Android app crashes when trying to launch Gmail compose screen

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1

Hey everyone, I’m having trouble with my Android app. I’ve got this picture button that’s supposed to open Gmail’s compose screen. It used to work fine, but now the app just crashes when I tap it.

Here’s the code I’m using:

myPicButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    @Override
    public void onClick(View v) {
        Intent emailIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
        emailIntent.setType("plain/text");
        emailIntent.setData(Uri.parse("[email protected]"));
        emailIntent.setClassName("com.google.android.gm", "com.google.android.gm.ComposeActivityGmail");
        startActivity(emailIntent);
    }
});

I’m not sure what’s going wrong. Any ideas on how to fix this or what might be causing the crash? Thanks for any help!

2

I’ve dealt with this issue before. The problem likely stems from targeting a specific Gmail class that may have changed or become inaccessible. A more robust solution is to use Intent.ACTION_SEND instead of ACTION_VIEW. Here’s a snippet that should work:

Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SEND);
intent.setType(“text/plain”);
intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_EMAIL, new String{“[email protected]”});
intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_SUBJECT, “Subject”);
intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_TEXT, “Body”);

try {
startActivity(Intent.createChooser(intent, “Send email”));
} catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {
// Handle the case where no email app is installed
}

This approach is more flexible and less likely to crash. It also gives users the option to choose their preferred email client.

3

I’ve encountered a similar issue in one of my projects. The problem might be that you’re using an outdated method to launch Gmail’s compose activity. Google often changes these internal classes, which can lead to crashes.

Instead, I’d recommend using a more generic approach that’s less likely to break:

Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SENDTO);
intent.setData(Uri.parse("mailto:")); // only email apps should handle this
intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_EMAIL, new String[]{"[email protected]"});
startActivity(intent);

This method lets the system choose the appropriate email app, which is more reliable. It worked well for me when I faced a similar crash. Also, make sure that you’ve added the necessary permissions in your AndroidManifest.xml file. Hope this helps!

4

hey noah, i had a similar problem. try using ACTION_SENDTO instead of ACTION_VIEW. it’s more reliable:

Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SENDTO);
intent.setData(Uri.parse(“mailto:”));
intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_EMAIL, “[email protected]”);
startActivity(intent);

this shud work without crashing. good luck!