Node-RED + Home Assistant: Open apps on Android
See initial setup for the required additional nodes and setup.
title: “Node-RED open apps on your Android phone” category: Node-RED tags: [Node-RED, phone, android, Home Assistant, apps]
Use Node-RED to open apps on your Android phone
Send events from Node-RED to your Android phone, via the Home Assistant companion app, to open any app.
See initial setup for the required additional nodes and setup.
Table of Contents
How it works
The Home Assistant Companion app has built in support for receiving notifications.
Node-RED on your server can connect over the local network, via websockets, or over the internet to your phone and connect to the Home Assistant Companion app which can show the notification.
Flow explanation
With this flow you can open any app on your android phone.
Usefull scenario’s
- Open the camera app when a camera detects something
- Open a specific app based on a HA defined location:
- Open reduction card app at the supermarket
- Open shopping list at the supermarket
- Open things-to-buy list at the construction shop
- Open the bank app to use it to pay at the supermarket
- Start Spotify when your phone is connected to a bluetooth device, like a car or headphone
Android Intents
To open an app you need Android Intents, it’s some internals to open an app. If you direct want to do an action in an app the app must support this custom Intent.
Open any app
Go to the Play Store and find your app and open the page.
The url which is opened is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.youtube&hl=nl&gl=US
Get the text between the id= and &nl. This is the app id you need.
Spotify
Right click on a track in Spotify and choose to Share the Song Link.
spotify:track:<spotify uri>
Example spotify:track:https://open.spotify.com/track/4PTG3Z6ehGkBFwjybzWkR8?si=3acdc1d4b7ed4ab1
Netflix
com.netflix.mediaclient
Youtube
com.google.android.youtube
Chrome
com.android.chrome
Reolink
com.mcu.reolink
Specific screen in HA app
This is the prefix homeassistant://navigate/ and the rest of the command is the local path.
{
"message": "command_webview",
"data": {
"command": "homeassistant://navigate/lovelace/home"
}
}
References
- https://companion.home-assistant.io/docs/integrations/app-events/
- https://zachowj.github.io/node-red-contrib-home-assistant-websocket/guide/
- https://zachowj.github.io/node-red-contrib-home-assistant-websocket/cookbook/actionable-notifications-subflow-for-android.html
Enjoy automations!
<< See also my other Node-RED Home + Assistant pages