Lingochat | Android Universal Language Exchange Chat App Template

Please note that both iOS and Android versions can share the same database on back4app.

9 July 2020
• Camera crashing issue fixed.
• Code added for Android 9 and Android 10.
• App Migrated to AndroidX. Gradle all libraries updated.

30 Apr 2020
• All files uploaded,
• FCM firebase cloud messaging implemented.
• Code clean up.
• Google libraries updated.
• Documentation updated.

8 Aug 2019
• Fixed the back-stack issues on the entire application 
• Updated Login/ Signup Screen Design 
• Updated Friends Screen layout by using Recycler View
• Updated Friends Listing screen design by using Applying Card View.
• Upgraded Friends Chat screen design.
• Upgraded Search Country layout by using recycler View
• Improved design for Search Country listing screen 
• Updated Search Friends Screen layout by replacing list view with recycler view 
• Updated Account Screen UIs 
• Fix Crashed issue: 
o    SignUp.java:159 Unable to find explicit activity. 
o    UserList.java:146 Null pointer exception.
o    Account.java:222 illegal argument exception “Invalid type for value”.
o    InboxActivity.java:349 Pattern syntax Exception.
• Updated 'compileSdkVersion' and  'targetSdkVersion' to 28 in build.gradle
• Applied Camel Notation in Edit Text Fields Hints

25 May 2018
• Accordingly to the new EU GDPR terms, I've updated the 'tou.html' file and Documentation.
IMPORTANT: This means that if a User asks for his/her Account deletion, you must do it within 24 hours, as the GDPR's "Right to be forgotten" Article states (LINK: 

8 May 2018
• Changed Parse verison in build.gradle into 1.16.0, due to some issue on the latest Parse SDK and FCM:
    implementation 'com.parse:parse-android:1.16.0'

17 April 2018
• Added new Firebase dependencies in build.gradle(Module:app)
• Removed the 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+' implementation and updated all dependencies to the required ones only
• Added the 'google-services' classpath in the dependencies{} list in build.gradle(Project:)
classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.2.1'

• Added this Permission into Manifest.xml:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />

• Updated the Documentation (connect your App to Firebase for FCM)

15 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1.1
• Removed all dependencies of play-services | left only this one in build.gradle:
     implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+'

11 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1
• Updated 'compileSdkVersion' and  'targetSdkVersion' to 27 in build.gradle
• Replaced 'compile' with 'implementation' in build.gradle (Module: app)
• Updated classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:3.1.1' in build.gradle (Project:)

Jan 20th 2018
• Added this line in the dependencies list of build.gradle (Module: app):
    compile 'com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:+'

Nov 3rd 2017
• Updated to Android Studio 3 and buildToolsVersion to '26.0.2' in build.gradle

Oct 7th 2017
• Added some lines of code into signupButt method in SignUp.java that save a default avatar in the User class 
• Added a custom 'pd.xml' file in the 'layout' folder and some code into Confgs.java ('showPD()'  and 'hidePD()' methods), which are used to replace the ProgressDialog code in the java files (that's because ProgressDialog is deprecated by API 26 | Android O)
So I've replaced all the:
    pd.dismiss();
    pd.setMessagge(...);
    pd.show();

with the new lines of code to show and hide the custom ProgressDialog, which start with:
   Configs.showPD(...);
   Configs.hidePD();

Lingochat is a Universal App Template where you can search for foreign people and chat with them in order to exchange language knowledge. You can search for friends by selecting languages in the Search screen, send them a friend request and wait for them to approve it (if they want to). Users will receive a Push Notification either for sent requests or chat messages. Users are also able to block/unblock offensive/inappropriate users.

Since its backend is by Parse you don’t have to buy any domain/hosting, there are NO PHP files to upload to a web server so you’ll save some money for server side.

Lingochat is a native Android Studio project, Universal, super easy to customize, backend with Parse SDK hosted on

About Parse SDK and back4app

Read this article for more info about back4app and Parse SDK:

Can I host Parse Server on my own server?

Yes, although I don’t provide support for the setup process, you can read the official Guide here:

What about free support for this template?

I can offer free support for bugs encountered in the original code. Instead, if you’ve edited the code and messed something up with it, I may apply some fee to fix it either via TeamViewer or by checking your app project files directly on my computer.

How do I rename the app’s package name?

Read this tutorial to learn how to rename a package name:

Should I use the latest version of Android Studio to edit this template?

Yes, I always update my apps to the latest version of the IDE and you also should make sure you’ve updated the Android Tools to their latest version of the Android SDK manager.

The demo APK crashes on startup

Make sure that the minimum Android version of your device is the one listed in the FEATURES section below. If the problem persists, please contact me by my profile’s contact form and send me the Logcat message of you get when the app crashes along with the steps you made to reproduce the crash. Please note that not all real devices print an error Logcat message, in this case just run the APK into the Android Studio’s emulator and you’ll surely get the red messages about your issue.

How do I remove AdMob banner ads?

1. Enter the .xml files where there’s an AdView and remove its code:

       <com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
           android:id="@+id/admobBanner" 
           android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
           android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
           ads:adSize="BANNER" 
           ads:adUnitId="@string/ADMOB_BANNER_UNIT_ID" 
           android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" 
           android:layout_centerHorizontal="true">
       </com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>
   

2. Enter the .java files where there’s an AdRequest instance into its onCreate() method and remove its code:

           // Init AdMob banner
           AdView mAdView = (AdView) findViewById(R.id.admobBanner);
           AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
           mAdView.loadAd(adRequest);
   

3. Lastly, remove the play-services-ads reference in the build.gradle file:

       compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:+'
   

• Android Studio 3.x project – Universal – Android 5.0+
• AdMob banners
• Backend with Parse SDK hosted on back{4}app
• Push Notifications for sent requests and chat messages
• Search for people by language
• PDF User Guide and PSD included
• Easy to customize | Well commented code

• Latest version of Android Studio and basic knowledge of its User Interface
• Photoshop (or similar photo editor softwares)
• Windows PC or Mac
• Free account on
• Google Developer and Play Store account
• A real device with Android 5.0 or above (recommended)