Android Smart TV Shortcut missing - Github Issue
I'm i was not sure how to open an issue on Github since its not possible, also i can't create a pull request as non collaborator for this issue.
It would be very kind from the dev's to add an shortcut for android smart tv's like newpipe and libretube are currently doing it. It should be (hopefully) a small code snippet.
This is (hopefully) done by the AndroidManifest.xml with:
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LEANBACK_LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
That might be it since:
https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Amozilla-mobile%2Ffirefox-android+androidmanifest.xml&type=code
looks rather slim compared to the launcher options.
Or other options regarding potential fixes for the issue (Looks like LibreTube is using https://github.com/libre-tube/LibreTube/blob/2ef1600886cc61a95982a73c83cdc79319e57e51/app/src/main/java/com/github/libretube/helpers/ShortcutHelper.kt but maybe used for something different
https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe
Thank you for considering to add this small but handy feature in order to be able to launch the browser from the smart tv's shortcut menu.
I hope i did not offend any one by opening this. Thanks for the good work.
All Replies (3)
Yes, the `<intent-filter>` code snippet does add a launcher option for Android smart TVs.
The `android.intent.action.MAIN` action and the `android.intent.category.LAUNCHER` category are used together to indicate that the activity is the main entry point of the app and that its icon should be placed in the system's app launcher. This makes the app accessible from the main screen of an Android device [Source 2](https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters).
The `android.intent.category.LEANBACK_LAUNCHER` category is specifically used for Android TV applications. It indicates that the application is designed for TV and should be made available in the TV section of the Google Play Store. When the user clicks on the app's icon on an Android TV, the activity associated with this intent filter will be launched [Source 3](https://www.tothenew.com/blog/setup-for-android-tv-apps/).
Here is an example of how to add the `CATEGORY_LEANBACK_LAUNCHER` intent filter in the manifest file:
```xml <activity
android:name="com.example.android.TvActivity" android:label="@string/app_name" android:theme="@style/Theme.Leanback">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LEANBACK_LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity> ```
In this example, the `TvActivity` will be launched when the app icon is clicked on an Android TV device. If you don't include this `LEANBACK_LAUNCHER` intent filter, the application will not be available for TV Apps on the Google Play Store. Moreover, if you try to launch the app using developer tools on TV devices without this filter, it will not be visible on the TV device [Source 3](https://www.tothenew.com/blog/setup-for-android-tv-apps/).
Hi
We do not currently build or support an Android TV variant of Firefox.
>We do not currently build or support an Android TV variant of Firefox.
Sorry but the app does run on Android TV without any issues beside the missing launcher option in the AndroidManifest.xml
So on Smart TV's Firefox Android App behaves like on tablets by default, which is really nice.
I would be very thankful if you redirect this issue to the developers.
Best regards
johnson.hor42 trɔe