Is calling unbindService the only step for properly shutting down and removing a service?

Calling unbindService is not the only step to properly finish work and remove a service in Android. unbindService is used to disconnect a client from a service, but the service itself will continue to run if it was started via startService().

To completely stop the service, you need to call stopService() or call stopSelf() inside the service itself. Only then will the service be destroyed by the system.

In summary:

• unbindService() — disconnects the client from the service.
• stopService() or stopSelf() — stop the service itself.

Example:

// Disconnect from the service
unbindService(serviceConnection);

// Stop the service
stopService(new Intent(this, MyService.class));