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Many Android applications need to display web pages within the app. Developers typically use WebView or direct users to a browser.
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However, WebView can be resource-intensive, and launching an external browser can disrupt the user experience.
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A better alternative is using Chrome Custom Tabs, which provide a lightweight and seamless way to open web pages within an app.
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Steps to Implement Chrome Tabs in Android
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We will integrate Chrome Custom Tabs to open a webpage when a button is clicked. Below is a step-by-step guide using Java.
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1. Create a New Project
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To begin, set up a new project in Android Studio. Select Java as the programming language.
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2. Add Dependency
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Open build.gradle (Module: app) and insert the following line in the dependencies section:
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implementation ‘androidx.browser:browser:1.2.0’
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After adding the dependency, sync the project.
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3. Modify activity_main.xml
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Go to activity_main.xml and update it with the following layout:
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<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″?>
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<RelativeLayout
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xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”
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xmlns:tools=”http://schemas.android.com/tools”
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android:layout_width=”match_parent”
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android:layout_height=”match_parent”
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tools:context=”.MainActivity”>
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<Button
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android:id=”@+id/idBtnCustomChromeTab”
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android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
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android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
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android:layout_centerInParent=”true”
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android:text=”Open Chrome Tab” />
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</RelativeLayout>
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4. Implement Chrome Tabs in MainActivity.java
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Update MainActivity.java with the following code:
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import android.app.Activity;
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import android.content.Intent;
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import android.net.Uri;
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import android.os.Bundle;
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import android.view.View;
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import android.widget.Button;
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import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
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import androidx.browser.customtabs.CustomTabsIntent;
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import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat;
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public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
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Button openChromeTabBtn;
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String webpageUrl = “https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/”;
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@Override
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protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
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super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
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setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
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openChromeTabBtn = findViewById(R.id.idBtnCustomChromeTab);
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openChromeTabBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
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@Override
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public void onClick(View v) {
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CustomTabsIntent.Builder customIntent = new CustomTabsIntent.Builder();
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customIntent.setToolbarColor(ContextCompat.getColor(MainActivity.this, R.color.purple_200));
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launchChromeTab(MainActivity.this, customIntent.build(), Uri.parse(webpageUrl));
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}
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});
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}
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public static void launchChromeTab(Activity activity, CustomTabsIntent customTabsIntent, Uri uri) {
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String browserPackage = “com.android.chrome”;
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if (browserPackage != null) {
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customTabsIntent.intent.setPackage(browserPackage);
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customTabsIntent.launchUrl(activity, uri);
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} else {
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activity.startActivity(new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, uri));
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}
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}
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}
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Summary of Implementation
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| Step | Description |
| 1 | Create a new project and select Java |
| 2 | Add the required dependency in build.gradle |
| 3 | Design the UI with a button in activity_main.xml |
| 4 | Implement Chrome Tabs in MainActivity.java |
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This method ensures a smoother user experience without the overhead of WebView or redirecting users to an external browser.
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