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wtf is cordova-plugin-android-home?

zhichengchen/cordova-plugin-android-home — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2023-04-15

16JavaAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A Cordova plugin that sends an Android app to the background on command, keeping it running instead of closing it, for apps like music or location trackers.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Minimizes app to home screen
      Keeps app running
      Single JS command
    Tech stack
      Java
      Cordova
      Android
    Use cases
      Music players
      Fitness trackers
      Location tracking apps
    Audience
      Cordova developers
      Mobile app developers
    Limits
      Android only
      No iOS support

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Call navigator.home.home() to send a Cordova app to the background while it keeps playing music or tracking location.

REASON 2

Intercept the back button to minimize the app instead of closing it accidentally.

REASON 3

Build a fitness tracker or messaging app that keeps running when the user switches away.

What's in the stack?

JavaCordovaAndroid

How it stacks up

zhichengchen/cordova-plugin-android-homeandrea-lyz/melodycodectweakerfwilldev/portasplit-tracker
Stars161616
LanguageJavaJavaJava
Last pushed2023-04-15
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity2/53/52/5
Audiencedevelopergeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Android only, no iOS support.

Wtf does this do

This plugin lets you send an Android app to the background while keeping it running, rather than closing it completely. When you tap the back button or trigger the command, the app minimizes to the home screen but continues executing in the background, useful for apps that need to keep doing work like playing music, tracking location, or monitoring sensor data. How it works is straightforward: the plugin adds a single command you can call from your app's JavaScript code. When you invoke navigator.home.home(), it tells Android to send your app to the background using the same mechanism that happens when you press the device's home button. The app doesn't shut down, it just moves behind other apps. You provide two callback functions, one that fires if the command succeeds, and one if something goes wrong. This is most useful for developers building mobile apps with Cordova (a framework that lets you write mobile apps using web technologies like JavaScript and HTML). If you're creating a music player, a fitness tracker, a messaging app, or any tool that should keep working even when the user switches to another app or goes to their home screen, this plugin gives you a clean way to send it to the background without terminating it. It's also handy if you want to prevent accidental app closure when the user taps back, you can intercept that action and minimize instead. The plugin only works on Android, so if you're building cross-platform apps, you'd need a separate strategy for iOS. The codebase is based on a common Stack Overflow solution, making it a straightforward wrapper around Android's native home-button behavior.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to use navigator.home.home() in my Cordova app to minimize it without closing it.
Prompt 2
Help me intercept the Android back button to send my app to the background instead of exiting.
Prompt 3
Explain how this plugin wraps Android's native home-button behavior for a Cordova app.
Prompt 4
Walk me through installing this Cordova plugin and handling its success and error callbacks.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is cordova-plugin-android-home?

A Cordova plugin that sends an Android app to the background on command, keeping it running instead of closing it, for apps like music or location trackers.

What language is cordova-plugin-android-home written in?

Mainly Java. The stack also includes Java, Cordova, Android.

Is cordova-plugin-android-home actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2023-04-15).

How hard is cordova-plugin-android-home to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is cordova-plugin-android-home for?

Mainly developer.

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