Android AppShortcuts Sample
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.

- In your app’s manifest file (
AndroidManifest.xml), find an activity whose intent filters are set to theandroid.intent.action.MAINaction and theandroid.intent.category.LAUNCHERcategory. - Add a
<meta-data>element to this activity that references the resource file where the app's shortcuts are defined: - Create a new resource file:
res/xml/shortcuts.xml. - 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>