How to Get the Build Version Number of an Android Application?

Version Name and Version Code in an Android application tell us about the current app version installed on the user’s mobile device. This information is generally used when we prompt users to update to the new version of the older version of the application. In this article, we will look at How to get the Build Version Number of an Android application. 

Note: This Android article covered in both Java and Kotlin languages. 

Step by Step Implementation

Step 1: Create a New Project in Android Studio

To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio.

Step 2: Working with the activity_main.xml file

Navigate to app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the below code to it. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail. 

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:id="@+id/idRLContainer"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <!--on below line we are creating
        a text for our app-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/idTVHeading"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_above="@id/idTVVersionNumber"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:text="Build Version Number of Android App"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:textColor="@color/black"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        android:textStyle="bold" />

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/idTVVersionNumber"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:text="Version"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:textColor="@color/black"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        android:textStyle="bold" />

</RelativeLayout>

Step 3: Working with the MainActivity file 

Navigate to app > java > your app’s package name > MainActivity file and add the code below. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail. 

Kotlin

package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject

import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    // on below line creating a variable.
    lateinit var versionTV: TextView

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        // on below line we are initializing our variables.
        versionTV = findViewById(R.id.idTVVersionNumber)

        // on below line we are creating a variable and storing
        // our version name and version code.
        val version =
            "Version Name : " + BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME + "\n" + "Version Code : " + BuildConfig.VERSION_CODE.toString()

        // on below line we are setting version
        // name and code to our text view.
        versionTV.text = version


    }
}

Java

package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject;

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    // on below line we are creating variables.
    private TextView versionTV;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        // on below line we are initializing our variables.
        versionTV = findViewById(R.id.idTVVersionNumber);

        // on below line we are creating a variable and storing
        // our version name and version code.
        String version =
                "Version Name : " + BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME + "\n" + "Version Code : " + BuildConfig.VERSION_CODE.toString()

        // on below line we are setting version
        // name and code to our text view.
        versionTV.setText(version);

    }
}

Now run your application to see the output of it. 

Output: