Application.OpenURL on Unity 2017.2 + Android 7 not working

Hello everyone,

I've been using Application.OpenURL() successfully so far using Unity 5.5.0 + Android API 23 (Marshmallow) to open a PDF that's stored in the application's persistentDataPath. This setup worked for devices with both Marshmallow and Nougat installed. However, after updating Unity to version 2017.2 and updating Android's SDK to API 25 this has stopped working on devices with Nougat. It seems like the instruction is ignored altogether, as no errors appear on the log. It still works normally with devices using Marshmallow.

I'd be extremely grateful if someone could shed some light to this problem, as I really have tried everything. Perhaps there's a security setting/update that's messing this up?

Many thanks for your help,

 

If it works fine in earlier Unity versions, but stops working in 2017.2, then you most likely found a regression.

In this case, I recommend to submit a bug-report following the advice in this document.

Using the bug-reporter seems to be an important step, because it makes sure the report is in Unity Technologies bug-tracking pipeline and has to be processed at some point. Using the forum is often used to add to a little more attention to a bug-report, but does not replace submitting the bug-report.

It's from advantage to attach a project to the bug-report that UT can use to reproduce the issue and test their fix against. The easier an issue can be reproduced by QA, the more likely it is to get forwarded to a developer, who might or might not work on a bug-fix for that at some point.

After you submitted the bug-report, you receive a confirmation email with a Case number. UT often asks us to post the Case number in the forum thread, which allows them to find that bug-report if they look at your post.

Following these steps will increase the chance that UT is looking at your issue tremendously.

 

Thank you very much for the advice, @Peter77. I will submit a bug report and hopefully they will have a look. While I was searching for answers I found this article regarding an important security update on Nougat that could be related to the problem:

https://inthecheesefactory.com/blog...o-file-with-fileprovider-on-android-nougat/en

Passing file:// URIs outside the package domain may leave the receiver with an unaccessible path. Therefore, attempts to pass a file:// URI trigger a FileUriExposedException. The recommended way to share the content of a private file is using the FileProvider.
​

Perhaps this affects the way Application.OpenURL should be implemented for Android.

Thanks again for your help

 

I had the same problem.

You have to set your build settings for you app to a targetSdkVersion of 23 or lower to make it work ! Atfer it's a whole new system and OpenURL() doesn't work the same and it's not the only behviour that is affected.

 

Hi @martejpad , have you solve your problem? i had the same problem, and i cannot downgrade the SDK version because i'm using InApp Purchase Android Native. I'm stuck T.T,

if you found the workaround, would be good to share here

 

Hi @Majingari! I'm afraid I didn't find a solution even after a lot of searching... Downgrading the SDK version wasn't an option for me either. If you find a solution please share it here! Best of luck

 

Any news on this? I just stumbled across the same problem...

 

Bump

 

I just get the same issue and no solution found..

 

not even with Unity 2017.3 or .4 ?

 

Bump, this was hours of time lost for me, as I'm sure it was for others, trying to track down the problem. Almost no posts about it either for some reason.

I'm on 2017.1 right now. I can set targetSdkVersion to 23 safely I think, so that fixes it for me, for now. But has this been fixed in 2018.1 or 2018.2?

Also, if I put "file://" before the path for OpenURL(), it complains that my JPG file is not a valid PDF! Why would "file://" presume the file was a PDF? Works if I remove the "file://".

 

Same here with Unity 2018.1.1f1 and Android 7. Worked downgrading to targetSdkVersion 23.
@martejpad did you submit a bug report?

 

Still the problem in Unity 2018.2.2f1 (64-bit) !

It works using the API 23, but the android store does not accept app compiled under 26 or lower..

 

I just reported a bug for it. Not sure if anyone else already had. Might have more impact if others also reported the bug from their perspective?

It's a show-stopper bug now, since very soon Google won't accept apps targeting below 26.

 

Same problem here... No fix founded ...

 

For those who are intested in a fix, I found this plugin to share image :
https://github.com/yasirkula/UnityNativeShare
I use the jar in the project which extend the FileProvider method to open a file.
Follow the tutorial to install it then you can remove all but the jar and the manifest.

My method to openfile (image there) :

Code (CSharp):

1.     private static AndroidJavaObject clazz = new AndroidJavaClass ("com.youractivity.yourname");
2.     private static AndroidJavaObject activity = clazz.GetStatic<AndroidJavaObject> ("currentActivity");
3.      
4.     private static void OpenFileAndroid (string url)
5.     {
6.         using (var intent = new AndroidJavaObject("android.content.Intent"))
7.         {
8.             //permission to read URI
9.             intent.Call<AndroidJavaObject>("addFlags", intent.GetStatic<int>("FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION"));
10.             intent.Call<AndroidJavaObject>("setAction", intent.GetStatic<string>("ACTION_VIEW"));
11.  
12.             //Get API Android Version
13.             var versionClazz = new AndroidJavaClass("android.os.Build$VERSION");
14.             var apiLevel = versionClazz.GetStatic<int>("SDK_INT");
15.  
16.             AndroidJavaObject uri;
17.             if (24 <= apiLevel)
18.             {
19.                 //New version, need a fileprovider
20.                 var context = activity.Call<AndroidJavaObject>("getApplicationContext");
21.                 var fileProvider = new AndroidJavaClass("com.yasirkula.unity.UnitySSContentProvider");
22.                 var file = new AndroidJavaObject("java.io.File", url);
23.                 uri = fileProvider.CallStatic<AndroidJavaObject>("getUriForFile", context, YOURAUTHORITIESNAME, file);
24.             }
25.             else
26.             {
27.                 //Old version using uriClass
28.                 var uriClazz = new AndroidJavaClass("android.net.Uri");
29.                 var file = new AndroidJavaObject("java.io.File", url);
30.                 uri = uriClazz.CallStatic<AndroidJavaObject>("fromFile", file);
31.             }
32.          
33.             intent.Call<AndroidJavaObject>("setType", "image/*");
34.             //set uri
35.             intent.Call<AndroidJavaObject>("setData", uri);
36.  
37.             //start activity
38.             activity.Call("startActivity", intent);
39.         }
40.     }

I hope it helps

 

hey people. I'm doing the same thing and opening a url from a file I just created. thing is this html file imports javascript, css and images that I also export, but I don't see them working in the html. Do I need to include them in the code above somehow?

 

THanks for your code but im unable to use its not working...
("com.youractivity.yourname"); YOURAUTHORITIESNAME,

can you describe these values how to change

 

Here is the documentation of the getUriForFile. You can find an example for the FileProvider from this StackOverflow answer.

 

Thanks for your immediate response Konsnos.
is this issue with URI address?? all i need is just to open local a file(image) externally. if i get uri address Application.url() will work?

 

I linked this issue for its example of what you should write to the authorities parameter. No, this issue is not with URI address to open an image but an apk, so you should change values to reflect what you want to do.

 

Yah I got it Thanks Konsnos

 

tried all methods

getting error
fileuriexposedexception first method
classnotfoundexception for second
javalangnullpointerexpection

 

I think most in this thread are talking about local files, but this might help someone with a similar problem who finds this page:

On Android you need to use http:// in the URL

Application.OpenURL("http://www.whatever.com");

 

This worked great! Thanks. I was able to use the posted code with a few tweaks.

1. I had to move the static variable into the function as I got a null exception when compiling them outside the function.
2. replace "YOURAUTHORITIESNAME" with the authority I added to the andriod manafest xml
3. replace "com.youractivity.yourname" with " com.unity3d.player.UnityPlayer"

Here is the function beginning, the rest is the same except for replacing "YOURAUTHORITIESNAME"

Code (CSharp):

1.     ///create provider and junk for andriod
2.     private static void OpenBrowserAndroid (string url)
3.     {
4.         using (var intent = new AndroidJavaObject("android.content.Intent"))
5.         {
6.             AndroidJavaObject clazz = new AndroidJavaClass ("com.unity3d.player.UnityPlayer");
7.             AndroidJavaObject activity = clazz.GetStatic<AndroidJavaObject> ("currentActivity");
8.  

 

i'm trying to open "http://www.google.com" but it shows an Android log that can't open a PDF file called as the URL given, this is weird am i missing something?

where or how can i define the authority name? i just used the Package Name idk if i'm wrong

 

Were you able to solve this? I'm also having problems, my app crashes in my case, when I try opening a URL with a pdf...

https://www.somewebsite.com/somefile.pdf

Any ideas?

 

If your app target level API 24 or more, you need to use FileProvide API, otherwise you get FileUriExposedException, as described here.

To interact with FileProvider from С# code, you need to know how to interact with AndroidJavaClass and AndroidJavaObject to work with Java libraries (namely android.support.v4). Also you need to know how to declares a content provider component by adding the

<provider>

attribute to your AndroidManifest.xml in your project and some more points that are listed here.

In the answer of this post you can find a solution to the problem, but stumble upon the following troubles:

1) The android.support.v4 library is no longer available on the path "AndroidSDK/extras/android/support/v4/android-support-v4.jar", since now it is part of another library.

2) You can find this library in some archives on the Internet, but when you download them you will find that the res folder in Plugins/Android is no longer supported and you need to create a .aar binary file in which you need to put AndroidManifest.xml and android.support.v4 library.

3) When specifying the attribute

<provider>

in AndroidManifest.xml, you need to additionally specify

<meta-data>

in which to specify the path, where in your .aar archive the provider_paths.xml file is located, otherwise your application will crash at startup.

You can try to go this long way yourself, or download my asset, which already has all the necessary code for working with the android.support.v4 library via

AndroidJavaClass

and

AndroidJavaObject

, and which is also able to rewrite package name in AndroidManifest.xml and providers_paths.xml when you will change it in the project settings. A demo is also included there.

Link on github: https://github.com/Mihail5412/Unity-Android-Files-Opener