Android

Creating a Battery and Device Information Display App in Android

In this tutorial, you will learn how to develop an Android application that displays both battery and device information. The tutorial will guide you through the process of designing a user interface using CardViews to organize and present the battery and device information in a visually appealing manner. You'll explore how to retrieve relevant data such as battery level, status (charging or discharging), device model, Android version, and other system information using Android APIs like BatteryManager and Build.
Submitted on July 07, 2024

Creating an Android app to display both battery and device information involves designing a layout with CardViews for each set of information and retrieving relevant data using Android APIs. Below is a structured guide on how to achieve this:

Step-by-Step Implementation:

1. Set Up Permissions

  • First, you need to declare permissions in your AndroidManifest.xml file to access battery and device information.

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

2. Add Dependencies

  • Make sure you have the necessary dependencies in your build.gradle file for CardView and RecyclerView.

dependencies {
    implementation 'androidx.cardview:cardview:1.0.0'
    implementation 'androidx.recyclerview:recyclerview:1.0.0'
}

3. Design Layout

Create a layout file (activity_main.xml) that includes two CardViews for displaying battery and device information.

‘res/layout/activity_main.xml’


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <androidx.cardview.widget.CardView
        android:id="@+id/cardBattery"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_margin="16dp"
        android:padding="16dp">

        <!-- Battery information will be displayed here -->
        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/textBatteryInfo"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:textSize="18sp" />

    </androidx.cardview.widget.CardView>

    <androidx.cardview.widget.CardView
        android:id="@+id/cardDeviceInfo"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@id/cardBattery"
        android:layout_margin="16dp"
        android:padding="16dp">

        <!-- Device information will be displayed here -->
        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/textDeviceInfo"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:textSize="18sp" />

    </androidx.cardview.widget.CardView>

</RelativeLayout>

Implement MainActivity

Now, implement the logic in your ‘MainActivity.java’ to retrieve battery and device information and display it in the respective CardViews.

‘MainActivity.java’


import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.IntentFilter;
import android.os.BatteryManager;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.Environment;
import android.telephony.TelephonyManager;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.TextView;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import androidx.cardview.widget.CardView;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private TextView textBatteryInfo;
    private TextView textDeviceInfo;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        textBatteryInfo = findViewById(R.id.textBatteryInfo);
        textDeviceInfo = findViewById(R.id.textDeviceInfo);

        // Display battery information
        displayBatteryInformation();

        // Display device information
        displayDeviceInfo();
    }

    private void displayBatteryInformation() {
        IntentFilter ifilter = new IntentFilter(Intent.ACTION_BATTERY_CHANGED);
        Intent batteryStatus = this.registerReceiver(null, ifilter);

        int level = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_LEVEL, -1);
        int scale = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_SCALE, -1);
        float batteryPct = level * 100 / (float) scale;

        String status = "";
        switch (batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_STATUS, -1)) {
            case BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_CHARGING:
                status = "Charging";
                break;
            case BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_DISCHARGING:
                status = "Discharging";
                break;
            case BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_NOT_CHARGING:
                status = "Not Charging";
                break;
            case BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_FULL:
                status = "Full";
                break;
            case BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_UNKNOWN:
                status = "Unknown";
                break;
        }

        String technology = batteryStatus.getStringExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_TECHNOLOGY);
        int temperature = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_TEMPERATURE, 0);
        int voltage = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_VOLTAGE, 0);

        String batteryInfo = "Battery Level: " + batteryPct + "%\n" +
                "Status: " + status + "\n" +
                "Technology: " + technology + "\n" +
                "Temperature: " + (temperature / 10) + "°C\n" +
                "Voltage: " + voltage + " mV";

        textBatteryInfo.setText(batteryInfo);
    }

    private void displayDeviceInfo() {
        String deviceName = android.os.Build.MODEL;
        String storage = Environment.getDataDirectory().getAbsolutePath();
        long totalMemory = Runtime.getRuntime().totalMemory();
        long freeMemory = Runtime.getRuntime().freeMemory();
        long usedMemory = totalMemory - freeMemory;
        long maxMemory = Runtime.getRuntime().maxMemory();
        String ram = usedMemory / (1024 * 1024) + " MB used / " + maxMemory / (1024 * 1024) + " MB max";
        String display = getWindowManager().getDefaultDisplay().getName();
        String temperature = "Unknown"; // You may add logic to get device temperature

        String deviceInfo = "Device Name: " + deviceName + "\n" +
                "Storage: " + storage + "\n" +
                "RAM: " + ram + "\n" +
                "Display: " + display + "\n" +
                "Temperature: " + temperature;

        textDeviceInfo.setText(deviceInfo);
    }
}

5. Run the App

Run your app on an Android device or emulator. You should see two CardViews displaying battery and device information based on the methods implemented in MainActivity.

Notes:

  • Temperature: Retrieving device temperature requires additional permissions and possibly using ThermalManager (available in newer Android versions).
  • Camera Information: Adding camera details would involve using CameraManager or related APIs to fetch camera specifications.
  • Error Handling: Implement error handling for scenarios where certain information (like temperature) might not be available or accessible due to permissions or device restrictions.

This setup should help you create an Android app that displays battery and device information using CardViews effectively.

Battery and Device Information in Kotlin Version

Implement MainActivity in Kotlin

Implement the logic in MainActivity.kt to retrieve battery and device information:

MainActivity.kt


import android.content.Context
import android.content.Intent
import android.content.IntentFilter
import android.os.BatteryManager
import android.os.Bundle
import android.os.Environment
import android.telephony.TelephonyManager
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import androidx.cardview.widget.CardView

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var textBatteryInfo: TextView
    private lateinit var textDeviceInfo: TextView

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        textBatteryInfo = findViewById(R.id.textBatteryInfo)
        textDeviceInfo = findViewById(R.id.textDeviceInfo)

        // Display battery information
        displayBatteryInformation()

        // Display device information
        displayDeviceInfo()
    }

    private fun displayBatteryInformation() {
        val ifilter = IntentFilter(Intent.ACTION_BATTERY_CHANGED)
        val batteryStatus: Intent? = this.registerReceiver(null, ifilter)

        batteryStatus?.let {
            val level = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_LEVEL, -1)
            val scale = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_SCALE, -1)
            val batteryPct = level * 100 / scale.toFloat()

            val status = when (batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_STATUS, -1)) {
                BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_CHARGING -> "Charging"
                BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_DISCHARGING -> "Discharging"
                BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_NOT_CHARGING -> "Not Charging"
                BatteryManager.BATTERY_STATUS_FULL -> "Full"
                else -> "Unknown"
            }

            val technology = batteryStatus.getStringExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_TECHNOLOGY)
            val temperature = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_TEMPERATURE, 0) / 10
            val voltage = batteryStatus.getIntExtra(BatteryManager.EXTRA_VOLTAGE, 0)

            val batteryInfo = "Battery Level: $batteryPct%\n" +
                    "Status: $status\n" +
                    "Technology: $technology\n" +
                    "Temperature: $temperature°C\n" +
                    "Voltage: $voltage mV"

            textBatteryInfo.text = batteryInfo
        }
    }

    private fun displayDeviceInfo() {
        val deviceName = android.os.Build.MODEL
        val storage = Environment.getDataDirectory().absolutePath
        val ram = (Runtime.getRuntime().totalMemory() / (1024 * 1024)).toString() + " MB"
        val display = windowManager.defaultDisplay.name
        val temperature = "Unknown" // You may add logic to get device temperature

        val deviceInfo = "Device Name: $deviceName\n" +
                "Storage: $storage\n" +
                "RAM: $ram\n" +
                "Display: $display\n" +
                "Temperature: $temperature"

        textDeviceInfo.text = deviceInfo
    }
}

Key steps covered in the tutorial include:

  1. Creating a layout with CardViews to structure and display the information.
  2. Implementing logic in MainActivity to fetch and update battery and device data dynamically.
  3. Handling permissions and ensuring compatibility with different Android versions.
  4. Enhancing the UI with appropriate formatting and styling to improve readability and user experience.

By following this structured guide, you'll gain practical experience in accessing device information programmatically, organizing data within CardViews, and designing informative Android applications that provide essential device insights to users effectively.