Detect User Inactivity System-Wide on Android with AccessibilityService

📰 Dev.to · Lepres KIKOUNGA

Learn to detect user inactivity system-wide on Android using AccessibilityService for kiosk apps and digital signage

intermediate Published 24 Feb 2026
Action Steps
  1. Create an Android project and add the AccessibilityService permission to the AndroidManifest.xml file
  2. Implement the AccessibilityService class and override the onServiceConnected method to detect user inactivity
  3. Use the AccessibilityNodeInfo class to traverse the view hierarchy and detect user interactions
  4. Configure the service to start and stop automatically based on user activity
  5. Test the implementation on a physical Android device or emulator to ensure correct functionality
Who Needs to Know This

Android developers building kiosk apps or digital signage can benefit from this technique to detect user inactivity and perform actions accordingly. This can be useful for teams working on digital signage or kiosk apps that require automated actions when the user is inactive.

Key Insight

💡 AccessibilityService can be used to detect user inactivity system-wide on Android, enabling automated actions for kiosk apps and digital signage

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Detect user inactivity on Android with AccessibilityService! #AndroidDev #KioskApps

Key Takeaways

Learn to detect user inactivity system-wide on Android using AccessibilityService for kiosk apps and digital signage

Full Article

Here is a scenario you will run into sooner or later building Android kiosk apps, digital signage, or...
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