Android API Reference Published: 2015-01-07 SWD-20150107142123710 Contents Overview of Android API support..................................................................................................................7 Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later)........................................................................................ 9 App features.................................................................................................................................................. 9 App permissions.......................................................................................................................................... 10 BlackBerry Balance limitations.....................................................................................................................11 Hardware features....................................................................................................................................... 11 Intents......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Unsupported functions and APIs.................................................................................................................. 14 Unsupported media formats.........................................................................................................................15 Software features......................................................................................................................................... 16 Android Native support..............................................................................................................................21 In-app payments support........................................................................................................................... 23 Mapping support........................................................................................................................................25 Using a WebView to access Google Maps......................................................................................................25 Replacing Google Maps with OpenStreetMap............................................................................................... 28 Creating Push-enabled Android apps......................................................................................................... 33 Video encoding recommendations............................................................................................................. 37 Battery life recommendations.................................................................................................................... 39 Features and Unsupported APIs The following sections outline Android features that are supported and not supported by the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps. View API Support as a PDF Features and Unsupported APIs 5 Features and Unsupported APIs 6 Overview of Android API support Find out which APIs are not supported by the BlackBerry 10 OS. When you test your app's compatibility level, the tools compare your app's features with the features available in the BlackBerry Runtime. The tool generates a warning for each unsupported feature that it finds. Warnings range from mild (level 1) to severe (level 5). Apps that receive no warnings higher than level 1 are considered compatible with the BlackBerry 10 OS. Apps that receive warnings of level 2 or higher are considered to be incompatible with the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps. You should test your repackaged app's functionality on a BlackBerry 10 device before submitting it to BlackBerry World. Apps that fail to meet BlackBerry quality standards are rejected. In-app purchases are supported on the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps through BlackBerry World, but not through the Android Market. We highly recommend that you modify your app to use the BlackBerry World in-app payments. Apps that rely heavily on the Android Market and that don't provide a good user experience without it are rejected by the BlackBerry World vendor portal. Overview of Android API support 7 Overview of Android API support 8 Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) Find details about Android features that the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps on BlackBerry 10 does not support. The following sections outline the Android Jelly Bean features that the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps on BlackBerry 10 does not support. App features The following types of apps are not supported, and are not permitted for sale or distribution. Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) 9 Added 10.3 support for apps that need Android API level 18. BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1 does not support the following: • Apps that need an Android API level greater than 17 or whose maximum supported level is less than 10. • Apps that do not include a launchable activity. • Apps with more than one launch icon. • Widget apps and apps that are only meant to be Widgets. Apps that include widget functionality as a secondary feature are supported, as long as they define one launchable activity in their manifest. • Apps that implement an alternate home screen. App permissions The Android app permissions listed in the following table are not supported. The impact of these unsupported permissions on your app may vary. Some of these unsupported permissions are likely to have an adverse impact on your app and others are less likely to have an adverse impact, but an adverse impact on your app is still possible. Unsupported permissions and their impact on your app Adverse impact is likely Adverse impact is possible BIND_DEVICE_ADMIN CHANGE_CONFIGURATION BIND_INPUT_METHOD CHANGE_WIFI_MULTICAST_STATE BIND_REMOTEVIEWS CLEAR_APP_CACHE BIND_WALLPAPER DISABLE_KEYGUARD CHANGE_NETWORK_STATE PERSISTENT_ACTIVITY Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) 10 CHANGE_WIFI_STATE REORDER_TASKS GLOBAL_SEARCH SET_TIME_ZONE MASTER_CLEAR SET_WALLPAPER_HINTS READ_INPUT_STATE SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW SET_PREFERRED_APPLICATIONS BlackBerry Balance limitations Android apps cannot be deployed within the work perimeter using BlackBerry Balance. Android apps do not have access to any work space data, including email, contacts, and calendar. Hardware features The BlackBerry 10 OS does not support the following hardware features. Test your apps that use any of these features on a BlackBerry 10 device. Testing is needed to ensure that your app's usability and functionality are not negatively impacted by the lack of these features. Category Features Camera • Face detection Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) 11 • White balance and focus areas • Continuous autofocus • Time-lapse video recording Connectivity and communication BlackBerry 10 OS 10.2.1 does not support the following: • USB host/accessory and low-level control • Bluetooth Low Energy (supported in BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3 and later, but not in BlackBerry 10 OS 10.2 and earlier) • Wi-Fi Direct • NFC (supported in BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3 and later, but not in BlackBerry 10 OS 10.2 and earlier) Key configuration requirements • Five-way navigation keys • Hardware keyboard • Twelve-key keyboard • D-pad, trackball, or wheel navigation Sensors, input, display, and others • Altimeter sensor • Low-latency audio pipeline (android.hardware.audio.low_latency) • Five or more simultaneous independent touch events (android.hardware.touchscreen.multit ouch.jazzhand) • Multiple displays Telephony Features • SIM Info Access • PhoneStateListener • LISTEN_CALL_FORWARDING_INDICATOR • LISTEN_DATA_ACTIVITY • DATA_ACTIVITY_NONE • DATA_ACTIVITY_IN • DATA_ACTIVITY_OUT Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) 12 • DATA_ACTIVITY_INOUT • DATA_ACTIVITY_DORMANT • LISTEN_MESSAGE_WAITING_INDICATOR • SMSManager • SMSMessage • TelephonyManager • getDataActivity • getLine1Number • getSubscriberId • getVoiceMessageCount • getVoiceMailAlphaTag • getVoiceMailNumber Intents Note: Launcher (Home Screen) intents are not supported. Android apps cannot provide system-wide services to the rest of the device. For example, dialing services such as handling the android.intent.action.ACTION_DIAL activity action are not supported. Intents that are not broadcast android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED android.intent.action.PACKAGE_DATA_CLEARED android.intent.action.ACTION_POWER_CONNECTED android.intent.action.ACTION_POWER_DISCONNECTED android.intent.action.ACTION_SHUTDOWN android.intent.action.USER_PRESENT android.hardware.usb.action.ACTION_USB_ACCESSORY_ATTACHED android.hardware.usb.action.ACTION_USB_ACCESSORY_DETACHED android.hardware.usb.action.ACTION_USB_DEVICE_ATTACHED android.hardware.usb.action.ACTION_USB_DEVICE_DETACHED Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) 13 android.media.RINGER_MODE_CHANGED Device setting invocations that are not supported android.settings.APPLICATION_DETAILS_SETTINGS android.settings.APPLICATION_SETTINGS android.settings.MANAGE_ALL_APPLICATIONS_SETTINGS android.settings.QUICK_LAUNCH_SETTINGS Unsupported functions and APIs Unsupported Media APIs Function MTP / PTP APIs (Media/Picture transfer Protocol) 5.1 channel audio encoding Pluggable DRM framework Unsupported AudioManager functions Function Response AudioManager.setRingerMode Do nothing Unsupported APIs for Jelly Bean (10.2.1 or later) 14 Unsupported MediaPlayer functions Function Response MediaPlayer.attachAuxEffect Do nothing MediaPlayer.setAuxEffectSendLevel Do nothing Unsupported media formats The tables