flutter_device_apps

A Flutter plugin to list, inspect, launch, and monitor installed apps on Android.

Quick start

List apps

final apps = await FlutterDeviceApps.listApps(
  includeSystem: false, // Include visible system apps.
  onlyLaunchable: true, // Only apps with a launcher entry.
  includeIcons: false, // Load icon bytes.
  // Optional, case-sensitive prefix. Null or empty disables filtering.
  packageNamePrefix: 'com.example.',
);

Get details for one app

final appInfo = await FlutterDeviceApps.getApp('com.example.myapp', includeIcon: true);

AppInfo fields

Identity: packageName, appName, uid, processName
Version: versionName, versionCode, targetSdkVersion, minSdkVersion
State: isSystem, enabled, isOnExternalStorage
Files: apkPath, apkSizeBytes (base + split APKs), dataPath
Install/update times: firstInstallTime, lastUpdateTime
Icon: iconBytes (when requested)
Android codes: category, installLocation (raw integers)

minSdkVersion describes the installed APK variant and may differ from the original app bundle's minimum SDK, including for Google Play installs.

Fields are nullable. See the AppInfo API for details.

Get requested permissions on demand

final permissions = await FlutterDeviceApps.getRequestedPermissions('com.example.myapp');

App queries

final installed = await FlutterDeviceApps.isAppInstalled('com.example.myapp');
final system = await FlutterDeviceApps.isSystemApp('com.example.myapp');
final enabled = await FlutterDeviceApps.isAppEnabled('com.example.myapp');
final launchable = await FlutterDeviceApps.isAppLaunchable('com.example.myapp');
final icon = await FlutterDeviceApps.getAppIcon('com.example.myapp');

Missing or hidden packages return false from isAppInstalled and null from isSystemApp / isAppEnabled. For the latter two, false means non-system or disabled, respectively.

Open / Settings / Uninstall

await FlutterDeviceApps.openApp('com.example.myapp');
await FlutterDeviceApps.openAppSettings('com.example.myapp');
await FlutterDeviceApps.uninstallApp('com.example.myapp');

uninstallApp returning true means the uninstall screen opened; the user can still cancel.

Listen to app changes

final sub = FlutterDeviceApps.appChanges.listen(
  (event) => print('${event.type} → ${event.packageName}'),
  onError: (error) => print('Monitoring error: $error'),
);

// Stop monitoring when no longer needed.
await sub.cancel();

Monitoring starts with the first listener and stops when the last listener cancels; event.isReplacing indicates a replacement, such as an app update.

Get install source information

final AppInstallSourceInfo? source =
    await FlutterDeviceApps.getInstallSourceInfo('com.example.myapp');
final installer = source?.installingPackageName;

AppInstallSourceInfo exposes installingPackageName, initiatingPackageName, originatingPackageName, packageSource, and updateOwnerPackageName. Fields may be null depending on Android version and available information. originatingPackageName requires the privileged INSTALL_PACKAGES permission and is null for ordinary apps; declaring the permission in the manifest is not enough.

getInstallerStore is deprecated; use source?.installingPackageName instead.

Android notes

Package visibility (Android 11+)

Queries can only access apps visible to your app. The plugin already declares launcher app visibility, so listing those apps needs no extra permission.

includeSystem and onlyLaunchable filter visible apps; they do not expand visibility.

To query other specific packages, add this to android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml, inside <manifest> and outside <application>:

<queries>
    <package android:name="com.example.service" />
</queries>

For access to all installed apps, add this permission in the same location:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES" />

Google Play restricts this permission. See Android package visibility.

Uninstall permission

To use the uninstallApp() function, add this permission to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES" />