The concept was created as a way to allow developers to easily remix different apps and allow each type of task (called activity) to be handled by the application best suited to it, even if provided by a third party. Although the concept was not new, the Android architecture doesn't require elevated privileges to access the components, which makes it an open platform.5
Activities in Android are defined as classes that control the life cycle of a task in the user interface. The activities supported by an application are declared in a manifest, so that other applications can read what activities are supported. Intents in one application can start particular activities in a different application, if the latter supports the message type of the Intent.6
An analysis in 2011 by researchers from The University of California at Berkeley found that Intents can pose a security risk, allowing attackers to read content in messages and to insert malicious messages between applications. 7
Ferrill, Paul (2011). Pro Android Python with SL4A. Apress. p. 3. ISBN 9781430235699. 9781430235699 ↩
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Felker, Donn. "Common Android Intent Usage". Android Tablet Application Development. Wiley. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130821083845/http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/common-android-intent-usage0.html ↩
"Remixing apps with Android intents". developer.vodafone.com. Vodafone. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004084946/http://developer.vodafone.com/develop-apps/android/android-intents/ ↩
Cooper, Bruce (12 July 2011). "Activities, Tasks and Intents, Oh My!". SitePoint. Retrieved 18 September 2013. http://www.sitepoint.com/activities-tasks-and-intents-oh-my/ ↩