Implementing Splash Screen

1. Setting Up Splash Screen API

Property	Description	Values
android:name	Component name for the splash screen activity	`androidx.core.splashscreen.SplashScreen`
android:theme	Theme to apply to the splash screen	`?android:attr/windowSplashScreenBackground`

Example: Splash Screen Setup in AndroidManifest.xml

<activity
    android:name="com.example.SplashActivity"
    android:theme="@android:style/Theme.DeviceDefault.NoActionBar.Fullscreen"
    android:exported="true">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

Example: Kotlin Activity Implementation

class SplashActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_splash)

        val splashScreen = installSplashScreen()
        splashScreen.setKeepOnScreenCondition {
            // Keep splash screen until content is loaded
            false
        }
    }
}

2. Configuring Splash Theme

Property	Value	Description
windowSplashScreenBackground	`"#FFFFFF"`	Background color of the splash screen
windowSplashScreenIconSize	`128dp`	Size of the splash screen icon
windowSplashScreenAnimatedIcon	`"@drawable/splash_icon"`	Animated icon to display during splash
windowSplashScreenAnimationDuration	`300`	Duration of splash screen animation in milliseconds

Example: Define splash theme in `res/values/themes.xml`

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
    <style name="Theme.App.Starting" parent="Theme.SplashScreen">
        <item name="windowSplashScreenBackground">@color/splash_background</item>
        <item name="windowSplashScreenIconSize">128dp</item>
        <item name="windowSplashScreenAnimatedIcon">@drawable/splash_icon</item>
        <item name="windowSplashScreenAnimationDuration">300</item>
    </style>
</resources>

Example: Apply theme in `AndroidManifest.xml`

<activity
    android:name=".MainActivity"
    android:theme="@style/Theme.App.Starting"
    android:exported="true">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

3. Installing Splash Screen

Example: Adding Splash Screen Dependency

implementation "androidx.core:core-splashscreen:1.0.1"

Property	Description	Values
implementation	Declares the dependency for splash screen support	`androidx.core:core-splashscreen:1.0.1`

Note: Ensure the core-splashscreen library is added to your app's build.gradle file.

Warning: The splash screen API requires Android API level 21 or higher.

4. Customizing Animation

Property	Description	Values
android:windowSplashScreenAnimationDuration	Duration of the splash screen animation in milliseconds	`integer`
android:windowSplashScreenIconSize	Size of the splash screen icon in pixels	`dimension`
android:windowSplashScreenBackground	Background color or drawable for the splash screen	`color` or `drawable`

Example: Customizing Animation Duration

<style name="SplashTheme" parent="Theme.SplashScreen">
    <item name="windowSplashScreenAnimationDuration">1000</item>
</style>

Example: Setting Background Color

<style name="SplashTheme" parent="Theme.SplashScreen">
    <item name="windowSplashScreenBackground">@color/splash_background</item>
</style>

Note: The animation duration must be a positive integer value in milliseconds.

5. Handling Branding

Property	Description	Values
android:windowSplashScreenBackground	Defines the background color or drawable for the splash screen	`#FFFFFF` (color) or `@drawable/splash_background` (drawable)
android:windowSplashScreenAnimatedIcon	Specifies the animated icon to display during splash screen	`@drawable/animated_logo`
android:windowSplashScreenIconSize	Sets the size of the splash screen icon in pixels	`100dp`
android:windowSplashScreenAnimationDuration	Defines the duration of the splash screen animation in milliseconds	`500`

Example: Define Splash Screen in Theme

<style name="Theme.App.Starting" parent="Theme.SplashScreen">
    <item name="windowSplashScreenBackground">@color/splash_background</item>
    <item name="windowSplashScreenAnimatedIcon">@drawable/animated_logo</item>
    <item name="windowSplashScreenIconSize">100dp</item>
    <item name="windowSplashScreenAnimationDuration">500</item>
</style>

Note: The splash screen must be defined in a theme that extends Theme.SplashScreen.

Warning: Ensure that the animated icon is compatible with all target Android versions.

6. Managing Exit Animation

Property	Description	Values
android:windowExitAnimation	Defines the animation played when the splash screen exits	`@anim/exit_fade_out` or custom animation resource

Example: Define Exit Animation

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<alpha xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:duration="300"
    android:fromAlpha="1.0"
    android:toAlpha="0.0" />

Example: Apply Exit Animation in Theme

<style name="SplashTheme" parent="Theme.SplashScreen">
    <item name="android:windowExitAnimation">@anim/exit_fade_out</item>
</style>

7. Supporting Older Versions

Feature	Description	Support Status
SplashScreen API	Introduced in Android 12 (API level 31)	NEW
Legacy Splash Screen	Use `androidx.core.splashscreen.SplashScreen` for older versions	DEPRECATED
Backward Compatibility	Supports API levels 21 and above	EXPERIMENTAL

Example: Implementing Splash Screen for API 21+

import androidx.core.splashscreen.SplashScreen
import androidx.core.splashscreen.SplashScreenViewProvider
import android.os.Bundle
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        val splashScreen = SplashScreen.install(this)
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        splashScreen.setKeepOnScreenCondition {
            // Keep splash screen until content is loaded
            false
        }
    }
}

Note: For devices running Android 12 or higher, use the new SplashScreen API directly. For older versions, ensure you're using the appropriate androidx.core.splashscreen library.

Warning: Do not mix the new and legacy splash screen APIs in the same app, as it may lead to inconsistent behavior or crashes.

8. Implementing Loading Logic

Example: Basic Loading Logic with Coroutines

import kotlinx.coroutines.*

class SplashScreenViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val _isLoading = MutableLiveData<Boolean>()
    val isLoading: LiveData<Boolean> = _isLoading

    fun loadAppData() {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            _isLoading.value = true
            delay(2000) // Simulate loading
            // Fetch data from API or DB here
            _isLoading.value = false
        }
    }
}

Property	Description	Default
isLoading	Indicates whether the app is loading data	false
viewModelScope	Coroutine scope tied to the ViewModel lifecycle	Required

Note: Use viewModelScope to ensure coroutines are cancelled when the ViewModel is cleared.

Warning: Avoid blocking the main thread during loading logic.

Loading Logic Best Practices

Use viewModelScope for lifecycle-aware coroutines
Simulate loading with delay() in development
Fetch real data from network or database in production
Update UI state with LiveData or StateFlow

9. Using Animated Icons

Property	Description	Values	Notes
android:src	Icon resource to display	`@drawable/animated_icon`	Must be a valid drawable resource
android:tint	Color to tint the icon	`?attr/colorOnPrimary`	Applies to all frames of the animation
app:showAnimation	Animation to show the icon	`fade_in`, `slide_in`	Custom or system animations supported

Example: Animated Icon in Splash Screen

<ImageView
    android:id="@+id/splashIcon"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:src="@drawable/animated_logo"
    android:tint="?attr/colorOnPrimary"
    app:showAnimation="fade_in"
    android:layout_centerInParent="true" />

Note: Animated icons must be defined in res/drawable using <animated-vector> or <animation-list>.

Warning: Ensure the animated icon does not exceed 200KB to maintain splash screen performance.

10. Testing Splash Screen

Example: Unit Test for Splash Screen Logic

import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4
import org.junit.Test
import org.junit.runner.RunWith
import org.mockito.Mockito

@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class)
class SplashScreenTest {

    @Test
    fun testSplashScreenNavigation() {
        val splashViewModel = Mockito.mock(SplashViewModel::class.java)
        Mockito.`when`(splashViewModel.shouldNavigateToHome()).thenReturn(true)

        // Simulate splash screen logic
        val result = splashViewModel.shouldNavigateToHome()
        assert(result)
    }
}

Test Type	Description	Tools
Unit Test	Tests logic in isolation without Android framework	`JUnit`, `Mockito`
Instrumented Test	Tests actual UI and lifecycle behavior on device/emulator	`Espresso`, `JUnit`

Testing Best Practices

Use Mockito to isolate ViewModel logic
Test splash screen navigation with Espresso for UI flow
Validate splash screen duration using CountDownLatch