Android: Detect if user touches and drags out of button region?

Solution 1:

Check the MotionEvent.MOVE_OUTSIDE: Check the MotionEvent.MOVE:

private Rect rect;    // Variable rect to hold the bounds of the view

public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
    if(event.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN){
        // Construct a rect of the view's bounds
        rect = new Rect(v.getLeft(), v.getTop(), v.getRight(), v.getBottom());

    }
    if(event.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_MOVE){
        if(!rect.contains(v.getLeft() + (int) event.getX(), v.getTop() + (int) event.getY())){
            // User moved outside bounds
        }
    }
    return false;
}

NOTE: If you want to target Android 4.0, a whole world of new possibilities opens: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/MotionEvent.html#ACTION_HOVER_ENTER

Solution 2:

The answer posted by Entreco needed some slight tweaking in my case. I had to substitute:

if(!rect.contains((int)event.getX(), (int)event.getY()))

for

if(!rect.contains(v.getLeft() + (int) event.getX(), v.getTop() + (int) event.getY()))

because event.getX() and event.getY() only apply to the ImageView itself, not the entire screen.

Solution 3:

I had this same problem as the OP whereby I wanted to know when (1) a particular View was touched down as well as either (2a) when the down touch was released on the View or (2b) when the down touch moved outside the bounds of the View. I brought together the various answers in this thread to create a simple extension of View.OnTouchListener (named SimpleTouchListener) so that others don't have to fiddle around with the MotionEvent object. The source for this class can be found here or at the bottom of this answer.

To use this class, simply set it as the parameter of the View.setOnTouchListener(View.OnTouchListener) method follows:

myView.setOnTouchListener(new SimpleTouchListener() {

    @Override
    public void onDownTouchAction() {
        // do something when the View is touched down
    }

    @Override
    public void onUpTouchAction() {
        // do something when the down touch is released on the View
    }

    @Override
    public void onCancelTouchAction() {
        // do something when the down touch is canceled
        // (e.g. because the down touch moved outside the bounds of the View
    }
});

Here is the source of the class which you are welcome to add to your project:

public abstract class SimpleTouchListener implements View.OnTouchListener {

    /**
     * Flag determining whether the down touch has stayed with the bounds of the view.
     */
    private boolean touchStayedWithinViewBounds;

    @Override
    public boolean onTouch(View view, MotionEvent event) {
        switch (event.getAction()) {
            case MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN:
                touchStayedWithinViewBounds = true;
                onDownTouchAction();
                return true;

            case MotionEvent.ACTION_UP:
                if (touchStayedWithinViewBounds) {
                    onUpTouchAction();
                }
                return true;

            case MotionEvent.ACTION_MOVE:
                if (touchStayedWithinViewBounds
                        && !isMotionEventInsideView(view, event)) {
                    onCancelTouchAction();
                    touchStayedWithinViewBounds = false;
                }
                return true;

            case MotionEvent.ACTION_CANCEL:
                onCancelTouchAction();
                return true;

            default:
                return false;
        }
    }

    /**
     * Method which is called when the {@link View} is touched down.
     */
    public abstract void onDownTouchAction();

    /**
     * Method which is called when the down touch is released on the {@link View}.
     */
    public abstract void onUpTouchAction();

    /**
     * Method which is called when the down touch is canceled,
     * e.g. because the down touch moved outside the bounds of the {@link View}.
     */
    public abstract void onCancelTouchAction();

    /**
     * Determines whether the provided {@link MotionEvent} represents a touch event
     * that occurred within the bounds of the provided {@link View}.
     *
     * @param view  the {@link View} to which the {@link MotionEvent} has been dispatched.
     * @param event the {@link MotionEvent} of interest.
     * @return true iff the provided {@link MotionEvent} represents a touch event
     * that occurred within the bounds of the provided {@link View}.
     */
    private boolean isMotionEventInsideView(View view, MotionEvent event) {
        Rect viewRect = new Rect(
                view.getLeft(),
                view.getTop(),
                view.getRight(),
                view.getBottom()
        );

        return viewRect.contains(
                view.getLeft() + (int) event.getX(),
                view.getTop() + (int) event.getY()
        );
    }
}