Have you ever needed to open the SMS app on an Android device to send a text message from within your Flutter app? Maybe you’re building a chat app, a help center, or a customer support interface, and you want to make it easy for users to send a text message to your support team.

Whatever the reason, I’ve got you covered! In this blog post, I’ll show you how to open the SMS app with a specific number and text in Flutter. It’s easier than you think!

Step 1: Add the `url_launcher` Package

First, you’ll need to add the `url_launcher` package to your Flutter project. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

flutter pub add url_launcher

Dart

This package allows you to launch external apps, including the SMS app.

Step 2: Import the `url_launcher` Package

Next, import the `url_launcher` package in your Dart file:

import 'package:url_launcher/url_launcher.dart';

Dart

Step 3: Define the SMS Intent

To open the SMS app, you’ll need to define the intent that specifies the number and text. Here’s an example:

const smsNumber = '1234567890'; // Replace with the desired number
const smsText = 'Hello, this is a test message!';
final Uri smsIntentUri = Uri(
scheme: 'smsto',
path: '${smsNumber}',
queryParameters: {
'body': smsText,
},
);

Dart

In this example, we’re defining a URI that specifies the SMS intent. The `scheme` is set to `’smsto’`, which is the scheme used for SMS intents. The `path` is set to the desired phone number, and the `queryParameters` is set to the text message.

Step 4: Launch the SMS Intent

Finally, use the `launch` function from `url_launcher` to launch the SMS intent:

await launch(smsIntentUri.toString());

Dart

That’s it! When you run this code, it will open the SMS app with the specified number and text.

Example Code

Here’s the complete code example:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:url_launcher/url_launcher.dart';
void main() {
runApp(MyApp());
}
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
    title: 'SMS App Opener',
    home: Scaffold(
    appBar: AppBar(
    title: Text('SMS App Opener'),
),
body: Center(
  child: ElevatedButton(
  child: Text('Open SMS App'),
  onPressed: () {
  const smsNumber = '1234567890'; // Replace with the desired number
  const smsText = 'Hello, this is a test message!';
  final Uri smsIntentUri = Uri(
    scheme: 'smsto',
    path: '${smsNumber}',
    queryParameters: {
    'body': smsText,
},
);
    await launch(smsIntentUri.toString());
        },
        ),
      ),
      ),
    );
  }
}