Android AppShortcuts Sample

Amandeep Aggarwal
Sep 1, 2018 · 2 min read

This sample demonstrates how to use the Launcher Shortcuts API introduced in Android 7.1 (API 25). This API allows an application to define a set of Intents which are displayed as when a user long-presses on the app’s launcher icon. Examples are given for registering both links both statically in XML, as well as dynamically at runtime.


  1. In your app’s manifest file (AndroidManifest.xml), find an activity whose intent filters are set to the android.intent.action.MAIN action and the android.intent.category.LAUNCHER category.
  2. Add a <meta-data> element to this activity that references the resource file where the app's shortcuts are defined:
  3. Create a new resource file: res/xml/shortcuts.xml.
  4. In this new resource file, add a <shortcuts> root element, which contains a list of <shortcut> elements. Each <shortcut> element contains information about a static shortcut, including its icon, its description labels, and the intents that it launches within the app:
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.myapplication">
<application ... >
<activity android:name="Main">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>

<meta-data android:name="android.app.shortcuts"
android:resource="@xml/shortcuts" />

</activity>
</application>
</manifest>

<shortcuts xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<shortcut
android:shortcutId="compose"
android:enabled="true"
android:icon="@drawable/compose_icon"
android:shortcutShortLabel="@string/compose_shortcut_short_label1"
android:shortcutLongLabel="@string/compose_shortcut_long_label1"
android:shortcutDisabledMessage="@string/compose_disabled_message1">
<intent
android:action="android.intent.action.VIEW"
android:targetPackage="com.example.myapplication"
android:targetClass="com.example.myapplication.ComposeActivity" />
<!-- If your shortcut is associated with multiple intents, include them
here. The last intent in the list determines what the user sees when
they launch this shortcut. -->
<categories android:name="android.shortcut.conversation" />
</shortcut>
<!-- Specify more shortcuts here. -->
</shortcuts>

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