[android] Open an image using URI in Android's default gallery image viewer

I have extracted image uri, now I would like to open image with Android's default image viewer. Or even better, user could choose what program to use to open the image. Something like File Explorers offer you if you try to open a file.

Accepted answer was not working for me,

What had worked:

Intent intent = new Intent();
intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
intent.setDataAndType(Uri.parse("file://" + "/sdcard/test.jpg"), "image/*");
startActivity(intent);

A much cleaner, safer answer to this problem (you really shouldn't hard code Strings):

public void openInGallery(String imageId) {
  Uri uri = MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI.buildUpon().appendPath(imageId).build();
  Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, uri);
  startActivity(intent);
}

All you have to do is append the image id to the end of the path for the EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI. Then launch an Intent with the View action, and the Uri.

The image id comes from querying the content resolver.

I use this it works for me

Intent intent = new Intent();
intent.setType("image/*");
intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT);
startActivityForResult(Intent.createChooser(intent,
"Select Picture"), 1);

If your app targets Android N (7.0) and above, you should not use the answers above (of the "Uri.fromFile" method), because it won't work for you.

Instead, you should use a ContentProvider.

For example, if your image file is in external folder, you can use this (similar to the code I've made here) :

File file = ...;
final Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW)//
                                    .setDataAndType(VERSION.SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.N ?
                                                    FileProvider.getUriForFile(this,getPackageName() + ".provider", file) : Uri.fromFile(file),
                            "image/*").addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION);

manifest:

<provider
    android:name="androidx.core.content.FileProvider"
    android:authorities="${applicationId}.provider"
    android:exported="false"
    android:grantUriPermissions="true">
    <meta-data
        android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS"
        android:resource="@xml/provider_paths"/>
</provider>

res/xml/provider_paths.xml :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<paths>
    <!--<external-path name="external_files" path="."/>-->
    <external-path
        name="files_root"
        path="Android/data/${applicationId}"/>
    <external-path
        name="external_storage_root"
        path="."/>
</paths>

If your image is in the private path of the app, you should create your own ContentProvider, as I've created "OpenFileProvider" on the link.

My solution using File Provider

    private void viewGallery(File file) {

 Uri mImageCaptureUri = FileProvider.getUriForFile(
  mContext,
  mContext.getApplicationContext()
  .getPackageName() + ".provider", file);

 Intent view = new Intent();
 view.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
 view.setData(mImageCaptureUri);
 List < ResolveInfo > resInfoList =
  mContext.getPackageManager()
  .queryIntentActivities(view, PackageManager.MATCH_DEFAULT_ONLY);
 for (ResolveInfo resolveInfo: resInfoList) {
  String packageName = resolveInfo.activityInfo.packageName;
  mContext.grantUriPermission(packageName, mImageCaptureUri, Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION | Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION);
 }
 view.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
 Intent intent = new Intent();
 intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
 intent.setDataAndType(mImageCaptureUri, "image/*");
 mContext.startActivity(intent);
}

Almost NO chance to use photo or gallery application(might exist one), but you can try the content-viewer.

Please checkout another answer to similar question here

Based on Vikas answer but with a slight modification: The Uri is received by parameter:

private void showPhoto(Uri photoUri){
    Intent intent = new Intent();
    intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
    intent.setDataAndType(photoUri, "image/*");
    startActivity(intent);
}

Try use it:

Uri uri =  Uri.fromFile(entry);
Intent intent = new Intent(android.content.Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
String mime = "*/*";
MimeTypeMap mimeTypeMap = MimeTypeMap.getSingleton();
if (mimeTypeMap.hasExtension(
    mimeTypeMap.getFileExtensionFromUrl(uri.toString())))
    mime = mimeTypeMap.getMimeTypeFromExtension(
        mimeTypeMap.getFileExtensionFromUrl(uri.toString()));
intent.setDataAndType(uri,mime);
startActivity(intent);

This thing might help if your working with android N and below

 File file=new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory()+"/directoryname/"+filename);
        Uri path= FileProvider.getUriForFile(MainActivity.this,BuildConfig.APPLICATION_ID + ".provider",file);

        Intent intent=new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
        intent.setDataAndType(path,"image/*");
        intent.setFlags(FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION | FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION); //must for reading data from directory

The problem with showing a file using Intent.ACTION_VIEW, is that if you pass the Uri parsing the path. Doesn't work in all cases. To fix that problem, you need to use:

Uri.fromFile(new File(filePath));

Instead of:

Uri.parse(filePath);

Edit

Here is my complete code:

Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
intent.setDataAndType(Uri.fromFile(new File(mediaFile.filePath)), mediaFile.getExtension());
intent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(intent);

Info

MediaFile is my domain class to wrap files from database in objects. MediaFile.getExtension() returns a String with Mimetype for the file extension. Example: "image/png"

Aditional code: needed for showing any file (extension)

import android.webkit.MimeTypeMap;

public String getExtension () {
    MimeTypeMap myMime = MimeTypeMap.getSingleton();
    return myMime.getMimeTypeFromExtension(MediaFile.fileExtension(filePath));
}

public static String fileExtension(String path) {
    if (path.indexOf("?") > -1) {
        path = path.substring(0, path.indexOf("?"));
    }
    if (path.lastIndexOf(".") == -1) {
        return null;
    } else {
        String ext = path.substring(path.lastIndexOf(".") + 1);
        if (ext.indexOf("%") > -1) {
            ext = ext.substring(0, ext.indexOf("%"));
        }
        if (ext.indexOf("/") > -1) {
            ext = ext.substring(0, ext.indexOf("/"));
        }
        return ext.toLowerCase();
    }
}

Let me know if you need more code.

My solution

Intent intent = new Intent();
intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
intent.setDataAndType(Uri.fromFile(new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getPath()+"/your_app_folder/"+"your_picture_saved_name"+".png")), "image/*");
context.startActivity(intent);

All the above answers not opening image.. when second time I try to open it show the gallery not image.

I got solution from mix of various SO answers..

Intent galleryIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, android.provider.MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI);
galleryIntent.setDataAndType(Uri.fromFile(mImsgeFileName), "image/*");
galleryIntent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(galleryIntent);

This one only worked for me..