Android APIs
public class

PackageInstaller

extends Object
java.lang.Object
   ↳ android.content.pm.PackageInstaller

Class Overview

Offers the ability to install, upgrade, and remove applications on the device. This includes support for apps packaged either as a single "monolithic" APK, or apps packaged as multiple "split" APKs.

An app is delivered for installation through a PackageInstaller.Session, which any app can create. Once the session is created, the installer can stream one or more APKs into place until it decides to either commit or destroy the session. Committing may require user intervention to complete the installation.

Sessions can install brand new apps, upgrade existing apps, or add new splits into an existing app.

Apps packaged as multiple split APKs always consist of a single "base" APK (with a null split name) and zero or more "split" APKs (with unique split names). Any subset of these APKs can be installed together, as long as the following constraints are met:

  • All APKs must have the exact same package name, version code, and signing certificates.
  • All APKs must have unique split names.
  • All installations must contain a single base APK.

Summary

Nested Classes
class PackageInstaller.Session An installation that is being actively staged. 
class PackageInstaller.SessionCallback Events for observing session lifecycle. 
class PackageInstaller.SessionInfo Details for an active install session. 
class PackageInstaller.SessionParams Parameters for creating a new PackageInstaller.Session. 
Constants
String ACTION_SESSION_DETAILS Activity Action: Show details about a particular install session.
String EXTRA_OTHER_PACKAGE_NAME Another package name relevant to a status.
String EXTRA_PACKAGE_NAME Package name that an operation is working with.
String EXTRA_SESSION_ID An integer session ID that an operation is working with.
String EXTRA_STATUS Current status of an operation.
String EXTRA_STATUS_MESSAGE Detailed string representation of the status, including raw details that are useful for debugging.
String EXTRA_STORAGE_PATH Storage path relevant to a status.
int STATUS_FAILURE The operation failed in a generic way.
int STATUS_FAILURE_ABORTED The operation failed because it was actively aborted.
int STATUS_FAILURE_BLOCKED The operation failed because it was blocked.
int STATUS_FAILURE_CONFLICT The operation failed because it conflicts (or is inconsistent with) with another package already installed on the device.
int STATUS_FAILURE_INCOMPATIBLE The operation failed because it is fundamentally incompatible with this device.
int STATUS_FAILURE_INVALID The operation failed because one or more of the APKs was invalid.
int STATUS_FAILURE_STORAGE The operation failed because of storage issues.
int STATUS_PENDING_USER_ACTION User action is currently required to proceed.
int STATUS_SUCCESS The operation succeeded.
Public Methods
void abandonSession(int sessionId)
Completely abandon the given session, destroying all staged data and rendering it invalid.
int createSession(PackageInstaller.SessionParams params)
Create a new session using the given parameters, returning a unique ID that represents the session.
List<PackageInstaller.SessionInfo> getAllSessions()
Return list of all known install sessions, regardless of the installer.
List<PackageInstaller.SessionInfo> getMySessions()
Return list of all known install sessions owned by the calling app.
PackageInstaller.SessionInfo getSessionInfo(int sessionId)
Return details for a specific session.
PackageInstaller.Session openSession(int sessionId)
Open an existing session to actively perform work.
void registerSessionCallback(PackageInstaller.SessionCallback callback, Handler handler)
Register to watch for session lifecycle events.
void registerSessionCallback(PackageInstaller.SessionCallback callback)
Register to watch for session lifecycle events.
void uninstall(String packageName, IntentSender statusReceiver)
Uninstall the given package, removing it completely from the device.
void unregisterSessionCallback(PackageInstaller.SessionCallback callback)
Unregister a previously registered callback.
void updateSessionAppIcon(int sessionId, Bitmap appIcon)
Update the icon representing the app being installed in a specific session.
void updateSessionAppLabel(int sessionId, CharSequence appLabel)
Update the label representing the app being installed in a specific session.
[Expand]
Inherited Methods
From class java.lang.Object

Constants

public static final String ACTION_SESSION_DETAILS

Added in API level 21

Activity Action: Show details about a particular install session. This may surface actions such as pause, resume, or cancel.

This should always be scoped to the installer package that owns the session. Clients should use createDetailsIntent() to build this intent correctly.

In some cases, a matching Activity may not exist, so ensure you safeguard against this.

The session to show details for is defined in EXTRA_SESSION_ID.

Constant Value: "android.content.pm.action.SESSION_DETAILS"

public static final String EXTRA_OTHER_PACKAGE_NAME

Added in API level 21

Another package name relevant to a status. This is typically the package responsible for causing an operation failure.

See Also
Constant Value: "android.content.pm.extra.OTHER_PACKAGE_NAME"

public static final String EXTRA_PACKAGE_NAME

Added in API level 21

Package name that an operation is working with.

See Also
Constant Value: "android.content.pm.extra.PACKAGE_NAME"

public static final String EXTRA_SESSION_ID

Added in API level 21

An integer session ID that an operation is working with.

See Also
Constant Value: "android.content.pm.extra.SESSION_ID"

public static final String EXTRA_STATUS

Added in API level 21

Current status of an operation. Will be one of STATUS_PENDING_USER_ACTION, STATUS_SUCCESS, STATUS_FAILURE, STATUS_FAILURE_ABORTED, STATUS_FAILURE_BLOCKED, STATUS_FAILURE_CONFLICT, STATUS_FAILURE_INCOMPATIBLE, STATUS_FAILURE_INVALID, or STATUS_FAILURE_STORAGE.

More information about a status may be available through additional extras; see the individual status documentation for details.

See Also
Constant Value: "android.content.pm.extra.STATUS"

public static final String EXTRA_STATUS_MESSAGE

Added in API level 21

Detailed string representation of the status, including raw details that are useful for debugging.

See Also
Constant Value: "android.content.pm.extra.STATUS_MESSAGE"

public static final String EXTRA_STORAGE_PATH

Added in API level 21

Storage path relevant to a status.

See Also
Constant Value: "android.content.pm.extra.STORAGE_PATH"

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE

Added in API level 21

The operation failed in a generic way. The system will always try to provide a more specific failure reason, but in some rare cases this may be delivered.

See Also
Constant Value: 1 (0x00000001)

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE_ABORTED

Added in API level 21

The operation failed because it was actively aborted. For example, the user actively declined requested permissions, or the session was abandoned.

See Also
Constant Value: 3 (0x00000003)

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE_BLOCKED

Added in API level 21

The operation failed because it was blocked. For example, a device policy may be blocking the operation, a package verifier may have blocked the operation, or the app may be required for core system operation.

The result may also contain EXTRA_OTHER_PACKAGE_NAME with the specific package blocking the install.

See Also
Constant Value: 2 (0x00000002)

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE_CONFLICT

Added in API level 21

The operation failed because it conflicts (or is inconsistent with) with another package already installed on the device. For example, an existing permission, incompatible certificates, etc. The user may be able to uninstall another app to fix the issue.

The result may also contain EXTRA_OTHER_PACKAGE_NAME with the specific package identified as the cause of the conflict.

See Also
Constant Value: 5 (0x00000005)

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE_INCOMPATIBLE

Added in API level 21

The operation failed because it is fundamentally incompatible with this device. For example, the app may require a hardware feature that doesn't exist, it may be missing native code for the ABIs supported by the device, or it requires a newer SDK version, etc.

See Also
Constant Value: 7 (0x00000007)

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE_INVALID

Added in API level 21

The operation failed because one or more of the APKs was invalid. For example, they might be malformed, corrupt, incorrectly signed, mismatched, etc.

See Also
Constant Value: 4 (0x00000004)

public static final int STATUS_FAILURE_STORAGE

Added in API level 21

The operation failed because of storage issues. For example, the device may be running low on space, or external media may be unavailable. The user may be able to help free space or insert different external media.

The result may also contain EXTRA_STORAGE_PATH with the path to the storage device that caused the failure.

See Also
Constant Value: 6 (0x00000006)

public static final int STATUS_PENDING_USER_ACTION

Added in API level 21

User action is currently required to proceed. You can launch the intent activity described by EXTRA_INTENT to involve the user and continue.

You may choose to immediately launch the intent if the user is actively using your app. Otherwise, you should use a notification to guide the user back into your app before launching.

See Also
Constant Value: -1 (0xffffffff)

public static final int STATUS_SUCCESS

Added in API level 21

The operation succeeded.

Constant Value: 0 (0x00000000)

Public Methods

public void abandonSession (int sessionId)

Added in API level 21

Completely abandon the given session, destroying all staged data and rendering it invalid. Abandoned sessions will be reported to PackageInstaller.SessionCallback listeners as failures. This is equivalent to opening the session and calling abandon().

Throws
SecurityException when the caller does not own the session, or the session is invalid.

public int createSession (PackageInstaller.SessionParams params)

Added in API level 21

Create a new session using the given parameters, returning a unique ID that represents the session. Once created, the session can be opened multiple times across multiple device boots.

The system may automatically destroy sessions that have not been finalized (either committed or abandoned) within a reasonable period of time, typically on the order of a day.

Returns
  • positive, non-zero unique ID that represents the created session. This ID remains consistent across device reboots until the session is finalized. IDs are not reused during a given boot.
Throws
IOException if parameters were unsatisfiable, such as lack of disk space or unavailable media.
SecurityException when installation services are unavailable, such as when called from a restricted user.
IllegalArgumentException when PackageInstaller.SessionParams is invalid.

public List<PackageInstaller.SessionInfo> getAllSessions ()

Added in API level 21

Return list of all known install sessions, regardless of the installer.

public List<PackageInstaller.SessionInfo> getMySessions ()

Added in API level 21

Return list of all known install sessions owned by the calling app.

public PackageInstaller.SessionInfo getSessionInfo (int sessionId)

Added in API level 21

Return details for a specific session. No special permissions are required to retrieve these details.

Returns
  • details for the requested session, or null if the session does not exist.

public PackageInstaller.Session openSession (int sessionId)

Added in API level 21

Open an existing session to actively perform work. To succeed, the caller must be the owner of the install session.

Throws
IOException if parameters were unsatisfiable, such as lack of disk space or unavailable media.
SecurityException when the caller does not own the session, or the session is invalid.

public void registerSessionCallback (PackageInstaller.SessionCallback callback, Handler handler)

Added in API level 21

Register to watch for session lifecycle events. No special permissions are required to watch for these events.

Parameters
handler to dispatch callback events through, otherwise uses calling thread.

public void registerSessionCallback (PackageInstaller.SessionCallback callback)

Added in API level 21

Register to watch for session lifecycle events. No special permissions are required to watch for these events.

public void uninstall (String packageName, IntentSender statusReceiver)

Added in API level 21

Uninstall the given package, removing it completely from the device. This method is only available to the current "installer of record" for the package.

public void unregisterSessionCallback (PackageInstaller.SessionCallback callback)

Added in API level 21

Unregister a previously registered callback.

public void updateSessionAppIcon (int sessionId, Bitmap appIcon)

Added in API level 21

Update the icon representing the app being installed in a specific session. This should be roughly getLauncherLargeIconSize() in both dimensions.

Throws
SecurityException when the caller does not own the session, or the session is invalid.

public void updateSessionAppLabel (int sessionId, CharSequence appLabel)

Added in API level 21

Update the label representing the app being installed in a specific session.

Throws
SecurityException when the caller does not own the session, or the session is invalid.