Question

Trying to launch and pass tel. no. to skype by this code from my app:

PackageManager packageManager = getPackageManager();
Intent skype = packageManager.getLaunchIntentForPackage("com.skype.raider");
skype.setData(Uri.parse("tel:[phone]"));
startActivity(skype);

Skype is launched but it can’t catch the number.

Answer 1

This code works for me to start a call between two Skype users:

Intent sky = new Intent("android.intent.action.VIEW");
sky.setData(Uri.parse("skype:" + user_name));
startActivity(sky);

To find this (and others), use apktool to open up the Skype APK. Look at the AndroidManifest.xml and you’ll see all the intent filters they know about. If you want to trigger one of those intent filters, you need to make an intent that will match one. Here’s the intent filter that the code above is matching:

        <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
            <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
            <data android:scheme="skype" />
        </intent-filter>

You get the category "android.intent.category.DEFAULT" for free from new Intent(), so all that remains is to set the action and the URI.

The intent filter for tel: URIs looks like this:

        <intent-filter android:icon="@drawable/skype_blue" android:priority="0">
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.CALL_PRIVILEGED" />
            <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
            <data android:scheme="tel" />
        </intent-filter>

So you set to the action and give the Intent a tel: URI and "the right thing happens". What happens is that Android finds the correct provider for the tel: URI. It might get the user’s input to choose between the Phone App and Skype. The priority for Skype to handle tel: URIs zero, which is lowest. So if the Phone App is installed, it will probably get the Intent.