Get App Version | Android Studio | Java

How to get the app's current version name and version Code?

When building an Android app, you often need to display or use the version name and version code of your application. For example, you might want to show the version number inside an About Page, or compare versions when checking for app updates.

In this article, I’ll explain:

• What is version name and version code

• How to set them in build.gradle

• How to retrieve them in Java code

📌 Difference Between Version Code and Version Name

Before jumping into the code, let’s understand what these two terms mean:

• Version Code (int):

  • An integer value used internally by Android.

  • It must be increased with every release.

  • Users don’t see this number.

  • Example: 1, 2, 3…

• Version Name (String):

• A user-friendly string value shown to users.

• Can be in any format, like "1.0", "1.2.5-beta".

• Example: "1.0", "2.5.1"

>> Check For Kotlin

📌 Getting Version Name and Version Code in Java

activity_main.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:gravity="center"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <!--TextView: Show App version e.g. 1.0.3-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/appVersion"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:textSize="25sp" />

    <!--TextView: Show App version Code e.g. 4-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/appCode"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:textSize="25sp" />

</LinearLayout>

MainActivity.java

package com.technifysoft.myapplication;

import android.content.pm.PackageInfo;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.util.Log;
import android.widget.TextView;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

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

        try {
            // Get the PackageInfo object for the current application package
            PackageInfo packageInfo = getPackageManager().getPackageInfo(getPackageName(), 0);
            // Get the version name of the application (e.g., "1.0.3")
            String appVersion = packageInfo.versionName;
            // Get the version code of the application (e.g., 4) and convert it to a String
            String appCode = String.valueOf(packageInfo.versionCode);

            // Find the TextView in the layout with the ID appVersion
            TextView appVersionTextView = findViewById(R.id.appVersion);
            // Find the TextView in the layout with the ID appCode
            TextView appCodeTextView = findViewById(R.id.appCode);

            // Set the text of the appVersionTextView to display the app's version name
            appVersionTextView.setText("Version Name: " + appVersion);
            // Set the text of the appCodeTextView to display the app's version code
            appCodeTextView.setText("Version Code: " + appCode);

        } catch (PackageManager.NameNotFoundException e) {
            // Handle the case where the package name is not found.
            // This should ideally not happen if getPackageName() is used correctly.
            Log.e("MAIN_TAG", "onCreate: ", e);
        }

    }

}

Screenshot