Lottie animation as a splash activity in Android 12+

Setting a Lottie animation as a splash activity in Android 12+ involves a few key steps, primarily leveraging the SplashScreen API introduced in Android 12 (API level 31). Here's a comprehensive guide:

1. Add Dependencies:

• Make sure your project uses Android Gradle Plugin 7.0.0 or higher and Gradle 7.0 or higher.
• Add the necessary dependencies to your module-level build.gradle file:

dependencies {
implementation 'androidx.core:core-splashscreen:1.0.1' // Or latest version
implementation 'com.airbnb.android:lottie:latest_version' // Or latest version
}

2. Create Your Lottie Animation:

• Design or obtain your Lottie animation file (.json).
• Place the animation file in your res/raw folder. If the raw folder doesn't exist, create it.

3. Implement the Splash Screen:

• In your AndroidManifest.xml, set the theme of your splash activity to a theme that extends Theme.SplashScreen:

<resources>
<style name="Theme.AppSplash" parent="Theme.SplashScreen">
<item name="windowSplashScreenBackground">@color/your_splash_background</item>
<item name="windowSplashScreenAnimatedIcon">@drawable/lottie_splash_drawable</item>
<item name="postSplashScreenTheme">@style/Theme.YourApp</item>
</style>

<style name="Theme.YourApp" parent="Theme.MaterialComponents.DayNight.NoActionBar">
</style>
</resources>

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

• windowSplashScreenBackground: Sets the background color of the splash screen.
• windowSplashScreenAnimatedIcon: This is where you'll use a Drawable that references your Lottie animation.
• postSplashScreenTheme: The theme to apply after the splash screen is dismissed.

4. Create a Lottie Drawable:

• Create an XML file in your res/drawable folder (e.g., lottie_splash_drawable.xml) to define the Lottie drawable:

<animated-vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:aapt="http://schemas.android.com/aapt">
<aapt:attr name="android:drawable">
<animated-vector>
<aapt:attr name="android:drawable">
<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:width="200dp"
android:height="200dp"
android:viewportWidth="200"
android:viewportHeight="200">
<group>
<aapt:attr name="android:animation">
<objectAnimator
android:duration="2000"
android:propertyName="lottie_rawRes"
android:valueType="rawRes"
android:value="@raw/your_lottie_animation" />
</aapt:attr>
</group>
</vector>
</aapt:attr>
</animated-vector>
</aapt:attr>
</animated-vector>

• Replace your_lottie_animation with the name of your Lottie file (without the .json extension).
• Adjust the width, height, and viewportWidth, viewportHeight to match your animation's dimensions.
• Change the duration of the animation in the objectAnimator element.

5. Implement the Splash Screen in your Activity:

• In your MainActivity's onCreate method, call installSplashScreen() before super.onCreate():

import androidx.core.splashscreen.SplashScreen;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

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

// Optionally, you can keep the splash screen visible for a specific duration:
splashScreen.setKeepOnScreenCondition(() -> {
// Return true to keep the splash screen visible.
// Return false to dismiss it.
return false; // For example, dismiss immediately.
});

// Your other activity code...
}
}

• installSplashScreen(): This method sets up the splash screen.
• setKeepOnScreenCondition(): This method allows you to control how long the splash screen is displayed. You can use it to perform background tasks or wait for data to load before dismissing the splash screen. If you return false, the splash screen will dismiss immediately after the animated icon has finished playing.

Important Considerations:

• Performance: Optimize your Lottie animation for performance to avoid delays or frame drops.
• Animation Duration: Ensure the animation duration is appropriate for a splash screen. A short, smooth animation is generally preferred.
• API Level: The SplashScreen API is available on Android 12 (API level 31) and higher. For older versions, you'll need to use a different approach.
• Theme Consistency: Ensure that the splash screen’s background color and the animation’s style match your app’s overall theme.

By following these steps, you can effectively implement a Lottie animation as your splash activity in Android 12+.