NetworkRequest

public class NetworkRequest
extends Object implements Parcelable

An object describing a network that the application is interested in.

@see NetworkRequest.Builder and used to request a network via ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork or to listen for changes via the ConnectivityManager#registerNetworkCallback family of functions.

ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork will try to find a connected network matching the NetworkRequest, and return it if there is one. As long as the request is outstanding, the system will try to find the best possible network that matches the request. The request will keep up the currently best connected network, and if a better one is found (e.g. cheaper or faster) the system will bring up that better network to better serve the request. A request filed with ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork will only match one network at a time (the one the system thinks is best), even if other networks can match the request that are being kept up by other requests. For example, an application needing a network with NetworkCapabilities#NET_CAPABILITY_INTERNET should use ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork to request the system keeps one up. A general cellular network can satisfy this request, but if the system finds a free Wi-Fi network which is expected to be faster, it will try and connect to that Wi-Fi network and switch the request over to it once it is connected. The cell network may stay connected if there are outstanding requests (from the same app or from other apps on the system) that match the cell network but not the Wi-Fi network, such as a request with NetworkCapabilities#NET_CAPABILITY_MMS. When a network is no longer needed to serve any request, the system can tear it down at any time and usually does so immediately, so make sure to keep up requests for the networks your app needs.

By contrast, requests filed with ConnectivityManager#registerNetworkCallback will receive callbacks for all matching networks, and will not cause the system to keep up the networks they match. Use this to listen to networks that the device is connected to, but that you don't want the system to keep up for your use case.

Applications build a NetworkRequest and pass it to one of the ConnectivityManager methods above together with a ConnectivityManager.NetworkCallback object. The callback will then start receiving method calls about networks that match the request.

Networks are brought up and/or matched according to the capabilities set in the builder. For example, a request with NetworkCapabilities#NET_CAPABILITY_MMS lets the system match and/or bring up a network that is capable to send MMS. A request with NetworkCapabilities#NET_CAPABILITY_NOT_METERED matches a network that doesn't charge the user for usage. See NetworkCapabilities for a list of capabilities and their description.

While all capabilities can be matched with the ConnectivityManager#registerNetworkCallback family of methods, not all capabilities can be used to request that the system brings up a network with ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork. For example, an application cannot use ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork to ask the system to bring up a network with NetworkCapabilities#NET_CAPABILITY_CAPTIVE_PORTAL, because the system won't know if a network has a captive portal before it connects to that network. Similarly, some capabilities may require a specific permission or privilege to be requested. Look up the specific capability and the ConnectivityManager#requestNetwork method for limitations applicable to each capability.

Also, starting with Build.VERSION_CODES#UPSIDE_DOWN_CAKE, some capabilities require the application to self-certify by explicitly adding the PackageManager.PROPERTY_SELF_CERTIFIED_NETWORK_CAPABILITIES property in the AndroidManifest.xml, which points to an XML resource file. In the XML resource file, the application declares what kind of network capabilities the application wants to have. Here is an example self-certification XML resource file :

  <network-capabilities-declaration xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
     <uses-network-capability android:name="NET_CAPABILITY_PRIORITIZE_LATENCY"/>
     <uses-network-capability android:name="NET_CAPABILITY_PRIORITIZE_BANDWIDTH"/>
 </network-capabilities-declaration>
  
  

Summary

Fields

public static final Creator<NetworkRequest> CREATOR

Public methods

public boolean canBeSatisfiedBy (NetworkCapabilities nc)

public int describeContents ()

public boolean equals (Object obj)

public int[] getCapabilities ()

public NetworkSpecifier getNetworkSpecifier ()

public Set<Integer> getSubscriptionIds ()

public int[] getTransportTypes ()

public boolean hasCapability (int capability)

public boolean hasTransport (int transportType)

public int hashCode ()

public String toString ()

public void writeToParcel (Parcel dest, 
                int flags)