Android Intent Filter to receive image files is only working in some apps

Question

I'm experimenting with android development. As an exercise I want to create an app that is able to receive images shared by other apps. I'm testing the app on my phone.

If i share an image in WhatsApp everything works as expected. My app is listed in the share dialogue and the activity is started. But if try to share an image from any other app (e.g. Photos, Album, Gallery) my app is not listed as on of the options.

I'm using a standard Android Studio project and added only the following lines to the manifest.

        <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND" />
            <category android:name="ANDROID.INTENT.CATEGORY.DEFAULT" />
            <data android:mimeType="image/*" />
        </intent-filter>

Why isn't my app listed in the other apps? What do I have to change to make it work?

Android is case-sensitive. Replace `ANDROID.INTENT.CATEGORY.DEFAULT` with `android.intent.category.DEFAULT`. — CommonsWare, Jul 18 '15 at 20:56
Wow that was really fast and it fixed the problem. Thank you! — MGetto, Jul 18 '15 at 21:04

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 18 '15 at 21:07

Android is case-sensitive. By having ANDROID.INTENT.CATEGORY.DEFAULT, you will not match any Intent that is seeking android.intent.category.DEFAULT. Change the case to android.intent.category.DEFAULT, and you will match more activity requests.

In fact, since android.intent.category.DEFAULT is added by default to Intent objects passed to startActivity() or startActivityForResult(), I am not quite certain how your activity worked with WhatsApp...

Android Intent Filter to receive image files is only working in some apps

1 Answers1