So long as you pass in a valid View, and are using Jelly Bean or later, the animation should automatically apply.

gistfile1.txt

    @SuppressLint("NewApi")
    public boolean startActivity(View v, Intent intent, Object tag) {
        intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
 
        // Only launch using the new animation if the shortcut has not opted out (this is a
        // private contract between launcher and may be ignored in the future).
        boolean useLaunchAnimation = (v != null) &&
                !intent.hasExtra(INTENT_EXTRA_IGNORE_LAUNCH_ANIMATION) &&
                Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN;
 
        if (useLaunchAnimation) {
            ActivityOptions opts = ActivityOptions.makeScaleUpAnimation(v, 0, 0,
                    v.getMeasuredWidth(), v.getMeasuredHeight());
 
            startActivity(intent, opts.toBundle());
        } else {
            startActivity(intent);
        }
        return true;
    }