Android Question open apps installed in your phone from my app

[fifiddu70]

hello everyone, I would like to create an app for elderly people where within this app through icons you can open for example facebook, whatsapp, calendar etc, so I need to understand how to open phone apps from my app even externally by leaving mine app, can anyone tell me how to do it?

 

[DonManfred]

Use the Packagemanager.

B4A - Phone

It let you get the intent to start the app based on their packagename.

You can get a list of all apps by using

B4A - Phone

 

[agraham]

Be aware that current and future versions of Android do not allow you to get a list of all installed apps. If you want to check if an app is installed you need to specify its package name in your manifest otherwise it will be invisible to your app.

[SOLVED] Alternative to check if WhatsApp is installed without using PackageManager - QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES on + SDK30

Until now I used PackageManager to check which applications were installed (for example WhatsApp) Currently google requires QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES in Manifest in order to have a list of Installed Packages. Is it possible to know if WhatsApp is installed, via tried through some kind of Try-Catch...

www.b4x.com

There is a QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission that you can add to your manifest but Google does not allow most store apps to use it, though it will be fine if you distribute the app yourself.

Use of the broad package (App) visibility (QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES) permission - Play Console Help

Google Play restricts the use of high-risk or sensitive permissions, including the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, which gives visibility into the inventory of installed

support.google.com

 

[fifiddu70]

I would like to create a panel in my application with icons representing for example: calculator, calendar, facebook, whatsapp, flashlight, alarm clock, etc, all clickable which allow each one to open his application obviously it must not open within my app but allow just to have the ability to open it from my app then open externally from my app.

 

[agraham]

Ok. That's what you would like to do. Now what's the question?

 

[fifiddu70]

Agraham I think the link DonManfred posted is what I was looking for, this code taken should be the one to open the applications that are installed on the phone right?

Dim in As Intent
Dim pm As PackageManager
in = pm.GetApplicationIntent("com.google.android.youtube")
If in.IsInitialized Then StartActivity(in)
StartActivity(in)

 

[agraham]

Yes, that should work.

 

[fifiddu70]

Agraham I think the link DonManfred posted is what I was looking for, this code taken should be the one to open the applications that are installed on the phone right?

Dim in As Intent
Dim pm As PackageManager
in = pm.GetApplicationIntent("com.google.android.youtube")
If in.IsInitialized Then StartActivity(in)
StartActivity(in)

i have this error when launch this code in button event:
java.lang.RuntimeException: Object should first be initialized (Intent).

 

[Star-Dust]

It means that the package is not installed or you have the wrong PackageName

 

[agraham]

There shouldn't be two StartActivity calls in the code. The one in the check is sufficient. What SD says is the likely problem.

 

[pazzokli]

I would like to create a panel in my application with icons representing for example: calculator, calendar, facebook, whatsapp, flashlight, alarm clock, etc, all clickable which allow each one to open his application obviously it must not open within my app but allow just to have the ability to open it from my app then open externally from my app.

Hi friend, did you solve it?
I've same problem. Can't understand