CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javaandroidservicebroadcastreceiver
Usama Shakeel
Usama Shakeel

Reputation: 69

How to detect when user launches another application

I am creating an app locker. I want to detect when the user launches another application so i can show the user my lock screen. Right now I can open lock screen against a specific action i.e. when the user ons the screen. When the status of the screen changes my service runs and checks the foreground app. If that app is in the list of app i have blocked then the lock screen appears. But i want to start service everytime the user launches another app. Following is the code of my BroadcastReciever class

  public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (Intent.ACTION_SCREEN_ON.equals(intent.getAction()))
{

    Intent service = new Intent(context, BackgroundService.class);
    context.startService(service);
    
    Intent service1 = new Intent(context, BackgroundService.class);
    context.stopService(service1);
}

Upvotes: 1

Views: 1812

Answers (1)

Rishabh Ritweek
Rishabh Ritweek

Reputation: 620

you cannot detect if an app is launched at a particular time ,but what you can certainly find out if any other app is in foreground.

 public static boolean isForeground(Context ctx, String myPackage){
     ActivityManager manager = (ActivityManager) 
     ctx.getSystemService(ACTIVITY_SERVICE);
      List< ActivityManager.RunningTaskInfo > runningTaskInfo = 
      manager.getRunningTasks(1); 

  ComponentName componentInfo = runningTaskInfo.get(0).topActivity;
  if(componentInfo.getPackageName().equals(myPackage)) {
    return true;
 }       
 return false;
}

To detect apps if they are just in the RAM , either in foreground or background, use this : ActivityManager am = (ActivityManager) getSystemService(Context.ACTIVITY_SERVICE); List<ActivityManager.RunningAppProcessInfo> runningAppProcessInfo = am.getRunningAppProcesses();

 for (int i = 0; i < runningAppProcessInfo.size(); i++) {
 if(runningAppProcessInfo.get(i).processName.equals("com.the.app.you.are.looking.for") 
{
// Do you stuff
  }
}

You can probabaly consider inititating BG check and trynna find out, if no. apps in foreground has increased by on which will means that a new app was launched.

Option 2:

I think we can use logcat and analyze it's output.

In all similar programs I have found this permission :

 android.permission.READ_LOGS

It means all of them use it but it seems the program starts and after that our program (app protector) will start and bring front.

Use below code :

try
    {
        Process mLogcatProc = null;
        BufferedReader reader = null;
         mLogcatProc = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(new String[]{"logcat", "-d"});

        reader = new BufferedReader(new 
    InputStreamReader(mLogcatProc.getInputStream()));

    String line;
    final StringBuilder log = new StringBuilder();
    String separator = System.getProperty("line.separator"); 

    while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null)
    {
        log.append(line);
        log.append(separator);
    }
    String w = log.toString();
    Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),w, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}
catch (Exception e) 
{
    Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), e.getMessage(), Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}

Notes :-Third part applications cant use the systen permission to read log for security reasons aboove Android 4.1 Read more here, https://commonsware.com/blog/2012/07/12/read-logs-regression.html.Option 1 is your best bet.

Upvotes: 1

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