Get App Version | Android Studio | Kotlin

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 the version name and version code

• How to set them in build.gradle

• How to retrieve them in Kotlin 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 Java

📌 Getting Version Name and Version Code in Kotlin

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.kt

package com.technifysoft.myapplication

import android.content.pm.PackageManager
import android.os.Bundle
import android.util.Log
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity

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

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

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

            // Set the text of the appVersionTextView to display the app's version name
            appVersionTextView.text = "Version Name: $appVersion"
            // Set the text of the appCodeTextView to display the app's version code
            appCodeTextView.text = "Version Code: $appCode"
        } catch (e: PackageManager.NameNotFoundException) {
            // Handle the case where the package name is not found.
            // This should ideally not happen if packageName is used correctly.
            Log.e("MAIN_TAG", "onCreate: ", e)
        }
        
    }
    
}

Screenshot