resumable downloads in case of network failure or app exit.
4. Appear in Task Manager, allowing users to manually stop them.

UIDT is ideal for file transfers, such as:

1. Downloading offline maps
2. Uploading large media files
3. Cloud data backups
4. Syncing large datasets between devices

UIDT is not needed for short or interruptible transfers — use WorkManager instead!

Why Should You Use UIDT? (Google Maps Case Study)

Google Maps switched from a foreground service implementation to UIDT for their offline map downloads and saw major improvements:

📈 10% increase in download reliability 🚀
🔄 Resumable downloads even after app exits!
⏳ More efficient background execution without foreground service limitations.

“We successfully launched UIDT on Android 14 and saw a significant drop in download failures compared to Android 13.” — Google Maps Engineering Team

🔗 Read the full case study: Google Developers Blog

How to Implement UIDT in Android

Follow these 3 simple steps to integrate UIDT into your app.

1. Declare Permissions Add the required permission in your AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RUN_USER_INITIATED_JOBS" />

2. Create a JobService for Data Transfer

Define a JobService to handle the transfer task and Use JobScheduler to trigger the job when the user initiates a transfer:

class DownloadTransferService : JobService() {
    private val scope = CoroutineScope(Dispatchers.IO)
---

val jobScheduler = getSystemService(JobScheduler::class.java)
val jobInfo = JobInfo.Builder(123, ComponentName(this, DownloadTransferService::class.java))
    .setUserInitiated(true)  // Required for UIDT
    .setRequiredNetworkType(JobInfo.NETWORK_TYPE_UNMETERED) // Wi-Fi only
    .setEstimatedNetworkBytes(1024 * 1024 * 100L) // 100 MB estimated transfer
    .build()

override fun onStartJob(params: JobParameters): Boolean {
        val notification = Notification.Builder(this, "TRANSFER_CHANNEL")
            .setContentTitle("Downloading...")
            .setSmallIcon(android.R.drawable.stat_sys_download)
            .build()
        setNotification(params, notification.id, notification, JobService.JOB_END_NOTIFICATION_POLICY_DETACH)
        scope.launch { startDownload(params) }
        return true
    }
    private suspend fun startDownload(params: JobParameters) {
        delay(5000)  // Simulate download
        jobFinished(params, false)
    }
    override fun onStopJob(params: JobParameters?): Boolean {
        return true  // Reschedule if interrupted
    }
}

jobScheduler.schedule(jobInfo)

Backward Compatibility

Since UIDT is only available on Android 14+, apps targeting older Android versions must use alternative solutions.

Android 13 and below: Use WorkManager for background transfers or a foreground service for long-running tasks.

Ensure backward compatibility: Gate UIDT jobs with a version check before scheduling.

Here’s an example of handling both UIDT and WorkManager:

fun scheduleTransferJob(context: Context) {
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.UPSIDE_DOWN_CAKE) {
        scheduleUIDTJob(context)  // Use UIDT for Android 14+
    } else {
        scheduleWorkManagerJob(context)  // Fallback for older versions
    }
}

Final Thoughts

UIDT is a game-changer for long-running file transfers in Android apps. It provides better reliability, user control, and efficiency compared to traditional background work solutions. With Google Maps proving its success, it’s time for developers to adopt UIDT in their apps.

However, backward compatibility is essential, and developers should continue using WorkManager or foreground services for older Android versions.