How to Fix Google Play Game Services Setup in Android Studio

This was my very first attempt at integrating Google Play Game Services (GPGS) into a game built with Cocos2d-x using SonarCocosHelper. At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The game launched, ran well, and I could navigate through all my gameplay screens without issues.

My Initial Code Setup

Showing Achievements

In C++, I simply called the built-in method from SonarCocosHelper:

SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::showAchievements();

Signing In to Google Play

To check and sign in the user if needed:

if (!SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::isSignedIn())
    SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::signIn();

Everything looked clean. But here’s what I got.

The Crash & Error Detail

When Showing Achievements:

java.lang.NullPointerException
    at sonar.systems.framework.SonarFrameworkFunctions.showAchievements(SonarFrameworkFunctions.java:432)

When Checking Sign-In:

java.lang.NullPointerException
    at sonar.systems.framework.SonarFrameworkFunctions.isSignedIn(SonarFrameworkFunctions.java:277)

This stumped me for a bit.

Root Cause of the Error

The NullPointerException was a big red flag: something in the Java layer was being accessed before it was properly initialized.

After digging through the SonarCocosHelper documentation and scanning SonarFrameworkFunctions, I figured out the main culprits:

Common Causes:

• GoogleApiClient or the Play Games sign-in client was not initialized.
• The SonarFramework was not set up properly in the Android AppActivity.
• Google Play Services wasn’t connected or configured yet.
• My app_id or google-services.json might have been missing or misconfigured.

Fix the Issue

Properly Initialize SonarFramework in AppActivity.java

I opened my Java file: AppActivity.java, and added the following to the onCreate() method:

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

    // Important! This initializes the framework
    SonarFrameworkFunctions.SetActivity(this);
    SonarFrameworkFunctions.Initialize(this);
}

Without this step, the internal references to Google services remain null, which is exactly what was causing those crashes.

Add and Link google-services.json

From the Google Play Console (or Firebase), I downloaded google-services.json and placed it inside the app/ directory.

Then I updated my Gradle files:

Root build.gradle:

dependencies {
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.1.0' // or latest version
}

App level build.gradle:

apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

Manifest Configuration

I ensured my AndroidManifest.xml had the right metadata and permissions:

<meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.games.APP_ID"
    android:value="@string/app_id" />
<meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.version"
    android:value="@integer/google_play_services_version" />

In res/values/strings.xml:

<string name="app_id">REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_APP_ID</string>

And added this permission:

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

More Functionality to Practice With

Once it was working, I explored more GPGS features:

Show Leaderboard

SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::showLeaderboard("LEADERBOARD_ID");

Submit Score to Leaderboard

SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::submitScore("LEADERBOARD_ID", 10000);

Unlock an Achievement

SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::unlockAchievement("ACHIEVEMENT_ID");

Increment Achievement Progress

SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::incrementAchievement("ACHIEVEMENT_ID", 5);

Sign Out

SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::signOut();

Best Practice I Learn

• Always check isSignedIn() before calling any GPGS feature:

if (SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::isSignedIn()) {
    SonarCocosHelper::GooglePlayServices::showAchievements();
}

• Use logging tools like:
  • __android_log_print() in Java
  • CCLOG() in Cocos2d-x
• Debug with adb logcat this helped me trace exactly where things were failing.

Final Thought

This journey taught me that even well-packaged libraries like SonarCocosHelper require proper initialization especially when dealing with native bindings between C++ and Java. The NullPointerExceptions were a result of missing initialization, not a bug in the helper itself. Now that my game shows achievements, leaderboards, and handles sign-in/out smoothly, I can confidently say I’ve bridged the gap between Cocos2d-x and Google Play Game Services.