Getting disconnected from server when minimizing game or switching focus to another app

Thank you for your report!
We're actually already tracking this issue at MCPE-19393, so I will resolve and link this ticket as a duplicate.

If you would like to add a vote and any extra information to the main ticket it would be appreciated.

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Thank you for your response, but that's another issue. In MCPE-19393, there appears the "disconnected from server" screen, which occurs when minimizing the windows for a longer period of time (f.E. 15 seconds). In my issue, after I minimize the game, I instantly get send to the "Generating World / loading resources", without the disconnection screen, and get to the server view again, even though I minimize the game for a much shorter period of time [in fact, one second]. I tried this in earlier versions (1.16.40, 1.16.100) on the same device and with doing the exact same thing, and this issue didn't occur on those versions.

Reopened the ticket.

Is this bug blocking that bug?

I did some research on it, and it doesn't seem it only happens on servers, but also on mutliplayer worlds. Minimizing the game as host won't close your world, but any other player on that world will get disconnected and won't be able to rejoin until the host restarts minecraft

As far as i know it was 2 mins time that you have when you minimize the game on android and then it shuts down the server but now its instant which is not a bug i think! Will this issue be fixed in the next update? if not then its time to look for minecraft alternatives! i think mojang is doing this intentionally and  wants us to buy the realms, if this is true then..... alternative time it is!

This problem also exists for me and is very annoying. When my hand accidentally hits the window sign, everything is over

Windows 10 paid edition here.  If I alt-tab away, when I come back I see the loading bar for maybe two seconds I've been booted from game.  In almost any game this would be unacceptable but its doubly so in a Windows 10 app.

I get this issue as well. Windows 10 Bedrock Edition free edition 1.16.210 and game ups and crashes as soon as I put my computer to sleep or as soon as my computer goes to sleep.

I can't play with my friends now. This problem is on Android too. When I switch an app I get instantly disconnected. How am I supposed to play the game now please fix this. I think this is the most important bug.

Minecraft version: 1.16.220.02

On Windows 10, if you change to windowed mode by turning off the Fullscreen toggle in video settings, then you can alt-tab without losing connection to a multiplayer game.

regardless of playing the game on windowed mode , the bug still occurs when you alt tab. I disconnected from my world/server when i just tried to change my music on Spotify. Please fix this. We should be able to alt tab when it is fullscreen as well.

(Playing on Windows 10)

@Pantelis, welp, try using the in-game chat or open discord right BEFORE you join the game, it's an android app behavior to save all possible crucial data in ram.

This started happening to me today. Any time I would minimize to another app I would get disconnected from the realm (That I OWN). I get the error "Disconnected due to server being unavailable". Earlier in the day I could close MC, reopen it and log back into the realm fine. Now I am just stuck on the "Joining Realm Building Terrain" screen forever and unable to join my own realm. Others can join the realm. My daughter who plays on the realm and shares the same connection as me can join the realm with no issue. This is happening while playin on Win10. I thought I would try to log in on my Xbox to see if there was a difference and the same problem occurs trying to log in there as well. I am able to play all personal worlds no issue. I am able to join other servers with no issue. The problem is only related to the realm that I own.

Issue still present in 1.17.0.02.

Also, on Android, the workaround has changed slightly. It is no longer necessary for me to exit and relaunch the app. I am still disconnected instantly from the Realm, but I am not prevented from joining a Realm after that. I can connect without exiting and relaunching.

On Xbox one, game version 1.17.2, anytime that I switch to an app (which is supposed to be allowable on this console - one game, and one app) then switch back, the game reloads itself, disconnecting from any servers or terminating the local game - this also corrupts the savegame data. 

This only happens when the game is in fullscreen

Attached two video to prove that it doesn't matter whether you play the game on fullscreen or not in order to encounter this bug.

Tayfur: in your videos, you aren't simply switching focus to another app, you are also clicking the "show desktop" button. That's equivalent to minimizing the app window, and that does disconnect you whether you are in full screen or windowed mode. Minecraft will run in a Window behind other apps, but it won't run minimized. So the workaround is to run (or switch to) windowed mode and don't minimize the window.

It's really annoying on lower end pcs where the connecting to worlds/servers takes time, and an accidental missclick could cause a time loss

⚠️ Please do not mark Unreleased Versions as affected. You don't have access to them yet.

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Please add bug also present in 1.17.32.02 hotfix for Android.

Confirmed bug still present in 1.17.41.01 (hotfix for Android).

This used to not happen and it doesn't happen on Java edition. When you accidentally minimize Minecraft bedrock (or minimize it on purpose) no matter how quickly you open Minecraft bedrock back up, it reloads Minecraft and disconnects you from any multiplayer world or server you where on. This gets really annoying for me. Please don't make Minecraft bedrock disconnect from multiplayer so easily.

⚠️ Please do not mark Unreleased Versions as affected. You don't have access to them yet.

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It's the same on Xbox. In series x, you can have two games going. It doesn't work with Minecraft. 

Hey, simple answer. Minecraft Runs on Windows and Xbox as a Universal Windows Platform Application (UWP) App.
And that's behind the suspension application after  minimize.
So the application stops working and the server disconnects the player, not the Minecraft client from the server.
This disconnection is not due to an error in the Minecraft code.
And let's not expect this error to be resolved.

But that was not the case at 1.16, so they have done something. so then they should be able to solve it with.

Confirmed still present in 1.18.12.01 hotfix for Android

Still an issue in 1.18.20.25 Android

I have discovered that if you turn off full screen and only have one window maximized in Windows, this problem does not occur. A fix until the basic problem is solved, at least to Windows 

Confirmed still present in 1.18.30.04 update for Android.

Confirmed still present in 1.18.31.04 for Android.

confirmed still present in 1.18.32.02 for Android

Confirmed bug still present in 1.19.0.05 for Android.

I believe the following Microsoft UWP Develop articles relate to and address this issue, if this information could please be relayed to the developers:

Postpone app suspension with extended execution

Run in the background indefinitely

I think the issue may be related to the game freezing when not on screen (So the game probably doesn't know what to do and instantly disconnects/automatically kicks everyone online).

The issue has occurred when my phone shuts off (both intentionally and timed out) and when changing apps/hitting the home/show open apps. On my laptop it has occurred when minimized. I haven't had my laptop's screen turn off or time out yet, but I would assume that it would occur during that.

The bug with the game freezing, is that occasionally (normally every other time) the game would not process anything when it is not visibly on screen. This can completely break automatic farms and afking overnight in some cases. I don't think it has a bug report yet but I thought I would include that for context/in case it is needed.

Confirmed still present in version 1.19.41.01 for Android.

Reply from @unknown: It is not very helpful to continue adding comments like this to bug reports, and it generally just adds clutter and makes it harder to find the important comments. If an issue is not mentioned in a changelog, it is unlikely to have been fixed, so there is no need to comment about it.
However, if you want to ensure that the Affected Version does get updated, you can submit requests for that on the Mojira Discord.

True for 1.20.81 on PC full screen and Android, and for 1.21 preview

If the current Reporter could pin @Valiante's links to a solution so someone at Mojang could see it, that would be great!

The articles, @Valiante has linked won't really solve the root issue and here is why:

• Postpone app suspension with extended execution:
  API → ExtendedExecutionSession
  This simply postpones app suspension, doesn't prevent or disable it entirely. To fix the root issue, we want to disable this behavior entirely.

• Run in the background indefinitely:
  API → ExtendedExecutionForegroundSession
  This does what we exactly want, prevent app suspension. Only problem? Apps that use this capability can't be submitted onto the Microsoft Store.

These APIs were introduced in Build 10240. So this issue could have been fixed very early on but it wasn't due to the reasons mentioned above.

The only way to prevent app suspension is put the package into debug mode using [IPackageDebugSettings::EnableDebugging|https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/shobjidl_core/nf-shobjidl_core-ipackagedebugsettings-enabledebugging].

As for what this method does:

• Optionally enables debugger attach on activation.

• Disables activation timeouts.

• Disables automatic process suspension.

• Disables automatic process termination.

• Disables automatic process resumption.

This solves our issue but only problem is that it needs a Desktop app.

If the fix needs to be integrated then following can be done:

1. Create a desktop app that calls IPackageDebugSettings::EnableDebugging on the invoking package.

2. Launch this desktop app using FullTrustProcessLauncher, unlike ExtendedExecutionForegroundSession, apps using this API can be submitted onto the Microsoft Store.

3. This effectively fixes the issue as a whole.

Only issue is now if an app doing something like this will be accepted onto the Microsoft Store. Apps need to certified before being submitted.
If not possible then migrating from UWP to Win32 would be an alternative solution and this has been done with Minecraft: Education Edition.

confirmed still present in 1.21.31 & 1.21.40.25 for Android.

Just tested, confirmed not fixed in 1.21.50.24 preview.

Still not fixed in 1.21.73.

Still not fixed in 1.21.82