What is an Intent in Android?
In Android, an Intent is a messaging object that facilitates communication between
different components of the application, or even between different apps.
It is primarily used to:
• Start a new Activity
• Start or bind to a Service
• Send a broadcast to other components
An Intent carries information about the action to be performed, and can also carry data
(key-value pairs) using extras.
Types of Intent in Android
1. Explicit Intent
An explicit intent is used when you want to launch a specific component (like another
activity or service) within the same application.
When to use:
• Navigating between activities inside the app
• Starting a background service
• Opening a specific broadcast receiver
Syntax Example:
java
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Intent intent = new Intent([Link], [Link]);
[Link]("username", "JohnDoe");
startActivity(intent);
2. Implicit Intent
An implicit intent is used when you want the Android system to find a suitable
component (from any installed app) that can handle the intent based on action and
data.
When to use:
• Open a webpage
• Share a message or image
• Capture an image using the camera
• Dial a phone number
Syntax Example:
java
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Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
[Link]([Link]("[Link]
startActivity(intent);
Common Actions in Implicit Intents:
Action Purpose
Intent.ACTION_VIEW View something (webpage, file)
Intent.ACTION_SEND Share data with another app
Intent.ACTION_DIAL Open the phone dialer
Intent.ACTION_CALL Make a phone call
Intent.ACTION_EDIT Edit a data item
Characteristics of Intent
Feature Description
Component Intents enable communication between components like Activity,
communication Service, BroadcastReceiver
You can pass data using putExtra(), putExtras(), and receive using
Data transfer
getIntent().getStringExtra()
You can target a known component (explicit) or allow the system to
Flexible targeting
choose (implicit)
Intents are designed to perform a specific action such as viewing,
Action-oriented
sending, calling
Used across the app or
Intents work not only within your own app but also across apps
system
✅ Advantages of Intents
• Enables modular app design
• Encourages reusability of components
• Supports inter-app communication
• Simplifies data sharing and activity transitions
• Central mechanism for component communication in Android
