An Intent provides a facility for performing late runtime binding between the code in different applications. Its most significant use is in the launching of activities, where it can be thought of as the glue between activities. It is basically a passive data structure holding an abstract description of an action to be performed.
•Start an activity
•Start a service
•Deliver a broadcast
And can be
•Implicit (Intent.setAction(TJIntent.JavaClass.ACTION_VIEW) or
•Explicit (Intent.setClassName)
How Android Handles Incoming Intents
•No app: If there are no apps on the device that can receive the implicit intent, the app crashes when it calls startActivity().Note: First verify that there is an app that can receive the intent.
•One app: When there is only one app that can handle the intent, the system immediately starts it.
•More than one app: If there is more than one app that can handle the activity, the system displays a dialog for the user to select which app to use.
Example
