Exploring the EyeDropper API- Android 17

March 4, 2026•2 minute read

In this article, we will explore the new EyeDropper API, introduced in Android 17.

EyeDropper API, a powerful system-level API that lets Android applications grab a color from any pixel across the entire display — without needing risky screen capture permissions.

Before EyeDropper: Hacky Workarounds

❌ No native API existed — developers used screenshots with storage permissions, accessibility overlays, or third-party apps like Pixolor.

Android 17 Changes Everything

👁️ EyeDropper delivers clean, system-wide pixel picking with zero permissions. One intent call grabs any screen color 🎨

Implementation — 🧑‍💻

Intent:
— Action- Intent.ACTION_OPEN_EYE_DROPPER

val intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_EYE_DROPPER)

Result Key: Intent.EXTRA_COLOR
Result Type: Int

@Composable
fun EyeDropperDemo() {
    
    // stateholder for color - default set to black
    var pickedColor by remember { mutableStateOf(Color.Black) }
    

    // Launcher - Initiate the color picker 
    val launcher = rememberLauncherForActivityResult(
        contract = ActivityResultContracts.StartActivityForResult()
    ) { result ->
        if (result.resultCode == Activity.RESULT_OK) {
            result.data?.getIntExtra(
                Intent.EXTRA_COLOR,
                Color.Black.value.toInt()
            )?.let { colorInt ->
                Log.d("EyeDropperDemo", "Picked color: $colorInt")
                pickedColor = Color(colorInt)
            }
        }
    }

    // Content...!
    Column(
        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center
    ) {
        // .....

        Button(
            onClick = {
                // Launch EyeDropper intent (Android 17+)
                val intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_EYE_DROPPER)
                launcher.launch(intent)
            }
        ) {
            Text("Pick Color 🎨 from Screen")
        }

        // Show picked color
        Box(
            modifier = Modifier
                .size(100.dp)
                .background(pickedColor)
        )
    }
}

Demo

Keep in touch 🤜🤛

https://www.linkedin.com/in/navczydev/

References

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.embermitre.pixolor.app

Exploring the EyeDropper API- Android 17 was originally published in ProAndroidDev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.