How to properly install an APK file, so that the launcher will create a new app icon of it on the home screen?

Question

Background

I have a spare time app which I've made (here), that one of its main features is to install APK files.

The problem

Users who install apps expects that a new app icon will appear on the launcher.

This can occur from the Play Store, but for some reason launchers ignore other types of installing.

Something is different in the way the Play Store installs apps, than how third party apps do it.

I'd like to know how to do it properly, like on the Play Store, so that installing an APK file will also create an app icon.

What I've tried

The only way I've found to install an APK is as such:

@Nullable
public static Intent prepareAppInstallationIntent(Context context, File file, final boolean requestResult) {
    Intent intent = null;
    try {
        intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_INSTALL_PACKAGE)//
                .setDataAndType(
                        VERSION.SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.N ?
                                android.support.v4.content.FileProvider.getUriForFile(context, context.getPackageName() + ".provider", file)
                                : Uri.fromFile(file),
                        "application/vnd.android.package-archive")
                .putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_NOT_UNKNOWN_SOURCE, true)
                .putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_RETURN_RESULT, requestResult)
                .addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION);
        if (VERSION.SDK_INT < VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN)
            intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_ALLOW_REPLACE, true);
    } catch (Throwable e) {
    }
    return intent;
}

manifest

<provider
  android:name="androidx.core.content.FileProvider" android:authorities="${applicationId}.provider" android:exported="false" android:grantUriPermissions="true">
  <meta-data
    android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS" android:resource="@xml/provider_paths"/>
</provider>

xml/provider_paths.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<paths>
  <!--<external-path name="external_files" path="."/>-->
  <external-path
    name="files_root" path="Android/data/${applicationId}"/>
  <external-path
    name="external_storage_root" path="."/>
</paths>

But this doesn't create the app icon on the launcher.

Writing about this on the issue tracker (here), I got a clue of what I should do. I was informed that :

Icons are added to the home screen if the app is installed via the new PackageInstaller APIs (and proper install reason is provided). Installing an app for command like does not support this feature.

The questions

1. Is there an API for third party apps to install an app properly, having a new icon for it on the launcher? If so, how exactly?

2. Is there a way to do it even using root ? And using adb command via PC ?

Arbour

"But this doesn't show the app icon" -- does not show it where? In some places in this question, you use the term "launcher". In other places in this question, you use the term "home screen". These are not the same thing. "Launcher" is typically used to name the drawer (or similar UI element) containing an alphabetized list of launchable activities. "Home screen" is where you see the user's wallpaper, app widgets, shortcuts, plus other affordances (e.g., a button to open the launcher). – Cantata

@Cantata I think you got the terminology wrong. "Home screen" is a part of the launcher app (AKA "home app" in the settings). You can have multiple home screens on each launcher app. Those includes shortcuts to apps, for example. The list of apps is "app drawer" (includes all launchable apps, but require a step to go to it). Every app you will look for that can replace the launcher, has the word "launcher" in it, so those are "launcher apps". So when I say that the app icon isn't created on the home screen, it's correct, because it's a part of the launcher app. – Arbour

@JonasLochmann Sadly not possible anymore : developer.android.com/reference/android/… . I actually even used it in the past, but it won't work. The OS ignores the request. Instead, Google presented the pinned shortcuts API , which is very limited and restrictive, and requires the user to accept each shortcut creation. Yet somehow the Play Store doesn't do it. It causes the launcher to have a new app icon shortcut on the home screen without any problem. – Arbour

@JonasLochmann If you still talk about the permission, I don't see it being mentioned in the docs, that it is allowed for system apps. Just because the Google Play can install and update things in the background doesn't necassarily mean it has special access for creating shortcuts. And, according to Google, it should just be done via the proper API. My question is about what is the proper API. – Arbour

@JonasLochmann Maybe. I just hope there is a way. Do you know about root way, perhaps? – Arbour

Answer 1

Here's how it's done using the Intent (need to know the package name of the app) :

fun prepareAppInstallationIntent(context: Context, file: File, requestResult: Boolean, packageName: String? = null): Intent? {
    var intent: Intent? = null
    try {
        intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_INSTALL_PACKAGE) //
            .setDataAndType(
                if (VERSION.SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.N)
                    androidx.core.content.FileProvider.getUriForFile(
                        context,
                        context.packageName,
                        file
                    )
                else
                    Uri.fromFile(file),
                "application/vnd.android.package-archive"
            )
            .putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_NOT_UNKNOWN_SOURCE, true)
            .putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_RETURN_RESULT, requestResult)
            .addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION)
        if (packageName != null && VERSION.SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.N) {
            intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_PACKAGE_NAME, packageName)
        }
        intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_ALLOW_REPLACE, true)
    } catch (e: Throwable) {
    }
    return intent
}

Arbour