Platform notes

Android

• Checks use PackageManager.getPackageInfo(). If Android says the package doesn’t exist (or isn’t visible to your app), the result is false.
• Since Android 11 (API 30), apps can only see other apps they declare in <queries>. The config plugin adds a <package> entry for each name in its android list.
• The library’s own manifest also includes a <queries> entry for the android.intent.action.MAIN intent, which is merged into your app. In practice this makes most apps with a launchable screen visible even if you didn’t list them. Declaring every app you check explicitly is still the reliable approach, and it documents your intent for Play Store review.
• You don’t need the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission. Google Play restricts that permission to a small set of app categories.

iOS

• Checks use UIApplication.canOpenURL("<scheme>://").
• A scheme must be listed in LSApplicationQueriesSchemes. For unlisted schemes, iOS always returns false and logs This app is not allowed to query for scheme … in the Xcode console.
• iOS only allows 50 schemes in LSApplicationQueriesSchemes for apps built against iOS 15 or later. Keep the list to what you actually need.
• A true result means some app can open the scheme, not necessarily the one you expected. See Finding package names & schemes.

Both platforms

Behaviour	Android	iOS
Identifier type	Package name	URL scheme
Needs declaring ahead of time	✅	✅
Works in Expo Go	❌	❌
Works in a development build	✅	✅
Rebuild needed after changing the list	✅	✅

Privacy

Both stores care about why an app looks at other installed apps. Only check apps that power a real feature (sharing, opening a partner app, choosing a navigation app), and don’t collect or send the list of installed apps off the device without disclosing it.