@zecky-dev/react-native-app-list

This module offers a simple and efficient way to list all installed apps and check for a specific one on the Android platform.

Installation

npm install @zecky-dev/react-native-app-list

Android Permissions

To ensure this module works correctly on Android, you must add the following permission to your app's AndroidManifest.xml file. This permission is required to access the list of installed applications.

Open your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml file and add this line inside the <manifest> tag:

Add this permission:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES" />

Without this permission, the getInstalledApps and isAppInstalled methods may not return the expected results due to Android's package visibility restrictions.

Usage

1. Get All Installed Apps

This method returns a Promise that resolves to an array of AppInfo objects, where each object represents an installed application on the device.

import { getInstalledApps } from "@zecky-dev/react-native-app-list";
async function listInstalledApps() {
  try {
    const apps = await getInstalledApps(); /* : AppInfo[] */
    console.log("Installed Apps:", apps);
    // Example output for 'apps':
    // [
    //   { appName: "Google Chrome", packageName: "com.android.chrome" },
    //   { appName: "WhatsApp", packageName: "com.whatsapp" },
    //   // ... other installed apps
    // ]
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Failed to get installed apps:", error);
  }
}
listInstalledApps();

AppInfo Type

type AppInfo = {
  appName: string; // The display name of the app (e.g., "Instagram")
  packageName: string; // The unique package name of the app (e.g., "com.instagram.android")
};

2. Check Installed App by Package Name

This method is used to check if a specific app is installed on the device. It returns a Promise<boolean> that resolves to true if the app is installed, and false otherwise.

import { isAppInstalled } from "@zecky-dev/react-native-app-list";
async function checkChromeInstallation() {
  try {
    // Check for the Google Chrome app using its package name
    const isInstalled = await isAppInstalled("com.android.chrome");

    if (isInstalled) {
      console.log("Google Chrome is installed on this device.");
    } else {
      console.log("Google Chrome is not installed on this device.");
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error checking app installation:", error);
  }
}
checkChromeInstallation();

❓ How to Find an App's Package Name

You can find an app's package name directly from its Google Play Store URL. The package name is the part of the URL after ?id=.

For example:

Google Chrome: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.chrome

Package Name: com.android.chrome

License

MIT – Do whatever you want with it, no warranty.