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flutter_sharing_intent

pub package

A flutter plugin that allow flutter apps to receive photos, videos, text, urls or any other file types from another app.

Features

  • It's allow to share image, text, video, urls and file from other app to flutter app.
  • It's allow to share multiple image, multiple video and multiple file from other app to flutter app.

Installing

command:

 $ flutter pub add flutter_sharing_intent

pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
flutter_sharing_intent: ^(latest)

Usage

We are using following methods :-

  • getMediaStream() * => Sets up a broadcast stream for receiving incoming media share change events.
  • getInitialSharing() * => To get sharing data when app is start.
  • reset() * => To clear all sharing data

Setup

Android

Add the following intent filters to your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="{YOUR_PACKAGE_NAME}">

    /// Add this permission if you want to read files from external storage
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
.....

  <application
        android:name="io.flutter.app.FlutterApplication"
        ...
        >

    <activity
            android:name=".MainActivity"
            android:configChanges="orientation|keyboardHidden|screenSize"
            android:exported="true"
            android:theme="@style/LaunchTheme"
            android:hardwareAccelerated="true"
            android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize"
            android:screenOrientation="portrait"
            android:launchMode="singleTask">

            <!--TODO:  Add this filter, if you want support opening urls into your app-->
            <intent-filter>
               <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
               <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
               <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
               <data
                   android:scheme="https"
                   android:host="example.com"
                   android:pathPrefix="/invite"/>
            </intent-filter>

            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing text into your app-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="text/*" />
            </intent-filter>

            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing images into your app-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="image/*" />
            </intent-filter>

            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing multi images into your app-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND_MULTIPLE" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="image/*" />
            </intent-filter>

            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing videos into your app-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="video/*" />
            </intent-filter>

            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing multi videos into your app-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND_MULTIPLE" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="video/*" />
            </intent-filter>


            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing any type of files-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="*/*" />
            </intent-filter>

            <!--TODO: Add this filter, if you want to support sharing multiple files of any type-->
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND_MULTIPLE" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <data android:mimeType="*/*" />
            </intent-filter>
      </activity>

  </application>
</manifest>
....

Note: android:launchMode="singleTask" is required on your MainActivity. Without it, Android creates a new activity instance for each share intent instead of routing it to the running app, which means getMediaStream() never fires for background shares. If you need a different launch mode for another reason, singleTop also works.

Tip – Limiting which file types appear in the share sheet: Each <intent-filter> block above registers your app for that MIME type. Remove any filters you don't need and your app will no longer appear in the system share sheet for those types. For example, to receive only images and videos, keep only the image/* and video/* filters and remove the others.

IOS

1. Create Share Extension

  • Using Xcode, go to File/New/Target and Choose "Share Extension".
  • Give it a name, i.e., "Share Extension".

Make sure the deployment target for Runner.app and the share extension is the same.

2. Update your ios/Runner/Info.plist for the following keys:

...
<key>AppGroupId</key>
<string>$(CUSTOM_GROUP_ID)</string> 
<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
			<string>Editor</string>
			<key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
			<array>
				<string>SharingMedia-$(PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER)</string>
			</array>
		</dict>
	</array>

<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
<string>To upload photos, please allow permission to access your photo library.</string>
...

3. Add the following to your ios/Podfile:

...
target 'Runner' do
  use_frameworks!
  use_modular_headers!

  flutter_install_all_ios_pods File.dirname(File.realpath(__FILE__))

  # Share Extension is name of Extension which you created which is in this case 'Share Extension'
  target 'Share Extension' do
    inherit! :search_paths
  end
end
...

4. Add Runner and Share Extension in the same group

  • Go to Signing & Capabilities tab and add App Groups capability in BOTH Targets: Runner and Share Extension
  • Add a new container with the name of your choice. For example group.MyContainer in the example project its group.com.techind.flutterSharingIntentExample
  • Add User-Defined(Build Settings -> +) string CUSTOM_GROUP_ID in BOTH Targets: Runner and Share Extension and set value to group id created above. You can use different group ids depends on your flavor schemes

Important: The CUSTOM_GROUP_ID value must be identical in both the Runner target and the Share Extension target. A mismatch is the most common reason the sharing callback never fires — the extension writes shared data to one App Group container while the plugin reads from a different one. Double-check Build Settings → User-Defined → CUSTOM_GROUP_ID in both targets after any rename or flavor change.

Make sure the deployment target for Runner.app and the share extension is the same.

5. Add the following code in ios/Share Extension/Info.plist:

....
    <key>AppGroupId</key>
    <string>$(CUSTOM_GROUP_ID)</string>
    <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
    <string>$(FLUTTER_BUILD_NUMBER)</string>
	<key>NSExtension</key>
    <dict>
    <key>NSExtensionAttributes</key>
    <dict>
        <key>PHSupportedMediaTypes</key>
        <array>
            <!-- To share video into your app-->
            <string>Video</string>
            <!-- To share images into your app-->
            <string>Image</string>
        </array>

        <key>NSExtensionActivationRule</key>
        <dict>
            <!-- To share text into your app -->
            <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsText</key>
            <true/>
            <!-- TO share urls into your app -->
            <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebURLWithMaxCount</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
            <!-- To share images into your app -->
            <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount</key>
            <integer>20</integer>
            <!-- To share video into your app -->
            <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsMovieWithMaxCount</key>
            <integer>10</integer>
            <!-- To share other files into your app -->
            <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsFileWithMaxCount</key>
            <integer>10</integer>
            <!-- To share plain text into your app -->
            <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsPlainText</key>
            <true/>
          
        </dict>
    </dict>
    <key>NSExtensionMainStoryboard</key>
    <string>MainInterface</string>
    <key>NSExtensionPointIdentifier</key>
    <string>com.apple.share-services</string>
    </dict>
....

6. Make your ShareViewController ios/Share Extension/ShareViewController.swift inherit from FSIShareViewController:

You no longer need to copy any controller file into your Share Extension. Just import flutter_sharing_intent and inherit from FSIShareViewController, which ships with the plugin:

// If you get a `no such module 'flutter_sharing_intent'` error,
// go to Build Phases of your Runner target and move
// `Embed Foundation Extension` to the top of `Thin Binary`.

import flutter_sharing_intent

class ShareViewController: FSIShareViewController {

    // Override this method to return false if you don't want to redirect
    // to the host app automatically. Default is true.
    // override func shouldAutoRedirect() -> Bool {
    //     return false
    // }

}

7. Add following code in your host app AppDelegate file - ios/Runner/AppDelegate.swift

⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE
Do NOT replace your existing AppDelegate.swift file or remove any existing code.
You should add the following snippet to your current file and merge it with your existing logic.
Keep any other URL handling logic you already have (Firebase, uni_links, deep links, etc.).

    import flutter_sharing_intent
    ....
    override func application(_ app: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: [UIApplication.OpenURLOptionsKey : Any] = [:]) -> Bool {

     let sharingIntent = SwiftFlutterSharingIntentPlugin.instance
     /// if the url is made from SwiftFlutterSharingIntentPlugin then handle it with plugin [SwiftFlutterSharingIntentPlugin]
     if sharingIntent.hasSameSchemePrefix(url: url) {
         return sharingIntent.application(app, open: url, options: options)
     }

     // Proceed url handling for other Flutter libraries like uni_links
     return super.application(app, open: url, options:options)
   }
    ....

8. UIScene lifecycle (Flutter 3.38+)

The plugin auto-registers as a FlutterSceneLifeCycleDelegate — share URLs keep working under UIScene.

If your host app adopts UIApplicationSceneManifest:

  • Move GeneratedPluginRegistrant.register(...) from application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: into didInitializeImplicitFlutterEngine (see docs.flutter.dev/to/uiscene-migration).
  • If your router still receives SharingMedia-<bundle>://... URLs, filter that scheme in its redirect — payload is already delivered via getInitialSharing / getMediaStream.

Full Example

import 'dart:async';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter_sharing_intent/flutter_sharing_intent.dart';
import 'package:flutter_sharing_intent/model/sharing_file.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatefulWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  State<MyApp> createState() => _MyAppState();
}

class _MyAppState extends State<MyApp> {
  late StreamSubscription _intentDataStreamSubscription;
  List<SharedFile>? list;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    // For sharing coming from outside the app while the app is in memory
    _intentDataStreamSubscription = FlutterSharingIntent.instance
        .getMediaStream()
        .listen((List<SharedFile> value) {
      setState(() => list = value);
      _handleSharedFiles(value);
    }, onError: (err) {
      print("getIntentDataStream error: $err");
    });

    // For sharing coming from outside the app while the app is closed
    FlutterSharingIntent.instance
        .getInitialSharing()
        .then((List<SharedFile> value) {
      setState(() => list = value);
      _handleSharedFiles(value);
    });
  }

  // Always check file.type on each individual SharedFile in a loop.
  // Do NOT compare list.map((f) => f.type) to an enum — that always returns false.
  void _handleSharedFiles(List<SharedFile> sharedFiles) {
    for (final file in sharedFiles) {
      switch (file.type) {
        case SharedMediaType.URL:
          print("Shared URL: ${file.value}");
        case SharedMediaType.TEXT:
          print("Shared text: ${file.value}");
        case SharedMediaType.IMAGE:
          print("Shared image path: ${file.value}");
        case SharedMediaType.VIDEO:
          print("Shared video: ${file.value}, thumbnail: ${file.thumbnail}");
        case SharedMediaType.FILE:
          print("Shared file: ${file.value}, mimeType: ${file.mimeType}");
        default:
          print("Shared other: ${file.value}");
      }
    }
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: const Text('Plugin example app')),
        body: Center(
          child: Container(
            margin: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 24),
            child: Text('Sharing data: \n${list?.join("\n\n")}\n'),
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }

  @override
  void dispose() {
    _intentDataStreamSubscription.cancel();
    super.dispose();
  }
}

Tip: Always check file.type on each individual SharedFile in a loop. Comparing sharedFiles.map((f) => f.type) == SharedMediaType.URL compares an Iterable to an enum value and always returns false.

Troubleshooting

  • Error: No such module 'flutter_sharing_intent'

    • Fix: Go to Build Phases of your Runner target and move Embed Foundation Extension to the top of Thin Binary.

  • Error: App does not build after adding Share Extension?

    • Fix: Check Build Settings of your share extension and remove everything that tries to import Cocoapods from your main project. i.e. remove everything under Linking/Other Linker Flags

  • You might need to disable bitcode for the extension target

  • Error: Invalid Bundle. The bundle at 'Runner.app/Plugins/Sharing Extension.appex' contains disallowed file 'Frameworks'

  • Error (Xcode): Cycle inside Runner; building could produce unreliable results.

    • This build cycle is triggered when the Embed App Extensions phase runs after Thin Binary in the Runner target's Build Phases. Xcode ends up with a circular dependency between copying the .appex bundle and stripping/processing binaries.
    • Fix: In Xcode, open your Runner target → Build Phases tab. Drag the Embed Foundation Extensions (or Embed App Extensions) phase so it appears above the Thin Binary phase. Clean the build folder (Product → Clean Build Folder) and rebuild.
    • Reference: Flutter issue #135739

  • Error (Xcode): 'Flutter/Flutter.h' file not found

    • This usually means use_frameworks! is missing from your ios/Podfile. The plugin requires dynamic frameworks.
    • Fix: Add use_frameworks! inside the target 'Runner' do block in your ios/Podfile (see the Podfile snippet in the iOS Setup section above), then run pod install again.

  • iOS: App loads after sharing, but the sharing callback never fires / getMediaStream() receives no data

    • The most common cause is an App Group ID mismatch between the Runner target and the Share Extension target. The Share Extension writes to one group container and the plugin reads from a different one, so the data is never delivered.
    • Fix: In Xcode, verify that the CUSTOM_GROUP_ID User-Defined build setting is set to exactly the same string in both the Runner target and the Share Extension target (Build Settings → User-Defined → CUSTOM_GROUP_ID). Also confirm both targets have the same App Group enabled under Signing & Capabilities.
    • Additional check: make sure AppGroupId in both ios/Runner/Info.plist and ios/Share Extension/Info.plist is $(CUSTOM_GROUP_ID) (not a hard-coded string that might differ between flavors).

  • How do I get the file extension from a shared file?

    • The SharedFile.mimeType field contains the MIME type string (e.g. "image/jpeg", "application/pdf"). Derive the extension from it:
    import 'package:mime/mime.dart'; // add mime: ^1.0.0 to pubspec.yaml
final ext = extensionFromMime(file.mimeType ?? ''); // e.g. "jpeg", "pdf"
    • Alternatively, use path package: extension(file.value) returns the extension from the cached file path (e.g. ".jpg"). This works for most shared files but may return an empty string for content URIs that were resolved without an extension.

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A flutter plugin to share file from other app to our app.

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