.NET MAUI Device APIs

Device APIs in .NET MAUI allow you to access native device features across platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

MAUI Essentials: Unified Device APIs

.NET MAUI integrates MAUI Essentials, a cross-platform library that exposes native device capabilities through a consistent API.

Core Device APIs

API Category	Purpose & Examples
Device Info	Get model, manufacturer, platform, idiom, version. DeviceInfo.Current.Model
Battery	Monitor charge level, state, and power source. Battery.ChargeLevel
Connectivity	Check internet access and connection type. Connectivity.NetworkAccess
Display Info	Get screen metrics like resolution and orientation. DeviceDisplay.MainDisplayInfo
Secure Storage	Store sensitive data securely. SecureStorage.SetAsync("key", "value")
Geolocation	Access GPS coordinates. Geolocation.GetLocationAsync()
Sensors	Use accelerometer, compass, gyroscope. Accelerometer.Start(SensorSpeed.UI)
Media Picker	Pick photos/videos from gallery. MediaPicker.PickPhotoAsync()
File System	Access app directories. FileSystem.AppDataDirectory
Preferences	Store simple key-value pairs. Preferences.Set("theme", "dark")
Vibration	Trigger device vibration. Vibration.Vibrate()
Flashlight	Control flashlight. Flashlight.TurnOnAsync()
Phone Dialer	Launch dialer with number. PhoneDialer.Open("1234567890")
Email / SMS	Compose messages. Email.ComposeAsync()
Launcher	Open external apps or URLs. Launcher.OpenAsync("https://example.com")

Platform-Specific APIs

For features not covered by Essentials, you can use Dependency Injection or Platform Handlers to access native APIs directly:

• Android → via MainActivity and Android.OS
• iOS/macOS → via UIKit and Foundation
• Windows → via Windows.Devices and WinRT

Example

#if ANDROID
using Android.OS;
var version = Build.VERSION.SdkInt;
#endif
    

Best Practices

• Use Essentials APIs for cross-platform consistency.
• Use platform-specific code only when necessary.
• Always check permissions before accessing sensitive features (e.g., location, camera).
• Handle exceptions gracefully for unsupported platforms.

.NET MAUI Device API Examples

📱 Device Info

using Microsoft.Maui.Devices;

var model = DeviceInfo.Current.Model;
var manufacturer = DeviceInfo.Current.Manufacturer;
var version = DeviceInfo.Current.VersionString;

Console.WriteLine($"Device: {manufacturer} {model}, OS: {version}");
    

🔋 Battery

using Microsoft.Maui.Devices;

var level = Battery.ChargeLevel; // 0.0 - 1.0
var state = Battery.State;
var source = Battery.PowerSource;

Console.WriteLine($"Battery: {level * 100}% - State: {state} - Source: {source}");
    

🌐 Connectivity

using Microsoft.Maui.Networking;

if (Connectivity.NetworkAccess == NetworkAccess.Internet)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Connected to the Internet");
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine("No Internet access");
}
    

📍 Geolocation

using Microsoft.Maui.Devices.Sensors;

var location = await Geolocation.GetLocationAsync();
if (location != null)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Latitude: {location.Latitude}, Longitude: {location.Longitude}");
}
    

📸 Media Picker

using Microsoft.Maui.Media;

var photo = await MediaPicker.PickPhotoAsync();
if (photo != null)
{
    var stream = await photo.OpenReadAsync();
    Console.WriteLine($"Picked photo: {photo.FileName}");
}
    

🔑 Secure Storage

using Microsoft.Maui.Storage;

await SecureStorage.SetAsync("auth_token", "12345");
var token = await SecureStorage.GetAsync("auth_token");
Console.WriteLine($"Token: {token}");
    

📂 File System

using Microsoft.Maui.Storage;

var path = FileSystem.AppDataDirectory;
Console.WriteLine($"App data stored at: {path}");
    

📳 Vibration & Flashlight

using Microsoft.Maui.Devices;

Vibration.Vibrate(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
await Flashlight.TurnOnAsync();
await Flashlight.TurnOffAsync();
    

📞 Phone Dialer

using Microsoft.Maui.ApplicationModel.Communication;

PhoneDialer.Open("9876543210");
    

📧 Email

using Microsoft.Maui.ApplicationModel.Communication;

var message = new EmailMessage
{
    Subject = "Hello from MAUI",
    Body = "This is a test email",
    To = new List { "test@example.com" }
};
await Email.ComposeAsync(message);
    

🧩 Best Practices

• Always check permissions (location, camera, storage).
• Wrap calls in try/catch for unsupported platforms.
• Use cross-platform APIs first; fall back to platform-specific code only when necessary.
• Keep device API calls lightweight to avoid blocking the UI thread.

Important Note on Permissions

For most of these (especially Camera, Location, and Battery), you must declare the permissions in:

• Android: AndroidManifest.xml
• iOS: Info.plist

.NET MAUI Permissions & Hardware Handling

To keep your code clean, it's best to handle permissions dynamically. In MAUI, you can use the built-in Permissions API to check and request access at runtime.

1. Universal Permissions Helper

Here is a reusable helper class to handle common permission checks (Camera, Location, etc.) without repeating logic:

public static class PermissionHelper
{
    public static async Task<bool> CheckAndRequestPermission<TPermission>() 
        where TPermission : Permissions.BasePermission, new()
    {
        PermissionStatus status = await Permissions.CheckStatusAsync<TPermission>();

        if (status == PermissionStatus.Granted)
            return true;

        if (status == PermissionStatus.Denied && DeviceInfo.Platform == DevicePlatform.iOS)
        {
            // Prompt user to go to Settings on iOS as you can't re-request after a deny
            return false;
        }

        // Request the permission
        status = await Permissions.RequestAsync<TPermission>();

        return status == PermissionStatus.Granted;
    }
}
    

2. Usage in your Logic

You can call this for any hardware API before using it:

// Example: Camera
bool hasCamera = await PermissionHelper.CheckAndRequestPermission<Permissions.Camera>();
if (hasCamera) 
{
    var photo = await MediaPicker.Default.CapturePhotoAsync();
}

// Example: Location
bool hasGps = await PermissionHelper.CheckAndRequestPermission<Permissions.LocationWhenInUse>();
if (hasGps)
{
    var location = await Geolocation.Default.GetLocationAsync();
}
    

3. Handling Android Hardware Buttons

On Android, you often need to override the Back Button behavior (e.g., to prevent accidental exits or close side menus). You do this in your MainPage.xaml.cs:

protected override bool OnBackButtonPressed()
{
    // Return 'true' to handle (prevent) the back action
    // Return 'false' to allow the system to go back
    
    bool isMenuOpen = MyFlyoutMenu.IsPresented;
    
    if (isMenuOpen)
    {
        MyFlyoutMenu.IsPresented = false;
        return true; 
    }

    return base.OnBackButtonPressed();
}
    

Critical Setup Steps

For these to work, you must update your platform manifests:

• Android: Add <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" /> to your AndroidManifest.xml.
• iOS: Add the NSCameraUsageDescription key to your Info.plist.