As a mobile application developer, it is essential to know how to make a phone call from within your app. In this article, we will learn how to call a phone number from TextView in Android with an example.
In Android, we can make a phone call from an app using the ACTION_CALL Intent. To make a phone call, we need to add the following code to the app:
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_CALL);
intent.setData(Uri.parse("tel:" + phoneNumber));
startActivity(intent);
Where phoneNumber is the phone number that we want to call. The Intent.ACTION_CALL constant represents the action of making a phone call. The tel: prefix in the setData method tells Android that we are making a phone call and specifies the phone number that we want to call.
Now, let's create an example app that demonstrates how to call a phone number from TextView in Android.
Step 1: Create a new Android project
Open Android Studio and create a new project. Choose Empty Activity as the project template. Give the project a name and click Next. Choose your minimum SDK version and click Finish.
Step 2: Add TextView and Button to the layout file
Open the activity_main.xml file located under res > layout in the Project panel. In the layout file, add a TextView and a Button:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent">
<TextView
android:id="@+id/phoneNumberTextView"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="555-1234"
android:textSize="24sp"/>
<Button
android:id="@+id/callButton"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Call"/>
</LinearLayout>
The TextView displays the phone number that we will call. The Button is used to initiate the phone call.
Step 3: Handle the button click event in the MainActivity class
Open the MainActivity.java file located under app > java > com.example.callapp in the Project panel. In the MainActivity class, declare the TextView and Button as class-level variables:
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
private TextView phoneNumberTextView;
private Button callButton;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
phoneNumberTextView = findViewById(R.id.phoneNumberTextView);
callButton = findViewById(R.id.callButton);
callButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
String phoneNumber = phoneNumberTextView.getText().toString();
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_CALL);
intent.setData(Uri.parse("tel:" + phoneNumber));
startActivity(intent);
}
});
}
}
In the onCreate method, we obtain references to the TextView and Button using findViewById. We then set the onClickListener for the Button. When the Button is clicked, we get the phone number from the TextView and create an Intent to call that number.
Step 4: Request permission to make phone calls
In Android, we need to add the CALL_PHONE permission to the AndroidManifest.xml file to allow our app to make phone calls:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CALL_PHONE" />
This permission allows our app to initiate phone calls without user interaction. To request permission at runtime, we need to add the following code to the MainActivity class:
public static final int PERMISSION_REQUEST_CALL_PHONE = 1;
@Override
protected void onStart() {
super.onStart();
if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE)
!= PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this,
new String[]{Manifest.permission.CALL_PHONE},
PERMISSION_REQUEST_CALL_PHONE);
}
}
@Override
public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
if (requestCode == PERMISSION_REQUEST_CALL_PHONE) {
if (grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
Toast.makeText(this, "Permission granted to make phone calls.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
} else {
Toast.makeText(this, "Permission denied to make phone calls.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
}
}
The onStart method is called when the activity becomes visible to the user. We check if our app has the CALL_PHONE permission using the ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission method. If the app does not have the permission, we request it using the ActivityCompat.requestPermissions method.
The onRequestPermissionsResult method is called when the user responds to the permission request dialog. We check if the user granted the permission using the grantResults array.
Step 5: Test the app
Now that we have completed our app, it's time to test it out. Run the app on a device or emulator and click the Call button. The app should initiate a phone call to the phone number specified in the TextView.
Summary
In this article, we learned how to call a phone number from TextView in Android with an example. We used the ACTION_CALL Intent and requested the CALL_PHONE permission to make phone calls. Feel free to use this example code in your own Android apps.
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One important thing to note is that starting from Android 10, the ACTION_CALL intent is deprecated. Instead, we should use the ACTION_DIAL intent, which allows the user to confirm the call before it is initiated. Here is the updated code to initiate a phone call using ACTION_DIAL:
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_DIAL);
intent.setData(Uri.parse("tel:" + phoneNumber));
startActivity(intent);
As for requesting the CALL_PHONE permission, it is important to ensure that the user understands why the app needs the permission. According to the Android Developers documentation, if the user denies the permission request, the app should explain why it needs the permission and how the user can grant the permission in the device settings.
To further enhance the user experience of the app, it may be helpful to provide a confirmation dialog before initiating the phone call. This will give the user one more chance to confirm that they want to make the call, and can help prevent accidental calls.
In terms of testing the app, it is important to remember that phone numbers vary across countries, so it may be helpful to test the app with different types of phone numbers to ensure that they are formatted correctly and that the app can handle them. Also, testing the app on different devices and OS versions can help catch any compatibility issues.
Overall, calling a phone number from TextView in Android is a common feature in many apps, and it can be implemented easily using the ACTION_DIAL intent and proper permission handling.
Popular questions
-
What Intent should be used to initiate a phone call in Android?
Answer: The ACTION_CALL Intent can be used to initiate a phone call in Android. -
What is the difference between the ACTION_CALL and ACTION_DIAL intents?
Answer: The ACTION_CALL Intent initiates a phone call directly, while the ACTION_DIAL intent opens the phone app with the phone number pre-filled and allows the user to confirm the call before it is initiated. -
What permission is required to initiate a phone call in Android?
Answer: The CALL_PHONE permission is required to initiate a phone call in Android. -
How can permission be requested at runtime in an Android app?
Answer: Permission can be requested at runtime using the ActivityCompat.requestPermissions method. -
Why is it important to provide a confirmation dialog before initiating a phone call?
Answer: A confirmation dialog can help prevent accidental calls and give the user one more chance to confirm that they want to make the call.
Tag
"Locallinking"
