flutter_app_usage_kit

A Flutter plugin for querying Android app usage statistics via the system's UsageStatsManager API.

Android only. Requires the PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS special permission.

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Features

API	Description
AppUsageKit.queryUsageStats	Aggregated foreground time per app for a time range
AppUsageKit.queryEvents	Discrete foreground / background / screen / keyguard events
AppUsageKit.getInstalledApps	List all installed apps with name, version, system flag, optional icon
AppUsageKit.getAppInfo	Metadata for a single package
AppUsageKit.hasPermission	Check if usage-stats permission is granted
AppUsageKit.openPermissionSettings	Open the system Usage Access settings screen

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Requirements

• Flutter ≥ 3.24
• Dart ≥ 3.5
• Android API 21 (Android 5.0 Lollipop) or higher
• PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS permission granted by the user

---

Installation

dependencies:
  flutter_app_usage_kit: ^0.1.0

---

Android setup

1. Add the permission to AndroidManifest.xml

<uses-permission
    android:name="android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS"
    tools:ignore="ProtectedPermissions" />

2. Request permission at runtime

PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS is a special permission — it cannot be requested with the normal runtime-permission API. Direct the user to the system settings screen instead:

if (!await AppUsageKit.hasPermission()) {
  await AppUsageKit.openPermissionSettings();
}

---

Usage

Check platform support

if (!await AppUsageKit.isSupported()) {
  // Not Android — plugin will throw UnsupportedPlatformException on any other call
}

Query today's usage

final now = DateTime.now();
final start = DateTime(now.year, now.month, now.day);

final stats = await AppUsageKit.queryUsageStats(start: start, end: now);
for (final s in stats) {
  print('${s.packageName}: ${s.totalForegroundTime}');
}

Query recent events

final now = DateTime.now();
final events = await AppUsageKit.queryEvents(
  start: now.subtract(const Duration(hours: 1)),
  end: now,
);
for (final e in events) {
  print('${e.packageName} → ${e.type} at ${e.timestamp}');
}

List installed apps

final apps = await AppUsageKit.getInstalledApps(
  includeIcons: true,       // fetches PNG bytes — memory-intensive
  includeSystemApps: false, // exclude system packages
);

Get info for one app

final info = await AppUsageKit.getAppInfo(
  'com.example.myapp',
  includeIcon: true,
);
if (info != null) {
  print('${info.appName} v${info.versionName}');
}

---

Error handling

Exception	When thrown
UnsupportedPlatformException	Called on a non-Android platform
PermissionDeniedException	PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS not granted (stats/events only)
InvalidTimeRangeException	start is not before end

try {
  final stats = await AppUsageKit.queryUsageStats(start: start, end: end);
} on PermissionDeniedException {
  await AppUsageKit.openPermissionSettings();
} on InvalidTimeRangeException {
  // fix the time range
}

---

Models

UsageInfo

Field	Type	Description
packageName	String	App package name
totalForegroundTime	Duration	Total foreground time in the queried window
lastTimeUsed	DateTime?	Last time the app was used (all-time)
launchCount	int	Number of launches (API 28+, else 0)

UsageEvent

Field	Type	Description
packageName	String	App package name
type	UsageEventType	foreground, background, screenInteractive, etc.
timestamp	DateTime	When the event occurred
className	String?	Activity class name if available

AppInfo

Field	Type	Description
packageName	String	Package name
appName	String	Human-readable label
isSystemApp	bool	Whether it is a system app
versionName	String?	Version string from the manifest
iconPng	Uint8List?	PNG-encoded launcher icon (if requested)

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License

MIT