🤝Sharing

Cross-platform social sharing and native composer integration for Unity mobile games

Essential Kit's Sharing Services feature provides native sharing capabilities for Unity games across iOS and Android. This tutorial walks you through choosing the right sharing method (ShareSheet, MailComposer, MessageComposer, SocialShareComposer), sharing content types (text, images, screenshots), and implementing viral growth strategies that feel natural to players.

Using PlayMaker? See the PlayMaker guide: PlayMaker.

Sharing Services Video Tutorial

Looking for a working reference? Open the demo scene at Assets/Plugins/VoxelBusters/EssentialKit/Examples/Scenes/SharingDemo.unity and the companion script at Assets/Plugins/VoxelBusters/EssentialKit/Examples/Scripts/SharingDemo.cs to see the full API in action.

What You'll Learn

• Choose the right sharing method for your use case (Mail, Message, Social, or ShareSheet)

• Create ShareItem objects for different content types (text, images, screenshots, files)

• Implement platform-specific social media composers (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp)

• Compose emails and SMS messages with attachments

• Handle sharing results and track viral growth

• Share achievements, scores, and screenshots effectively

Why Sharing Services Matters

• Viral Growth: Players sharing achievements drive organic user acquisition

• Social Proof: Screenshots and scores create social validation for your game

• Personal Invitations: Direct messaging converts better than generic social posts

• Player Engagement: Sharing moments creates emotional investment in your game

• Community Building: Social features strengthen player relationships and retention

Choosing the Right Sharing Method

Essential Kit provides four sharing approaches optimized for different scenarios:

Method	Best For	Platform Support
MailComposer	Support emails, bug reports, formal communication with attachments	iOS, Android (requires configured email account)
MessageComposer	Quick invites, SMS/MMS sharing with images	iOS, Android (requires messaging app)
SocialShareComposer	Targeted posts to specific platforms (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp)	iOS, Android (requires app installed)
ShareSheet	Generic fallback when destination unknown, lets user choose any installed app	iOS, Android

Selection Rule: Prefer specific composers (Mail, Message, Social) when you know the intended destination. Use ShareSheet as a fallback for general sharing when the specific method doesn't fit your use case.

Tutorial Roadmap

1. Setup - Enable the feature and understand platform configuration

2. Usage - Implement all sharing methods with ShareItem creation patterns

3. Testing - Device testing checklist and result validation

4. FAQ - Troubleshoot common issues and platform limitations

Key Use Cases

Achievement Sharing

Celebrate player accomplishments with screenshots and compelling descriptions:

// Player unlocks rare achievement
if (SocialShareComposer.IsComposerAvailable(SocialShareComposerType.Facebook))
{
    string text = $"I just unlocked the Legendary Hero achievement in {gameName}!";
    var textItem = ShareItem.Text(text);
    var screenshot = ShareItem.Screenshot();

    SharingServices.ShowSocialShareComposer(
        SocialShareComposerType.Facebook,
        callback: (result, error) => {
            if (error != null) {
                Debug.LogError($"Sharing failed: {error.Description}");
                return;
            }
            if (result.ResultCode == SocialShareComposerResultCode.Done) {
                Debug.Log("Grant sharing reward to the player.");
            }
        },
        textItem,
        screenshot
    );
}

Support Emails

Send bug reports with screenshots and log data:

if (MailComposer.CanSendMail())
{
    string subject = $"Bug Report - Level {currentLevel}";
    string body = $"Encountered issue at {DateTime.Now}. Screenshot attached.";
    var screenshot = ShareItem.Screenshot();

    SharingServices.ShowMailComposer(
        toRecipients: new[] { "[email protected]" },
        subject: subject,
        body: body,
        callback: (result, error) => {
            if (error != null) {
                Debug.LogError($"Mail failed: {error.Description}");
                return;
            }
            Debug.Log($"Support email result: {result.ResultCode}");
        },
        screenshot
    );
}

Friend Invitations

Personalized invites via SMS with app download links:

if (MessageComposer.CanSendText())
{
    string invite = $"Join me in {gameName}! Download: {appStoreUrl}";

    SharingServices.ShowMessageComposer(
        body: invite,
        callback: (result, error) => {
            if (error != null) {
                Debug.LogError($"Message failed: {error.Description}");
                return;
            }
            if (result.ResultCode == MessageComposerResultCode.Sent) {
                Debug.Log("Track viral invitation event.");
            }
        }
    );
}

Generic Sharing (Fallback)

Let users choose any sharing destination:

string shareText = $"Check out my high score in {gameName}: {playerScore}!";
var textItem = ShareItem.Text(shareText);
var screenshotItem = ShareItem.Screenshot();

SharingServices.ShowShareSheet(
    callback: (result, error) => {
        if (error != null) {
            Debug.LogError($"Share failed: {error.Description}");
            return;
        }
        Debug.Log($"Share sheet result: {result.ResultCode}");
    },
    textItem,
    screenshotItem
);

Share Item Types

Essential Kit supports multiple content types for sharing:

ShareItem Type	Creation Method	Use Cases
Text	ShareItem.Text(string)	Messages, descriptions, URLs as text
URL	ShareItem.URL(URLString)	Deep links, website links, download links
Screenshot	ShareItem.Screenshot()	Capture current game state automatically
Image	ShareItem.Image(Texture2D, format, filename)	Custom images, logos, avatars
File	ShareItem.File(byte[], mimeType, filename)	Save files, documents, replays

Prerequisites

• Unity project with Essential Kit v3 installed and Sharing Services feature included

• iOS or Android target platform configured

• Understanding of when to use specific composers vs generic ShareSheet

Platform Requirements: Email requires configured email accounts on device. SMS requires messaging capabilities. Social composers require respective apps installed and user logged in.

Setuphttps://github.com/voxelbusters/essential-kit-docs/blob/master/tutorials/v3/features/sharing/usage.mdhttps://github.com/voxelbusters/essential-kit-docs/blob/master/tutorials/v3/features/sharing/testing.mdFAQ