How to Set an Android App as a Default Dialer

A default dialer is an application that handles the Phone calls on the device. Google made the provision for third-party applications to be a default phone handler from SDK 23 (6.0, Marshmallow version). In the article, we will learn about how to set our Android application as a default dialer.

1) Add the below intent filters under the activity tag in the AndroidManifest.xml.

<intent-filter>
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.DIAL"/>
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
</intent-filter>

<intent-filter>
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.DIAL"/>
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
    <data android:scheme="tel"/>
</intent-filter>

2) Check if our application is already a default dialer app using TelecomManager.

val telecomManager = getSystemService(Context.TELECOM_SERVICE) as TelecomManager
Log.d(TAG, "Default Package Name ${telecomManager.defaultDialerPackage}")
if (telecomManager.defaultDialerPackage == packageName) {
    Log.d(TAG, "App is already a default dialer")
} else {
    // Set the app as the default launcher for phone
    setPhoneDefault()
}

3) If not, send an implicit intent notifying the system to set the current application as a default application for phone calls.

startActivityForResult(Intent(TelecomManager.ACTION_CHANGE_DEFAULT_DIALER).apply {
    putExtra(
        TelecomManager.EXTRA_CHANGE_DEFAULT_ IALER_PACKAGE_NAME,
packageName
    )
}, REQUEST_CODE_DE AULT_DIALER)

4) In the onActivityResult, we listen for the request code and the result code to determine whether the user has set our app as a default dialer or not.

if (requestCode == REQUEST_CODE_DEFAULT_DIALER) {
Log.d(TAG, "Request Code: $requestCode")
    when (resultCode) {
        RESULT_OK -> Log.d(TAG, "User granted default dialer permission")
        RESULT_CANCELED -> Log.d(TAG, "User denied default dialer permission")
        else -> Log.d(TAG, "Result code: $resultCode")
    }
}

Now, run the application and the end user will see a system dialog requesting them to set the application as a default dialer.


Once the user clicks set, the application is set as a default dialer. If our app was already set as a default dialer and the user opens the application after reinstallation then it is automatically set as a default dialer without asking the user for confirmation.

Disclaimer: The UI for the system dialog will vary based on the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

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