Develop Reference

How to add an option to share to Instagram Stories?

Background
In my Android App, users can share generated images to other apps. It's working nicely using the ACTION_SEND Intent.
Many users have asked why they can't share to Instagram stories directly.
Initially I thought Instagram doesn't support receiving Intents for stories (correct to some extent). I searched for it today, and according to this documentation, to share to Instagram Stories, a separate intent com.instagram.share.ADD_TO_STORY has to be used. I tried it, and it works fine.
The problem:
How do I keep both the options available?
I thought about it a lot, and came up with the following options:
1) Have two separate buttons. It will work, but it will look/feel bad.
2) Have my app accept ACTION_SEND intent, name it as Share to Instagram Story, and redirect the intent to the com.instagram.share.ADD_TO_STORY intent. In principle, make a proxy intent.
It will work, and look/feel great, but I don't know if its allowed (legal, etc) and can I disable the intent if the user doesn't have Instagram installed.
3) Add the 'com.instagram.share.ADD_TO_STORY' to the app chooser launched by ACTION_SEND. This would be ideal, but I don't know how to do it.

If you want to add multiple actions to Intent and create a chooser look at this example:
Intent viewIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
Intent editIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_EDIT);
viewIntent.setDataAndType(uri, type);
editIntent.setDataAndType(uri, type);
Intent chooserIntent = Intent.createChooser(editIntent, "Open in...");
chooserIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_INITIAL_INTENTS, new Intent[] { viewIntent });
startActivity(chooserIntent);
UPDATE: Here is good solution to your answer. How to make an intent with multiple actions

I tried the same approach as on Facebook's official documentation then tested on Huawai P9 Lite, Huawai P20 Lite and on Samsung S8 - it only worked on Samsung S8 for not known reason (to me). I gave up on it since, obviously, it's not working on most of the phones.

// Define image asset URI
Uri stickerAssetUri = Uri.parse("your-image-asset-uri-goes-here");
String sourceApplication = "com.my.app";
// Instantiate implicit intent with ADD_TO_STORY action,
// sticker asset, and background colors
Intent intent = new Intent("com.instagram.share.ADD_TO_STORY");
intent.putExtra("source_application", sourceApplication);
intent.setType(MEDIA_TYPE_JPEG);
intent.putExtra("interactive_asset_uri", stickerAssetUri);
intent.putExtra("top_background_color", "#33FF33");
intent.putExtra("bottom_background_color", "#FF00FF");
// Instantiate activity and verify it will resolve implicit intent
Activity activity = getActivity();
activity.grantUriPermission("com.instagram.android", stickerAssetUri, Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION);
if (activity.getPackageManager().resolveActivity(intent, 0) != null) { activity.startActivityForResult(intent, 0);}

android open gallery via intent ACTION_PICK vs ACTION_GET_CONTENT

in my app i would like to have the user choose an image from the gallery and retrieve the result (thumbnail + full image uri). i would also like the user to be able to choose which gallery app to open (i.e. default gallery app or some other gallery app).
initially, according to this guide by google i copied and pasted this code:
public void selectImage() {
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT);
intent.setType("image/*");
if (intent.resolveActivity(getPackageManager()) != null) {
startActivityForResult(intent, REQUEST_IMAGE_GET);
}
}
#Override
protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
if (requestCode == REQUEST_IMAGE_GET && resultCode == RESULT_OK) {
Bitmap thumbnail = data.getParcelable("data");
Uri fullPhotoUri = data.getData();
// Do work with photo saved at fullPhotoUri
...
}
}
while it does get me the thumbnail and the full Uri in onActivityResult(...), the problem is that it does not open a chooser for the user to select which gallery app to use and instead it opens this thing (see images below), which i assume is a default "image-chooser" thing where you could select another app via a menu.
i feel it's silly that the user would have to open this default "image chooser" first and once they are already in an "image chooser", select the gallery app that they actually want to use (sure, the user could just choose the image from this thing, but i want to give them a convenient choice).
so i changed my code to this and it does indeed display a proper chooser for the user and he can go straight to hes favorite gallery app:
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_PICK,
MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI);
intent.setType("image/*");
if (intent.resolveActivity(getActivity().getPackageManager()) != null)
{
startActivityForResult(intent, Utils.REQUEST_CODE_OPEN_GALLERY);
}
however now i have a new problem: in onActivityResult(...) the line data.getParcelable("data"); returns null. in other words, i don't get back a thumbnail.
i also tried
Bundle extras = data.getExtras();
Bitmap thumbnail = (Bitmap) extras.get("data");
but "extras" is null.
is it possible to have a proper "app chooser" AND get back a thumbnail?

however now i have a new problem: in onActivityResult(...) the line data.getParcelable("data"); returns null. in other words, i don't get back a thumbnail.
You do not get that from ACTION_GET_CONTENT, either. You can tell this by reading the documentation for ACTION_GET_CONTENT. It is certainly possible that there are some buggy ACTION_GET_CONTENT activities that happen to return a thumbnail Bitmap in a "data" extra, but you should not assume that any user will have such a buggy ACTION_GET_CONTENT activity, let alone choose it. Besides, ACTION_GET_CONTENT is not limited to images; what would a "thumbnail" be of application/json or text/csv be?
Likewise, if you read the documentation for ACTION_PICK, you will see that there is no discussion of a thumbnail.
is it possible to have a proper "app chooser" AND get back a thumbnail?
No, insofar as you do not get a thumbnail back from anything except ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE, and that is for taking photos.

Send image in response to android.intent.action.GET_CONTENT

I am willing to create an app that sends pictures in reply to the android.intent.action.GET_CONTENT intent. My use case is the Messenger app from the play store, the most common SMS/MMS app, I guess.
I tried to send the picture, but it didn't work well. When sending the MMS to Android phones, they get it properly, however iPhones seem to display it as a fake video that never plays.
I know that it may be caused by my or the foreign operator MMSC server, that thinks it's smart and transcodes the data to what it guesses is a good format.
However, when using the same intent to another app (tried Google's Photos app, and Solid Explorer), it works well with both Android and iPhones.
My guess is that Photos and Solid Explorers send the data back in a proper format, that the MMS apps sends to the MMSC properly, which delivers the picture as-is.
Here's what I tried:
Send a simple Uri of my file in the cache (through Content#getExternalCacheDir(): not working
Send an Uri of my file using a StreamProvider, using CommonWare's CWAC lib, by setting a LocalPathStrategy with Context#getExternalCacheDir() as the root path: not working
Both strategies end up with the image sent back to the MMS app properly, which displays it and the button becomes "Send MMS"; then on Android it's received as a picture, and on iOS it's a fake video that doesn't work.
How should I send the data back to the calling app?
Just to actually explain what I did, here is the first strategy:
Intent result = new Intent();
result.setData(Uri.fromFile(localImage));
setResult(Activity.RESULT_OK, result);
finish();
Here's the second:
Intent result = new Intent();
result.setData(PROVIDER
.buildUpon()
.appendPath(StreamProvider.getUriPrefix(AUTHORITY))
.appendPath(localImage.getName())
.build());
result.setFlags(FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION);
setResult(Activity.RESULT_OK, result);
finish();
I think I can pass the bitmap bytes as data in the intent, but I didn't figure out a way to do this.

Yes, it looks like setResult() also needs an Intent with FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION and/or FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION, if you are using a ContentProvider for the result Uri.
addFlags() works to add these flags to the Intent, at least back to API Level 19. I have not tested older than this, so there may be versions where you have to use the ClipData trick:
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT>=Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT) {
i.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
}
else if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT>=Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN) {
ClipData clip=
ClipData.newUri(getContentResolver(), "A photo", outputUri);
i.setClipData(clip);
i.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
}
else {
List<ResolveInfo> resInfoList=
getPackageManager()
.queryIntentActivities(i, PackageManager.MATCH_DEFAULT_ONLY);
for (ResolveInfo resolveInfo : resInfoList) {
String packageName = resolveInfo.activityInfo.packageName;
grantUriPermission(packageName, outputUri,
Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
}
}

Start Intent for Result - Camera intent for images only?

I have an app that a user will be able to take pictures with. Having the camera is a small, but necessary feature but I want it to only be able to take pictures (no video). Is there a way I can make it startIntentForResult with a pictures-only camera intent? Or perhaps make it only accept images as the result? Making my own custom camera for the app seems a bit overkill, but I will do it if I have to.
Thanks

This code has been working for me for ever
Intent cameraIntent = new Intent(android.provider.MediaStore.ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE);
Uri uri = Uri.fromFile(File.createTempFile("image", ".jpg"));
cameraIntent.putExtra(android.provider.MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT, uri);
startActivityForResult(Intent.createChooser(cameraIntent, "Take Picture", 0);

Android camera intent confusion

I am working on an app in which i have to click a pic a pic and save it to a specified folder. I am using android.provider.MediaStore.ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE in intent to invoke the camera .I am done with coding and my activity is working fine.But now i have a question in my mind that whether i should stick with this code or i should use the code given here.Need your precious suggestions on this topic.
Thanx in advance.

If you want to just click a picture and save it to a specified folder nothing more then You can use Intent and call ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE, it easy to let handle on camera activity do your stuff,
And If your application has some serious deep work with camera when you want to modify preview screen size, and all those things,(For this you have to handle all things like to manage camera, and when to release it, check for don't freeze main UI..) then you have to go with the code you suggested...
Choice is yours.....

I suggest you use the code from your link.
Because most of the stock camera apps don't work as expected with Image Capture. For example the Galaxy S2 and most other Samsung and HTC phones give you the picture bytes back and also save the picture in the standard DCIM Folder on SD-Card, if you want it or not.

public void imageFromCamera() {
Intent intent = new Intent("android.media.action.IMAGE_CAPTURE");
if (!Environment.getExternalStorageState().equals(Environment.MEDIA_MOUNTED)){
Log.d(TAG, "No SDCARD");
} else {
mImageFile = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory()+File.separator+"MyApp",
"PIC"+System.currentTimeMillis()+".jpg");
mTempImagePath = mImageFile.getAbsolutePath();
intent.putExtra(MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT, Uri.fromFile(mImageFile));
startActivityForResult(intent, TAKE_PICTURE);
}
}
this what u r searching i am thinking..