Sending Email in Android using JavaMail API without using the default/built-in app

I am trying to create a mail sending application in Android.

If I use:

Intent emailIntent = new Intent(android.content.Intent.ACTION_SEND);

this will launch the built-in Android application; I'm trying to send the mail on button click directly withoutusing this application.

SMTP

Using SMTP is one way to go, and the others have already pointed out ways how to do it. Just note that while doing this, you completely circumvent the built in mail app, and you will have to provide the address of the SMTP server, the user name and password for that server, either statically in your code, or query it from the user.

HTTP

Another way would involve a simple server side script, like php, that takes some URL parameters and uses them to send a mail. This way, you only need to make an HTTP request from the device (easily possible with the built in libraries) and don't need to store the SMTP login data on the device. This is one more indirection compared to direct SMTP usage, but because it's so very easy to make HTTP request and send mails from PHP, it might even be simpler than the direct way.

Mail Application

If the mail shall be send from the users default mail account that he already registered with the phone, you'd have to take some other approach. If you have enough time and experience, you might want to check the source code of the Android Email application to see if it offers some entry point to send a mail without user interaction (I don't know, but maybe there is one).

Maybe you even find a way to query the users account details (so you can use them for SMTP), though I highly doubt that this is possible, because it would be a huge security risk and Android is built rather securely.

Posted in: Android