How to let users unhide app icon on demand

Question

I want to allow the users of my Android app to hide/unhide it when they want. I already have the code to perform the hide/unhide actions, and the hiding works fine. But now how can I call the unhide method to let the app back? I mean, if the app is hidden, where can the user, let's say, "click a button" that calls the method to make the app unhide?

Here is my hide/unhide code:

// method to hide the app icon
 public static void hideAppIcon(final Context context)
    {
     PackageManager p = context.getPackageManager();
     // activity which is first time open in manifest file which is declare as <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
     ComponentName componentName = new ComponentName(context, SplashActivity.class);
     p.setComponentEnabledSetting(componentName,PackageManager.COMPONENT_ENABLED_STATE_DISABLED, PackageManager.DONT_KILL_APP);
    }


 // method to unhide the app icon
 public static void unhideAppIcon(final Context context)
    {
     PackageManager p = context.getPackageManager();
     // activity which is first time open in manifest file which is declare as <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
     ComponentName componentName = new ComponentName(context, SplashActivity.class);
     p.setComponentEnabledSetting(componentName, PackageManager.COMPONENT_ENABLED_STATE_ENABLED, PackageManager.DONT_KILL_APP);
    }

score 0 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:01

0

Here's a way I've learned from another app. Not "hiding" the icon, instead, change the icon and label of your app. Disguise the app as some built-in apps like "Settings" or "Calculator".

Another solution (which might be closer to your need) is to add an intent-filter in your app, detecting something like phone calls. If users call a certain number, you unhide your app.

see this for more infomation.

Hope this will help.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:01

Community

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answered Nov 11 '16 at 10:49

Tomaz Wang

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You might get errors when you're calling MainAcitvity while the app is hidden. You have to unhide it. – Tomaz Wang Nov 11 '16 at 10:51
changing icon and label sounds like a nice alternative, could you please send me some references / code about that? That was my first option, but I read that only system apps can change icon programmatically, that's why I chose to hide the icon instead... Thanks! – Ciammarica Nov 11 '16 at 11:27
changing icon is impossible as you know. But there are some workarounds. Check out [this post](http://stackoverflow.com/q/1103027/4319678). Hope it will help. – Tomaz Wang Nov 15 '16 at 10:48

How to let users unhide app icon on demand

1 Answers1