[BUG] Android: JWPlayer React Native SDK Crashes Due to Media3 PlayerMessage.setHandler Incompatibility

[Mohamed-hamed-32]

Describe the bug
The Android app crashes immediately when initializing or playing media through JWPlayer React Native SDK. The crash occurs due to a method incompatibility between JWPlayer SDK and AndroidX Media3, specifically regarding the PlayerMessage.setHandler method. This is a blocking issue preventing any audio playback functionality in our production app.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Create a React Native project with Expo
2. Install @jwplayer/jwplayer-react-native
3. Configure JWPlayer with proper Media3 dependencies in Android configuration
4. Set up a basic audio player using JWPlayer
5. Attempt to play any audio stream
6. App crashes with NoSuchMethodError

Expected behavior

• JWPlayer should initialize successfully
• Audio playback should work without crashes
• Player controls and events should function normally

Screenshots / Visual evidence

Title: [Android] Critical: JWPlayer React Native SDK Crashes Due to Media3 PlayerMessage.setHandler Incompatibility

java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: No virtual method setHandler(Landroid/os/Handler;)Landroidx/media3/exoplayer/PlayerMessage; in class Landroidx/media3/exoplayer/PlayerMessage; or its super classes (declaration of 'androidx.media3.exoplayer.PlayerMessage' appears in /data/app/~~EH-gSvtI9j7TSoNh2SHl3w==/com.mediaworks.therock.beta-qMDl2X3uwuwArtS8vxWDjA==/base.apk!classes6.dex)

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Create a new React Native project with Expo
2. Add the following dependencies:
   • @jwplayer/jwplayer-react-native
   • Required Android configuration in app.config.ts
3. Initialize JWPlayer with a simple audio configuration:
4. Run the app on any Android device
5. App crashes immediately when the JWPlayer component mounts or when attempting to play audio playlist

"streamUrl": "https://example-url/playlist.m3u8",

Desktop:
Build Environment:

• macOS darwin 24.3.0
• Android Gradle plugin: 8.6.0
• Gradle: 8.10.2
• React Native with Expo managed workflow
• Node.js version: 20.17.0

Device(s) affected

• Reproducible on all tested Android devices:
  • Android Emulator (API 30, 31, 33)
  • Physical devices running Android 11-14
  • Both ARM and x86 architectures
• Reproduction rate: 100%

Additional context
Attempted Solutions:

1. SDK Versions:

   • JWPlayer SDK versions: 4.19.0, 4.18.4, 4.6.0
   • Media3 versions: 1.4.1, 1.1.1, 1.0.0
   • All combinations result in the same error

2. Configuration Attempts:

   • Implemented all recommended Android configurations
   • Added complete Media3 dependency set
   • Configured proper Maven repository
   • Enabled multiDex
   • Set appropriate SDK versions
   • Disabled advanced features (background playback, lock screen controls)

3. Project Setup:

   // app.config.ts
   android: {
     extraMavenRepos: ['https://mvn.jwplayer.com/content/repositories/releases/'],
     minSdkVersion: 24,
     targetSdkVersion: 34,
     compileSdkVersion: 34,
     multiDexEnabled: true,
          // Downgraded Media3 dependencies:
            'androidx.media3:media3-common:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-extractor:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-exoplayer:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-exoplayer-dash:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-exoplayer-hls:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-exoplayer-smoothstreaming:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-session:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-datasource-okhttp:1.1.1',
            'androidx.media3:media3-ui:1.1.1',
   
            // JWPlayer dependencies:
            'com.jwplayer:jwplayer-core:4.18.4',
            'com.jwplayer:jwplayer-common:4.18.4',
            'com.jwplayer:jwplayer-ima:4.18.4',
            'com.jwplayer:jwplayer-chromecast:4.18.4',
   
            // Other dependencies:
            'com.squareup.picasso:picasso:2.71828',
            'androidx.viewpager2:viewpager2:1.0.0',
            'com.android.volley:volley:1.2.0',
            'androidx.recyclerview:recyclerview:1.2.1',
            'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.3.1',
            'com.google.android.material:material:1.4.0',
            'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.0.4',
          ],
   }

Critical Questions:

1. Is there a known working combination of JWPlayer SDK and Media3 versions for React Native?
2. Are there specific configuration requirements for Media3 compatibility?
3. Is there a workaround available for the setHandler method issue?
4. Would using ExoPlayer 2.x instead of Media3 be a viable solution?