Android : restart application after update - ACTION_PACKAGE_REPLACED

Question

My application that is not on Play Store verify on the web If there are a new version and download and start it. After the installation I would like to restart the applicati

Answer 1

After hours and hours of searching how to restart your app after it was updated, I finally find why it won't restart.

The app must NOT be launched by Android Studio or other IDE. If I manually install app with its apk and launch it from the current Android device, the app can recognize if there was an update of my application and it restarts correctly.

My user case is a custom launcher that can update by itself launching a PackageInstaller.Session without going to Google Play Store

Here it's the code

Manifest:

UpdateReceiver (Kotlin code):

class UpdateReceiver: BroadcastReceiver() {

    companion object {
        private val TAG = UpdateReceiver::class.java.simpleName
    }

    override fun onReceive(context: Context?, intent: Intent?) {
        Log.d(TAG, "onReceive ${intent?.action ?: "unknown action"}")
        if (intent?.action == Intent.ACTION_MY_PACKAGE_REPLACED) {
          
            //MainActivity = Your first activity
            val yourIntent = Intent(context, MainActivity::class.java)
            yourIntent.flags = Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK
            context?.startActivity(yourIntent)
        }

    }
}