Developers can prevent their app from appearing in full screen in the Recent menu
We’re still waiting anxiously for the first Android 13 beta to arrive this month, but that does not mean that there are not lots of new details worth diving into. Esper.ios Mishaal Rahman returned yesterday with a new deep dive into every nook and cranny of the next big Android release, and while it’s primarily developer-focused, there are a few interesting points that may affect how you use your smartphone.
One of the most exciting API additions to Android 13 is a tool to give developers better control over how their apps work with the Recent menu on your phone. Right now, Android is essentially creating a screenshot for each application in its current state, while swiping up to the app switch page. It differs from a screenshot you take yourself and effectively shows the current state of each open app on your device.
Developers can now disable the system from taking a screenshot of their app for use in the latest overview. Corresponds to FLAG_SECURE, but does not affect user-initiated screens or the assistant.https: //t.co/rgxoA9QGhV
– Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 14, 2022
The setRecentsScreenshotEnabled API gives developers more control over how their software appears on your phone. When set to “False”, it prevents the system from creating a Preview screen for Recent. Clearly, apps like social networks or email providers do not usually require this level of protection, but any service with confidential data – banking apps, for example – can choose to take advantage of this option.
Rahman notes that this is different from the FLAG_SECURE window flag, which prevents all screens from being taken. You will still be able to screenshot these apps using shortcuts on your device, but do not be surprised if these tools go hand in hand for some apps.
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