如何检测到某个特定的应用程序已启动？

Question

The Context

There's a certain app that competes with my app for a hardware resource that should be mutex-locked, but isn't. The hardware resource has no API in the public Android SDK, and the competing app expects to be the only app to ever need it. The hardware resource's governing firmware also expects it to only ever be acquired by one app at a time.

The Problem

Collisions over the hardware resource are not handled well in the firmware, and my test device will often need a reboot if the user launches the competing app while my app is running (I'm able to check for the competing app's service with ActivityManager.getRunningServices() and stop my app from trying to acquire the hardware resources if the user starts my app while the competing app is running).
I don't have access to the competing app's source code, or the system image source code, so my app has to be responsible for handling the competing app's bad behavior and/or the firmware's poor handling of competition for this hardware resource.

The Question

Is there a way for a normal (ie non-system) app running on Android Marshmallow to receive a callback when an app Activity or Service with a known component name is launched?

Answer 1

Is there a way for a normal (ie non-system) app running on Android Marshmallow to receive a callback when an app Activity or Service with a known component name is launched?

No. In fact, Android 5.0+ takes pains to hide the real-time knowledge of other running apps from you, for privacy and security reasons.