Android 13 (SDK 33): PackageManager.getPackageInfo(String, int) deprecated. what is the alternative?

Question

Starting from API level 33 the getPackageInfo(String, int) method of PackageManager class is deprecated. Documentation suggests to use getPackageInfo(String, PackageInfoFlags) instead. But that function is only available from API level 33.

My current code:

val pInfo = context.packageManager.getPackageInfo(context.packageName, 0)

Is this how it should be now?

val pInfo = context.getPackageInfo()

@Suppress("DEPRECATION")
fun Context.getPackageInfo(): PackageInfo {
    return if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
        packageManager.getPackageInfo(packageName, PackageManager.PackageInfoFlags.of(0))
    } else {
        packageManager.getPackageInfo(packageName, 0)
    }
}

Fictitious

You may need to catch NameNotFoundException exception - if packageName turns into a param. – Rostellum

For reference: developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/… – Equalizer

Answer 1

Is this how it should be now?

Yes, though I've gotten out of the practice of using TIRAMISU in favor of the actual underlying Int.

Ideally, Google would add stuff to PackageManagerCompat for these changes, and perhaps they will now that Android 13 is starting to ship to users.

Rigveda

I filed a feature request for a new PackageManagerCompat function in androidx.core (issuetracker.google.com/issues/246845196). – Andraandrade

Isn't it safe to use the TIRAMISU-constant in older android-versions that don't know about it, ie doesn't the compiler inline the constant with its Int-value? – Santo

@arne.jans: Yes -- the OP's concern was about needing to call both flavors of getPackageInfo(). – Rigveda

Answer 2

If you are using Kotlin, you can add extension function to your project:

fun PackageManager.getPackageInfoCompat(packageName: String, flags: Int = 0): PackageInfo =
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
        getPackageInfo(packageName, PackageManager.PackageInfoFlags.of(flags.toLong()))
    } else {
        @Suppress("DEPRECATION") getPackageInfo(packageName, flags)
    }

and after just call packageManager.getPackageInfoCompat(packageName) or add another flag, if you need.

Downpour

Do I have to check Android version here? Wouldn't it just work for older Android versions if I use the new API? – Maidenhead

@Ali Kazi no, since older Android versions don't have the new API, it was introduced in API-level 33 (aka Android 13 Tiramisu), usage of the new API will crash on older Android versions with a NoSuchMethodError. Also, the Android linter should mark that with an error or at least a warning in your code immediately. – Santo

You could use the old API for now, but it is risky, since we do not know when Google will delete the old API in favor of the new API, since a deprecation is a marker that tells us Google wants to delete this code at some time in a future android version. – Santo

Depending on what you set your targetSdkVersion to in your build.gradle, it is possible that Android selects certain backward-compatibility mechanisms that prevent a crash, but Google Playstore policy will get updated in the future so that you can't release or update an app with a legacy targetSdkVersion (at the moment, the minimum value for targetSdkVersion is 31, if you want to release for Play Store). – Santo

Answer 3

Sometime this kind of issue you will see when you are using lower version gradle like 6.9 or below then this and in your android studio you have configured latest java sdk. so to solve just lower your java version from android studio. screen shot:

Actress