It allows to launch exported activities from various apps and helps to create useful shortcuts

2 examples where I find it to be quite useful:
1. Quick Record shortcut for Audio Recorder

It currently does not have a quick recording shortcut.

Audio Recorder Gitlab issue where a user requests the feature. Maybe attention from someone here would be helpful?

You can directy search for the app in Activity manager, open it and create a a shortcut for the Recording activity.

2. Shortcut to open Android/data folder in the native Files app

Context for the folder location I use here

For Android 11 & onwards, you can’t access the Android/data folder(without root) from regular file manager apps like Material files(awesome opensource file manager).
The Telegram X app stores it’s downloaded files in a folder there.
Material files calls the native Android Files(not GFiles, documentsui.files) app to open the Android/data folder.
Activity manager can be used to create a shortcut for that

  1. Search for and open the Files app in Activity Manager and choose the Launch with parameters option for the FilesActivity
  2. Action, choose ACTION_VIEW
  3. Data = content://com.android.externalstorage.documents/document/primary%3AAndroid%2Fdata%2Forg.thunderdog.challegram%2Ffiles%2Fdocuments or any other directory you like
  4. Mime type, choose vnd.android.document/directory

You can then launch the activity with the parameter.
This will be recorded in History(the clock sign). You can long-press the entry and create a Shortcut.


Do you have any other cases or ideas where this would be usedul? Please do share them here.


On a tangent, Material files allows making shortcuts to files and folders. Markor, text editor app, allows the same too.

  • masterofn001
    link
    fedilink
    2
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    Don’t need that code when you can create a shortcut.

    Under settings And webview

    • @[email protected]OP
      link
      fedilink
      1
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      Thank you

      Edit:
      The activity under settings seem to be not there in my phone. Likely under a different name. Will find it out.

      • masterofn001
        link
        fedilink
        2
        edit-2
        2 days ago

        Every once in a while when I’m feeling super ADD I’ll go through every activity in every system app to see if anything is neat.

        I also found the same setting located in Call Services

        com.android.phone/.settings.RadioInfo

        • @[email protected]OP
          link
          fedilink
          1
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          Thank you

          Are there any other cool activities that you like? Or find useful?

          I once thought about whether I could have a shortcut for Pipepipe/Newpipe Feed refresh, but it doesn’t seem to be an exported activity.

          • masterofn001
            link
            fedilink
            2
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            I mostly use it to access hidden system settings, tests or similar, or to a shortcut within a shortcut.

            One I do use frequently is forcing google system updates using

            Under google services
            com.google.android/.gms.update.SystemUpdateActivity

            Under google play store
            com.google.android.finsky.systemupdateactivity.SystemUpdateActivity

            Another is accesaing the notification log. Not just the notification history that’s available via the settings menu.

            com.android.settings/.Settings$NotificationStationActivity

            • @[email protected]OP
              link
              fedilink
              11 day ago

              Thank you.

              The first two activities led me to the system updates activity.

              Is there one for Google play services?

              • masterofn001
                link
                fedilink
                21 day ago

                The one under play services (gms), for me, is the ota system update.

                The one under play store (finsky), for me, launches the google system update.