Say Goodbye to Toast: A Better Way to Show Messages in Your Android App

Hey Android developers! 👋,
Ever got tired of those boring Toast messages floating around in your app? Or maybe you’re frustrated with writing the same Snackbar code over and over? I’ve been there, and today I want to share a simple utility that changed how I handle user feedback in my apps.

Why Ditch Toast for Snackbars?

Before we dive into the utility, let’s talk about why Snackbars are generally better than Toast:

1. User Interaction: Unlike Toast, Snackbars let users interact! Add an “Undo” button, and boom — your users can reverse their actions.

// With Toast - no interaction possible
Toast.makeText(context, "Item deleted", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()

// With our Snackbar utility - easy undo!
view.showSnackbarWithAction(
    "Item deleted",
    "UNDO"
) { restoreItem() }

2. Better Position Control: Toasts just float wherever Android wants them. With our Snackbar utility:

// Show at bottom
view.showSnackbar("Message")

// Show at top
view.showSnackbarTop("Message")

3. Proper Material Design: Snackbars follow Material Design guidelines, making your app look more professional.

The Magic of Our Utility

Here’s what makes this utility special:

// Instead of this Toast mess
Toast.makeText(context, "Message", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
Toast.makeText(context, "Another Message", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
// Messages overlap! 😱

// Use this clean Snackbar approach
view.showSnackbar("Message")
view.showSnackbar("Another Message")
// Previous message automatically dismissed! 😎

Real-World Benefits

1. Memory Safe: No more memory leaks! The utility handles everything.
2. Clean Code: One line does the job. Your colleagues will thank you.
3. Flexible Styling: Change colors on the fly:

// Success message
view.showSnackbar(
    "Profile updated!",
    colors = SnackbarColors(backgroundColor = R.color.success_green)
)

// Error message
view.showSnackbar(
    "Failed to save",
    colors = SnackbarColors(backgroundColor = R.color.error_red)
)

Perfect Use Cases

Here’s where this utility shines:

Form Submissions:

// After successful save
view.showSnackbar("Changes saved!")

// For banners ad in bottom.
view.showSnackbarBanner(
    message = "Changes saved!",
    bottomPadding = this.context.dpToPx(60).toInt()
)

Network Operations:

// When connection fails
view.showSnackbarLong(
    "No internet connection. Retrying...",
    colors = SnackbarColors(backgroundColor = R.color.warning_orange)
)

Delete Operations:

view.showSnackbarWithAction(
    "Message deleted",
    "UNDO"
) { restoreMessage() }

Quick Setup

1. Copy the utility files to your project
2. Add your colors in colors.xml
3. Start using it!

Why You Will Love It

• You can’t mess up: The Class is so simple, it’s hard to make mistakes
• Consistent UI: All messages follow the same style
• Less code review headaches: No more checking complex Snackbar setups
• Easy to modify: Want to change how all messages look? Just update one file!

Wrap Up

Stop using Toast (seriously, it’s 2025!). This Snackbar utility will make your code cleaner, your app more professional, and your users happier.

Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it works for you! 🚀

Feel free to customize the code to fit your needs.