Android mediaRecorder.start() failed with error code "start failed: -22"

Question

I'm trying to implement a background video recording feature within my Android application using MediaRecorder. However, I'm consistently encountering an issue with error -22 whenever I attempt to start the recording.

Here's a brief overview of my scenario:

I'm aiming to record a video in the background without utilizing a Surface. I've used standard configurations for MediaRecorder as outlined in the Android documentation and various online tutorials. Here's a snippet of the code I've employed:

public class VideoRecordingService extends Service {

    private static final int NOTIFICATION_ID = 1;
    private static final String TAG = "VideoRecordingService";
    private MediaRecorder mediaRecorder;
    private String outputFile;
    private boolean isRecording = false;

    private BroadcastReceiver stopRecordingReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
        @Override
        public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
            stopRecording();
            stopSelf();
        }
    };

    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();
        IntentFilter filter = new IntentFilter("STOP_VIDEO_RECORDING_ACTION");
        registerReceiver(stopRecordingReceiver, filter);
    }

    @Override
    public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
        startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, createNotification());
        startRecording();
        return START_STICKY;
    }

    private Notification createNotification() {
        String channelId = "SMoDS_Channel_ID";
        String channelName = "SMoDS Channel";

        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
            NotificationChannel channel = new NotificationChannel(channelId, channelName, NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_DEFAULT);
            NotificationManager notificationManager = getSystemService(NotificationManager.class);
            if (notificationManager != null) {
                notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(channel);
            }
        }

        Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, MainActivity.class);
        PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(
                this,
                0,
                notificationIntent,
                PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT | PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE);


        NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, channelId)
                .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_notification)
                .setContentTitle("Registrazione Video Attiva")
                .setContentText("L'app sta registrando un video in background.")
                .setContentIntent(pendingIntent)
                .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_DEFAULT);

        return builder.build();
    }

    @Override
    public void onDestroy() {
        unregisterReceiver(stopRecordingReceiver);
        stopRecording();
        super.onDestroy();
    }

    private void startRecording() {
        if (isRecording) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Recording is already in progress. Skipping new recording.");
            return;
        }

        if (mediaRecorder != null) {
            mediaRecorder.reset();
            mediaRecorder.release();
            mediaRecorder = null;
        }

        try {
            mediaRecorder = new MediaRecorder();
            mediaRecorder.setAudioSource(MediaRecorder.AudioSource.MIC);
            mediaRecorder.setVideoSource(MediaRecorder.VideoSource.CAMERA);
            mediaRecorder.setOutputFormat(MediaRecorder.OutputFormat.MPEG_4);
            mediaRecorder.setAudioEncoder(MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_NB);
            mediaRecorder.setVideoEncoder(MediaRecorder.VideoEncoder.DEFAULT);

            outputFile = getOutputMediaFile();
            if (outputFile == null) {
                Log.e(TAG, "No valid output file");
                return;
            }

            mediaRecorder.setOutputFile(outputFile);
            mediaRecorder.prepare();
            mediaRecorder.start();

            isRecording = true;
            Log.d(TAG, "Start recording");
        } catch (IOException e) {
            Log.e(TAG, "IOException during recording start: " + e.getMessage());
        } catch (IllegalStateException e) {
            Log.e(TAG, "IllegalStateException during recording start: " + e.getMessage());
        } catch (Exception e) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Exception during recording start: " + e.getMessage());
        }
    }

    private void stopRecording() {
        if (mediaRecorder != null) {
            try {
                mediaRecorder.stop();
                mediaRecorder.reset();
                mediaRecorder.release();
                mediaRecorder = null;

                File currentVideoFile = new File(outputFile);
                Recorder.getInstance().setVideoFile(currentVideoFile);
            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
                Log.e(TAG, "Errore durante l'arresto della registrazione: " + e.getMessage());
            }
        }
        isRecording = false;
        Log.d(TAG, "Fine registrazione");
    }

    private String getOutputMediaFile() {
        if (Environment.getExternalStorageState().equals(Environment.MEDIA_MOUNTED) && !isRecording) {
            File mediaStorageDir = new File(Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(DIRECTORY_MOVIES), "SMoDS_Videos");
            if (!mediaStorageDir.exists() && !mediaStorageDir.mkdirs()) {
                Log.e(TAG, "Impossibile creare la directory.");
                return null;
            }
            String timeStamp = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyyMMdd_HHmmss", Locale.getDefault()).format(new Date());
            String videoFileName = "VIDEO_" + timeStamp + ".mp4";
            return new File(mediaStorageDir.getPath(), videoFileName).getAbsolutePath();
        } else {
            Log.e(TAG, "Storage esterno non disponibile o registrazione in corso.");
            return null;
        }
    }
}

However, when I execute the code, I receive the E/MediaRecorder: start failed: -22 error and I'm struggling to understand how to resolve it.

I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences or if there are specific solutions to handle the -22 error when using MediaRecorder in a background video recording context without utilizing a Surface.

I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions or direction on how I might address this issue. Thank you in advance for your assistance!