haptic_feedback

A haptic feedback plugin for both iOS and Android.

While it utilizes standard iOS haptics, it aims to emulate these same haptic patterns on Android for a consistent experience across platforms.

For more information on using the package in your Flutter app, you can read the article Use haptic feedback to make your Flutter apps engaging by Kamran. He provides detailed explanations on haptic feedback and when to use each type.

Getting Started

1. Add the dependency

flutter pub add haptic_feedback

2. Use the plugin

final canVibrate = await Haptics.canVibrate();

await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.success);
await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.warning);
await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.error);

await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.light);
await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.medium);
await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.heavy);

await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.rigid);
await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.soft);

await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.selection);

If you want to be defensive, you can wrap calls in a try/catch to handle a PlatformException. Native exceptions are caught and returned as PlatformException (code: VIBRATION_ERROR) so they won't crash your app, but you can log or react if needed:

try {
  await Haptics.vibrate(HapticsType.success);
} on PlatformException catch (e) {
  // Handle or log as needed
}

Android-specific options

// Use native Android haptic constants (default: false)
// When true, uses HapticFeedbackConstants like CONFIRM, REJECT, etc.
// When false, uses custom vibration primitives that are more aligned
// with iOS haptics
await Haptics.vibrate(
  HapticsType.success,
  useAndroidHapticConstants: false,  // default
);

// On Android 13+, you can hint how the system should treat this vibration
// (alarm, communicationRequest, hardwareFeedback, media, notification, physicalEmulation, ringtone, touch, unknown)
await Haptics.vibrate(
  HapticsType.success,
  usage: HapticsUsage.media,
);

The optional usage parameter is a hint for the system. It can influence how the vibration is routed and which volume / haptics settings control it (for example, notification vs touch feedback).

Use a concrete value whenever the vibration clearly matches one of the defined categories (for example HapticsUsage.notification for reminders or status updates), and keep the default HapticsUsage.unknown for simple taps and other lightweight UI feedback.

iOS: SwiftPM vs CocoaPods

Flutter can consume this plugin via Swift Package Manager (SPM) or CocoaPods. SPM support in Flutter is still experimental:

To enable SPM (Flutter 3.24+): flutter config --enable-swift-package-manager or add to pubspec.yaml:
```
flutter:
  config:
    enable-swift-package-manager: true
```
If you hit Xcode build issues after switching, do a one-time clean: flutter clean and remove Xcode DerivedData for this app (e.g., rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-*), then rebuild.
To stick with CocoaPods (or if you hit SPM issues): disable SPM with flutter config --no-enable-swift-package-manager or by adding to pubspec.yaml:
```
flutter:
  config:
    enable-swift-package-manager: false
```

The plugin still supports CocoaPods; SPM is available for native iOS apps and newer Flutter toolchains.

Platform Implementation

iOS

Uses Apple's native haptic feedback APIs:

UINotificationFeedbackGenerator for success, warning, and error
UIImpactFeedbackGenerator for light, medium, heavy, rigid, and soft
UISelectionFeedbackGenerator for selection

Android

On Android, the plugin defaults to high-fidelity haptic primitives on API 30+ (great on devices with advanced/HD hardware); falls back to waveforms on API 26-29 and legacy timing-only vibration on older SDKs; and can opt into system HapticFeedbackConstants via useAndroidHapticConstants on supported SDKs. The plugin uses a multi-strategy approach for the best possible haptic experience:

Strategy 1: Native HapticFeedbackConstants (when enabled)

When useAndroidHapticConstants: true, the plugin uses Android's system-level haptic constants via View.performHapticFeedback():

Type	Android Constant	API Level
success	`CONFIRM`	≥ 30
error	`REJECT`	≥ 30
light	`VIRTUAL_KEY`	≥ 5
medium	`KEYBOARD_PRESS` (≥ 27) / `KEYBOARD_TAP` (≥ 8)	≥ 8
heavy	`CONTEXT_CLICK`	≥ 23
selection	`CLOCK_TICK`	≥ 21

Note: warning, rigid, and soft don't have direct Android mappings and fall back to primitives/waveforms/legacy.

Strategy 2: Haptic Primitives (API 30+)

When native constants aren't available or useAndroidHapticConstants: false (default), the plugin uses VibrationEffect.Composition, which is tuned to resemble the iOS patterns:

Type	Primitive(s)	Description
success	CLICK × 2	Two clicks with increasing intensity
warning	CLICK × 2	Two clicks with decreasing intensity
error	CLICK × 4	Four clicks with an accented third pulse
light	TICK	Subtle, light feedback
medium	CLICK	Moderate feedback
heavy	THUD	Strong, deep feedback
rigid	CLICK	Sharp, crisp feedback
soft	SPIN*	Gentle, longer feedback
selection	TICK	Subtle selection feedback

* SPIN requires API 31+; falls back to TICK on API 30.

Strategy 3: Waveform Vibrations (API 26-29)

For devices without primitive support, the plugin uses VibrationEffect.createWaveform() with amplitude control.

Strategy 4: Legacy Vibration (API < 26)

Basic timing-only patterns for older devices.

For detailed timing specifications and implementation rationale, see HAPTIC_PATTERNS.md.

Testing

When testing widgets that use haptic feedback, defaultTargetPlatform is TargetPlatform.android by default, but the default platform implementation still calls the method channel and will throw MissingPluginException unless you register a mock. If you swap in a mock platform that returns true, Haptics.canVibrate() will return true even on a non-mobile host unless you override the target platform.

To test widgets that use haptic feedback, you can:

Use debugDefaultTargetPlatformOverride to test platform-specific behavior:

import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';

void main() {
  testWidgets('test on iOS', (tester) async {
    debugDefaultTargetPlatformOverride = TargetPlatform.iOS;
    addTearDown(() => debugDefaultTargetPlatformOverride = null);

    // Your test code here
  });
}

Mock the platform interface in your tests:

import 'package:haptic_feedback/src/haptic_feedback_platform_interface.dart';
import 'package:plugin_platform_interface/plugin_platform_interface.dart';

class MockHapticFeedbackPlatform extends Mock
    with MockPlatformInterfaceMixin
    implements HapticFeedbackPlatform {}

void main() {
  testWidgets('my widget test', (tester) async {
    final mockPlatform = MockHapticFeedbackPlatform();
    HapticFeedbackPlatform.instance = mockPlatform;
    
    when(() => mockPlatform.canVibrate()).thenAnswer((_) async => true);
    when(() => mockPlatform.vibrate(any())).thenAnswer((_) async {});
    
    // Your test code here
  });
}

Mock the method channel to avoid MissingPluginException while using the real platform class:

import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
import 'package:haptic_feedback/src/haptic_feedback_method_channel.dart';
import 'package:haptic_feedback/src/haptics_type.dart';

void main() {
  const channel = MethodChannelHapticFeedback.methodChannel;
  TestDefaultBinaryMessengerBinding.ensureInitialized();

  setUp(() {
    final binding = TestDefaultBinaryMessengerBinding.instance;
    binding.defaultBinaryMessenger.setMockMethodCallHandler(
      channel,
      (MethodCall call) async {
        if (call.method == 'canVibrate') return true;
        return null; // success for vibrate calls
      },
    );
  });

  tearDown(() {
    final binding = TestDefaultBinaryMessengerBinding.instance;
    binding.defaultBinaryMessenger.setMockMethodCallHandler(channel, null);
  });

  test('canVibrate works with mocked channel', () async {
    expect(await MethodChannelHapticFeedback().canVibrate(), isTrue);
  });

  test('vibrate forwards to mocked channel', () async {
    await MethodChannelHapticFeedback().vibrate(HapticsType.success);
  });
}

You can find these examples as runnable tests in example/test on GitHub.

Automatic Permissions Inclusion

Android VIBRATE Permission

When you integrate the haptic_feedback plugin into your Flutter project, it will automatically include the necessary VIBRATE permission in the final merged AndroidManifest.xml of your app. This is due to the permission being declared in the plugin's manifest.

What this means for you:

No Manual Action Required: You don't have to add the <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE"/> permission to your app's AndroidManifest.xml manually. It will be automatically merged when building the app.
Transparency: By using the haptic_feedback plugin, your app will request the VIBRATE permission. Ensure that you are aware of all permissions your app requires, especially if you publish it on app stores. Some users may be sensitive to app permissions, even if they don't require explicit consent.
Permission Overview: To review all permissions that your app requests due to plugins and your own declarations, inspect the final merged AndroidManifest.xml after a build. This will provide a comprehensive view of all permissions and other manifest entries.