Android - Implement Preference Setting Screen with Kotlin
Last Updated :
21 Apr, 2025
In many apps, we have seen the Settings screen which is most common in most of the apps. This settings screen is used to manage the preferences of the users. For creating this settings screen android provides a feature to make a settings preferences screen. In this article, we will take a look at implementing the preferences setting screen in Android using Kotlin.
Note: If you are looking to implement a Preference Setting Screen in Android using Java. Check out the following article: How to Implement Preference Setting Screen in Android using Java
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.
Note that select Kotlin as the programming language.
Step 2: Add dependency for Preference Library
Navigate to Gradle Scripts > build.gradle.kts (Module :app) and add the following dependency
dependencies {
...
implementation ("androidx.preference:preference:1.2.1")
}
Step 3: Working with MainActivity.kt
Go to the MainActivity.kt file and refer to the following code. Below is the code for the MainActivity.kt file. Comments are added inside the code to understand the code in more detail. Then, Navigate to the app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the below code to that file.
MainActivity.kt
package org.geeksforgeeks.demo
import android.content.Intent
import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.Button
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
private lateinit var settingsBtn: Button
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
settingsBtn = findViewById(R.id.idBtnSettings)
settingsBtn.setOnClickListener {
startActivity(Intent(this, SettingsActivity::class.java))
}
}
}
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:id="@+id/container"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:gravity="center"
tools:context=".MainActivity">
<!--button for opening settings activity-->
<Button
android:id="@+id/idBtnSettings"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Open Settings"
android:textAllCaps="false" />
</LinearLayout>
Step 4: Creating a new activity for displaying the settings screen
Navigate to the app > java+kotlin > {package-name}, Right-click on it, New > Activity and select Empty activity and name it as SettingsActivity.
SettingsActivity.kt
package org.geeksforgeeks.demo
import android.os.Bundle
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
class SettingsActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_settings)
supportActionBar?.title = "Settings"
if (savedInstanceState == null) {
supportFragmentManager.beginTransaction()
.replace(R.id.idFrameLayout, SettingsFragment())
.commit()
}
}
}
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
tools:context=".SettingsActivity">
<!--frame layout for displaying
our preference fragment-->
<FrameLayout
android:id="@+id/idFrameLayout"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent" />
</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>
Step 5: Creating a preference file for displaying our settings
Navigate to the app > res > xml, Right-click on it, New > Android Resource file and name the file as preferences.xml.
preferences.xml:
XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<PreferenceScreen xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
<!--below line is to create preference category-->
<PreferenceCategory
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_manage"
app:title="General">
<!--in below line we are creating a list preference
and we are adding default selected value in list for 3 rd index-->
<!--dialog title is to set title for our dialog box
entries is used to add list of data which we
are adding from our strings file
entry values is to add values to our entries.
key is use to add key to our list preferences
summary is use to add description to our option
title is use to add title to our list preferences.-->
<!--this list preference is for remind me option-->
<ListPreference
android:defaultValue="3"
android:dialogTitle="@string/remind_to_take_a_break"
android:entries="@array/pref_remind_me_to_take_a_break"
android:entryValues="@array/pref_duration"
android:key="@string/key_upload_quality"
android:summary="@string/remind_me"
android:title="@string/remind_me"
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_day" />
<!--on below line we are creating a switch preference
default value is use to set switch on or off
key is use to set key
title is use to add title to our switch-->
<!--this switch preference option is to remind for a bed time-->
<SwitchPreferenceCompat
android:defaultValue="false"
android:key="@string/remind_me_for_bed_time"
android:title="@string/remind_for_bed_time"
app:icon="@android:drawable/btn_star" />
<!--below switch preference is
use for mobile data usage-->
<SwitchPreferenceCompat
android:defaultValue="false"
android:key="@string/limit_data_usage"
android:summary="@string/stream_video"
android:title="@string/limit_mobile_usage"
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_call" />
<!--below list preference is use for
double tap to seek option-->
<ListPreference
android:defaultValue="1"
android:dialogTitle="@string/double_tap_to_seek"
android:entries="@array/pref_seek_values"
android:entryValues="@array/pref_duration"
android:key="@string/pref_seek_val"
android:summary="@string/seconds"
android:title="@string/double_tap_to_seek"
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_help" />
<!--below option is use to create a list
preference for Upload preferences-->
<ListPreference
android:defaultValue="1"
android:dialogTitle="@string/uploads"
android:entries="@array/pref_uploads"
android:entryValues="@array/pref_duration"
android:key="@string/pref_uploads"
android:summary="@string/specify_network_prefs"
android:title="Uploads"
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_save" />
<!--below switch preferences is use to restrict mode-->
<SwitchPreferenceCompat
android:defaultValue="false"
android:key="@string/prefs_restricted_mode"
android:summary="@string/restricted_mode"
android:title="@string/restricted_mode_description"
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_compass" />
<!--below switch pref is use for enable stats option-->
<SwitchPreferenceCompat
android:defaultValue="false"
android:key="@string/prefs_enable_stats"
android:title="@string/enable_stats"
app:icon="@android:drawable/ic_menu_info_details" />
</PreferenceCategory>
</PreferenceScreen>
Step 6: Add the below code in the strings.xml file
Navigate to the app > res > values > strings.xml file and add the below code to it.
strings.xml:
XML
<resources>
<!--app name-->
<string name="app_name">Preference Setting Screen</string>
<string name="remind_to_take_a_break">Remind me to take a break</string>
<string name="key_upload_quality">key_upload_quality</string>
<string name="remind_me">Remind me to take a break</string>
<string name="remind_me_for_bed_time">remind_me_for_bed_time</string>
<string name="remind_for_bed_time">Remind me for bed time</string>
<string name="limit_data_usage">prefs_limit_data_usage</string>
<string name="stream_video">Only stream HD video on Wi-Fi</string>
<string name="limit_mobile_usage">Limit mobile data usage</string>
<string name="double_tap_to_seek">Double-tap to seek</string>
<string name="pref_seek_val">pref_seek_val</string>
<string name="seconds">seconds</string>
<string name="uploads">Uploads</string>
<string name="pref_uploads">pref_uploads</string>
<string name="specify_network_prefs">Specify network preferences for uploads</string>
<string name="prefs_restricted_mode">prefs_restricted_mode</string>
<string name="restricted_mode">Restricted Mode can help to hide videos with potentially mature content.No filter is 100% accurate, but it should help you to avoid most of this type of content.</string>
<string name="restricted_mode_description">Restricted Mode</string>
<string name="prefs_enable_stats">prefs_enable_stats</string>
<string name="enable_stats">Enable stats for nerds</string>
<string-array name="pref_upload_quality_entries">
<item>360p</item>
<item>480p</item>
<item>720p</item>
<item>1080p</item>
<item>Original</item>
</string-array>
<string-array name="pref_remind_me_to_take_a_break">
<item>1 hours</item>
<item>2 hours</item>
<item>3 hours</item>
<item>5 hours</item>
<item>10 hours</item>
</string-array>
<string-array name="pref_seek_values">
<item>5</item>
<item>10</item>
<item>15</item>
<item>20</item>
<item>30</item>
</string-array>
<string-array name="pref_duration">
<item>0</item>
<item>1</item>
<item>2</item>
<item>3</item>
<item>4</item>
</string-array>
<string-array name="pref_uploads">
<item>Only when on Wi-Fi</item>
<item>On any network</item>
</string-array>
</resources>
Step 7: Now create a new Kotlin class for displaying our preference fragment
Navigate to the app > java+kotlin > your app’s package name, Right-click on it, New > Kotlin class and name it as SettingsFragment and add the below code to it. Comments are added in the code to get to know in more detail.
Kotlin
package org.geeksforgeeks.demo
import android.os.Bundle
import androidx.preference.PreferenceFragmentCompat
class SettingsFragment : PreferenceFragmentCompat() {
override fun onCreatePreferences(savedInstanceState: Bundle?, rootKey: String?) {
// Load the preferences from an XML resource
setPreferencesFromResource(R.xml.preferences, rootKey)
}
}
Output:
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