SMS Intent - Android Studio - Compose

Open SMS Intent with Phone Number using Android Studio and Jetpack Compose

Learn how to create a simple SMS sending feature in Android using Android Studio with Kotlin Jetpack Compose. This tutorial shows how to build a clean UI with an input field for phone numbers and a button that opens the SMS app with the entered number. A step-by-step guide with Kotlin code for beginners and developers moving from XML layouts to Compose.

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Code Snippet

    val intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, ("sms:" + Uri.encode(phone)).toUri())
    context.startActivity(intent)

Full Example

MainActivity.kt

package com.technifysoft.myapplication

import android.content.Context
import android.content.Intent
import android.net.Uri
import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.Toast
import androidx.activity.ComponentActivity
import androidx.activity.compose.setContent
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
import androidx.compose.foundation.text.KeyboardOptions
import androidx.compose.material3.Button
import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
import androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextField
import androidx.compose.material3.Scaffold
import androidx.compose.material3.Text
import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext
import androidx.compose.ui.text.input.KeyboardType
import androidx.compose.ui.tooling.preview.Preview
import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
import com.technifysoft.myapplication.ui.theme.MyApplicationTheme
import androidx.core.net.toUri

/**
 * MainActivityCompose is the main activity of the application, responsible for setting up the UI.
 */
class MainActivityCompose : ComponentActivity() {
    /**
     * Called when the activity is first created. This is where you should do all of your normal static set up:
     * create views, bind data to lists, etc. This method also provides you with a Bundle containing the activity's
     * previously frozen state, if there was one.
     */
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContent {
            MyApplicationTheme {

                Scaffold(
                    modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                ) { innerPadding ->
                    MainUI(innerPadding)
                }

            }
        }
    }
}

@Composable
fun MainUI(innerPadding: PaddingValues) {
    // Get the current context
    val context = LocalContext.current

    var phone by remember { mutableStateOf("") }

    Column(
        modifier = Modifier
            .fillMaxSize()
            .padding(10.dp),
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center,
        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally
    ) {

        // Phone input
        OutlinedTextField(
            value = phone,
            onValueChange = { phone = it },
            label = { Text("Enter Phone Number") },
            singleLine = true,
            keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(keyboardType = KeyboardType.Phone),
            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth()
        )

        Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(16.dp))

        // SMS button
        Button(
            onClick = {
                if (phone.isNotBlank()) {
                    openSmsIntent(context, phone)
                } else {
                    Toast.makeText(context, "Please enter a phone number", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
                }
            },
            modifier = Modifier
                .fillMaxWidth()
                .height(60.dp),
            shape = MaterialTheme.shapes.medium // gives rounded corners
        ) {
            Text("SMS")
        }
    }

}

private fun openSmsIntent(context: Context, phone: String) {
    val intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, ("sms:" + Uri.encode(phone)).toUri())
    context.startActivity(intent)
}

/**
 * GreetingPreview is a composable function for previewing the MainUI in Android Studio.
 * It is annotated with @Preview to enable live preview.
 *
 */
@Preview(showBackground = true)
@Composable
fun GreetingPreview() {
    MyApplicationTheme {
        MainUI(PaddingValues())
    }
}

Screenshots