App isn´t installed error when tapping app shortcut in Nougat 7.1.1

Question

I´m having some issues when adding an static app shortcut to an existing app. I followed the steps from https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/shortcuts.html and the shortcut shows up, but when I tap it it doesn't launches the activity, instead it shows a toast message saying: "App isn´t installed".

Here is the relevant section of the manifest:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.mypackage">

    <application
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:supportsRtl="true"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme">

        <activity
            android:name=".activities.SplashActivity"
            android:noHistory="true">
            <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>

        <activity
            android:name=".activities.MainActivity"
            android:label="@string/title_activity_main"
            android:theme="@style/AppTheme.NoActionBar" />

        <activity
            android:name=".activities.ListActivity"
            android:label="@string/title_activity_list"
            android:parentActivityName=".activities.MainActivity"
            android:theme="@style/AppTheme.NoActionBar">
            <meta-data
                android:name="android.support.PARENT_ACTIVITY"
            android:value="com.mypackage.activities.MainActivity" />
        </activity>

        <activity
            android:name=".activities.NewActivity"
            android:label="@string/title_activity_new"
            android:parentActivityName=".activities.ListActivity"
            android:theme="@style/AppTheme.NoActionBar">
            <meta-data
            android:name="android.support.PARENT_ACTIVITY"
            android:value="com.mypackage.activities.ListActivity" />
        </activity>
    <application/>
</manifest>

Here is the shortcuts.xml file:

<shortcuts xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <shortcut
        android:shortcutId="shortcut_new_alarm"
        android:enabled="true"
        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        android:shortcutShortLabel="short label"
        android:shortcutLongLabel="long label"
        android:shortcutDisabledMessage="message">
        <intent
            android:action="android.intent.action.VIEW"
            android:targetPackage="com.mypackage"
        android:targetClass="com.mypackage.activities.NewActivity" />
        <!-- 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>

I´ve already double checked and the target activity full qualified name com.mypackage.activities.NewActivity is ok.

Thanks in advance!

Secretin

NewActivity is not your launcher activity that is why you are getting this message. – Marcos

What´s the point in creating a shortcut for SplashActivity? What I need is the shortcut to take me to NewActivity instead of SplashActivity. If you check the link I provided with the official documentation they use as targetActivity com.example.myapplication.ComposeActivity while the launcher activity is Main. That´s the behaviour I need. – Secretin

Please update if you got the answer done – Plasmodium

Proper answer given in following link, resolved my query – Tolerance

Answer 1

If you set the different productFlavors in build.gradle, you should make sure android:targetPackage is application id, android:targetClass should include package name.

eg:

<shortcut
    android:shortcutId="shortcut_id_xxx"
    android:enabled="true"
    android:icon="@drawable/shortcut_xxx"
    android:shortcutShortLabel="@string/shortcut_xxx">
    <intent
        android:action="android.intent.action.VIEW"
        android:targetPackage="com.example.app.internal"
        android:targetClass="com.example.app.MainActivity" />
    <categories android:name="android.shortcut.conversation" />
</shortcut>

productFlavors {
    internal {
        applicationId 'com.example.app.internal'
        ...
    }
}

in here for your internal version, targetPackage should be com.example.app.internal, targetClass should be com.example.app.MainActivity

Sevilla

@Pierre you should add different shortcuts.xml file for different build type. – Sevilla

how to make it dynamic?? in xml? with ${applicationId} I have tried.but it obviously taking full package name – Clincher

Answer 2

Change your android:targetPackage="com.mypackage" to your application id present in your app/gradle. Hope this will help you.

Chinch

If you use a different buildTypes, e.g. debug and you added applicationIdSuffix then the targetPackage to use is applicationId+applicationIdSuffix. Example: applicationId "com.mypackage" applicationIdSuffix ".debug" android:targetPackage="com.mypackage.debug – Etruria

Answer 3

Just add android:exported="true" to your target activity tag under AndroidManifest.xml and also include INSTALL_SHORTCUT permission

<uses-permission android:name="com.android.launcher.permission.INSTALL_SHORTCUT" />
...

<activity android:name=".activity.MainActivity"
        android:exported="true" />

Buccinator

Answer 4

You'r registering your NewActivity while Splash is the Main Launcher Activity.

 <activity
        android:name="com.mypackage.SplashActivity"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
          android:exported="true"
        android:screenOrientation="portrait" >
        <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>

So just need to remove noHistoty and add android:exported="true"

Here is the shortcuts.xml file:

<shortcuts xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<shortcut
    android:shortcutId="shortcut_new_alarm"
    android:enabled="true"
    android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
    android:shortcutShortLabel="short label"
    android:shortcutLongLabel="long label"
    android:shortcutDisabledMessage="message">
    <intent
        android:action="android.intent.action.VIEW"
        android:targetPackage="com.mypackage"
    android:targetClass="com.mypackage.activities.NewActivity"/>
    <!-- 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>

Antonia

I understand your point, but why should I need to create a shortcut for the SplashActivity? What I need is that the shortcut to take me to NewActivity instead of SplashActivity.If you check the link of the official documentation they use as targetActivity com.example.myapplication.ComposeActivity while the launcher activity is Main. That´s the behaviour I need. – Secretin

After the changes you are porposing (removing noHistoty and adding android:exported="true") to the manifest the issue remains. If I move the meta-data with the shortcuts info to NewActivity the shortcut doesn´t shows at all. This solution doesn´t fixes the issue. – Secretin