path: root/doc/qtcreator/src/android/androiddev.qdoc

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    /*!

    \contentspage index.html
    \page creator-developing-android.html
    \previouspage creator-connecting-mobile.html
    \if defined(qtdesignstudio)
    \nextpage creator-developing-generic-linux.html
    \else
    \nextpage creator-developing-baremetal.html
    \endif

    \title Connecting Android Devices

    You can connect Android devices to the development PC to build, run, debug,
    and analyze applications from \QC. Devices with Android
    version 4.1 (API level 16) or later are supported.

    If you have a tool chain for building applications for Android devices
    installed on the development PC, you can add it to \QC. You can then add a
    \l{glossary-buildandrun-kit}{kit}
    with the tool chain, and the Qt version for Android for the device's architecture,
    to build applications for and run them on Android devices. Starting from Qt 5.14.0,
    Qt for Android package contains all the architectures (ABIs) installed as one.
    You can also allow \QC to automatically create kits for installed Qt version
    and tool chains.

    The Android Debug Bridge (adb) command line tool is integrated to \QC to
    enable you to deploy applications to connected Android devices, to run
    them, and to read their logs. It includes a client and server that run on
    the development host and a daemon that runs on the emulator or device.

    \section1 Requirements

    To use \QC to develop Qt applications for Android, you need the following:

    \list
        \li \l{https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-jdk8-downloads.html}
            {Java SE Development Kit (JDK)} version 6 up to 8.
            You can also use \l{http://openjdk.java.net/}{OpenJDK} on Linux.

            \note Android SDK Tools have issues with JDK versions later than 8.

        \li \l{http://www.gradle.org}{Gradle} for building application packages
            (APK) and app bundles (AAB) for Android devices. Gradle is delivered
            with Qt 5.9, and later, because Gradle scripts are not delivered
            with  Android SDK tools since version 26.0.0.

            \note Using Ant to build APKs is no longer supported.

        \li \l{http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html}{Android SDK Tools}

            The following Android SDK packages and tools are required for
            development:

            \list
                \li Platform tools
                \li Build tools
                \li At least one SDK platform
                \li The \l{http://developer.android.com/tools/sdk/ndk/index.html}
                    {Android NDK} from Google that provides the tool chain for
                    building applications for Android devices. For a detailed
                    list of Qt versions and their recommended NDK versions,
                    see \l{https://doc-snapshots.qt.io/qt5-5.14/android-getting-started.html}
                    {The Android NDK}.
            \endlist

            \li On Windows, you also need the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) driver
                on the Windows platform to enable USB debugging. The default USB
                driver on Windows does not allow debugging. For more information
                about installing ADB, see \l {ADB windows driver}
                {ADB driver installation}.
    \endlist

    \section1 Setting Up the Development Environment

    To build Android applications with Qt, install Qt for Android 5.2, or later.

    \note You can build a 64-bit version of Qt for Android yourself. However,
    for such a Qt version, the minimum required Android version on devices
    is 5.0 (API level 21).

    For more information, see \l{Qt for Android}.

    Download and install the latest Android SDK, and then install
    or update the NDKs, tools and packages needed for development.

    Starting from \QC 4.12, \QC offers to automatically set up your Android
    environment and install all the necessary packages and Tools, then
    creating debuggers, tool chains, and kits. For more information,
    see \l {Specifying Android Device Settings}.

    Alternatively, use the Android SDK command line tools to install
    the required packages. In that case, it is recommended to create an
    empty folder and extract the downloaded archive into this folder.

    \note The recommended Android SDK Tools version is 25.3.0, or later. The version
    25.2.5, or earlier, can be used but it is not advised because it cannot be
    fully integrated with \QC.

    \list
        \li Android SDK Tools version 25.3.0, or later

            This allows using the
            \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/sdkmanager.html}
            {sdkmanager} command line tool for SDK package management and the
            \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/avdmanager.html}
            {avdmanager} tool for Android Virtual Device (AVD) management.

            The sdkmanager will install downloaded packages next to the \c tools
            folder that contains all command line tools. You must specify the path
            to the folder where you extracted the files as Android SDK location
            inside the Android settings.

            To install those packages, use the following command:

            \badcode
            ./sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-29" "build-tools;29.0.2" "ndk-bundle"
            \endcode

            For Qt 5.12.0 to 5.12.5 and Qt 5.13.0 to 5.13.1, the following
            should be installed instead:

            \badcode
            ./sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-29" "build-tools;28.0.2" "ndk;19.2.5345600"
            \endcode

            \target ADB windows driver
            Under Windows, Google's USB drivers can be installed by running:

            \badcode
            sdkmanager.bat "extras;google;usb_driver"
            \endcode

            For more information about altenative methods of obtaining the USB
            driver, see \l{http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html}.
            After the package installation is complete, install the driver from
            \c{<ANDROID_SDK_ROOT>/extras/google/usb_driver}. Try running a few basic
            \l{http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html}{adb} commands now
            and check whether your Android device responds to them.

        \li Android SDK Tools version 25.2.5, or earlier

            If your Qt version is earlier than v5.9, use this SDK tools version.
            The SDK tool used to install and update the other SDK tools and packages
            depends on the Android SDK Tools version that you have installed:

            Use the
            \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/tools/help/android.html}
            {android} tool that comes with the SDK Tools package. For example,
            on  Ubuntu the following command starts the SDK update:

            \code
            ./android update sdk
            \endcode

    \endlist

    \section2 Specifying Android Device Settings

    To configure connections to Android devices and general Android settings:

    \list 1

        \li Select \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Devices >
            \uicontrol Android.

            \image qtcreator-options-android-main.png "Android options"

        \li In the \uicontrol {JDK location} field, set the path to the JDK.

            By default, \QC tries to find any valid JDK/OpenJDK installation.
            However, if none is found, you must set it manually. Click the
            \inlineimage icons/download-icon.png
            (\uicontrol Download) button to open the JDK download web page in the
            default browser. \QC checks the JDK installation and reports errors.

        \li In the \uicontrol {Android Settings} group, set the path to the
            Android SDK Tools.

            Select \inlineimage reload_gray.png
            button to automatically download and extract the Android SDK Tools
            to the selected path. This will do the following:

            \list 1
                \li Download and extract the Android SDK Tools.
                \li Install or update the essential packages such as NDKs,
                    build tools, platform tools.
            \endlist

            The SDK Tools download URL, the essential packages list, and the
            appropriate NDK for each Qt version are defined in a JSON
            configuration file. The file is located under the user's \QC
            resource folder:

            \badcode
            # Linux and macOS
            ~/.config/QtProject/qtcreator/android/sdk_definitions.json

            # Windows
            C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\QtProject\qtcreator\android\sdk_definitions.json
            \endcode

            For example, the SDK configuration file defines the NDK version 19.2.5345600
            to be used for Qt 5.12.0 to 5.12.5 and Qt 5.13.0 to 5.13.1 versions:

            \badcode
            "specific_qt_versions": [
                {
                    "versions": ["5.12.[0-5]", "5.13.[0-1]"],
                    "sdk_essential_packages": ["build-tools;28.0.2", "ndk;19.2.5345600"],
                    "ndk_path": "ndk/19.2.5345600"
                }
            ]
            \endcode

            The latest version of the configuration file that is up-to-date
            with the Android SDK and NDK changes is found
            \l{https://code.qt.io/cgit/qt-creator/qt-creator.git/plain/share/qtcreator/android/sdk_definitions.json}{here}.

            The installed NDK versions are listed below the SDK path.
            The items with a lock icon are versions installed from the SDK Manager,
            and can only be modified from the SDK Manager tab. For more information,
            see \l{Managing Android SDK Packages}. Custom NDK paths can be manually
            added to the global list of NDKs via the \uicontrol Add button.
            This creates custom tool chains and debuggers associated to
            that NDK, which can be used to create custom kits defined by the user.

            To manually download the SDK Tools, select \inlineimage icons/download-icon.png
            to open the SDK or NDK download web page in the default browser.

            The SDK Manager checks the Android NDK and SDK installations,
            reports errors, and offers to install the necessary packages.

            \image qtcreator-options-android-sdk-tools.png "Android NDK and SDK checks"

        \li In the \uicontrol {Android OpenSSL} group, set the path to the
            prebuilt OpenSSL libraries.

            For Qt applications that require OpenSSL support, \QC allows to
            quickly add the \l{https://marketplace.qt.io/products/android-openssl-support}
            {Android OpenSSL support} to your project. For more details, see
            \l{Adding External Libraries}.

            Select \inlineimage icons/download-icon.png
            to download the OpenSSL repository to the selected path. If the
            automatic download fails, the download web page opens for manual download.

        \li Select the \uicontrol {Automatically create kits for Android tool chains}
            check box to allow \QC to create the kits for you. \QC displays a
            warning if it cannot find a suitable Qt version.

        \li Select \uicontrol File > \uicontrol {New File or Project} >
            \uicontrol {Application (Qt Quick)} >
            \uicontrol {Qt Quick Application - Empty} > \uicontrol Choose, and
            follow the instructions of the wizard to create a project. For more
            information, see
            \if defined(qtcreator)
            \l{Creating Qt Quick Projects}.
            \else
            \l{Creating UI Prototype Projects}.
            \endif

        \li To specify settings for deploying applications to Android, select
            \uicontrol Projects > \uicontrol Run for the \uicontrol Android kit, and then select
            \uicontrol Details to view the \uicontrol {Deploy configurations}. For more
            information about the options you have, see
            \l{Deploying Applications to Android Devices}.

        \li Enable debugging on your Android device.

            Debugging is enabled in different ways on different Android devices.
            Look for \uicontrol {USB Debugging} under \uicontrol {Developer Options}. On
            some devices \uicontrol {Developer Options} is hidden and becomes visible
            only when you tap the \uicontrol {Build number} field in \uicontrol Settings >
            \uicontrol About several times. For more details, check
            \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/dev-options}{Configure on-device developer options}.

        \li Connect the Android device to the development PC with a USB cable.
            You might be asked to select a device in the
            \l{Selecting Android Devices}{Select Android Devices} dialog.
    \endlist

    \section2 Managing Android SDK Packages

    Since Android SDK Tools version 25.3.0, only a command-line tool,
    \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/sdkmanager.html}
    {sdkmanager}, is provided by Android for SDK package management. To make SDK
    management easier, \QC provides an SDK Manager for installing, updating, and
    removing SDK packages. You can still use sdkmanager for advanced SDK
    management.

    After you set the path to the Anroid SDK in \uicontrol Tools >
    \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Devices > \uicontrol Android, the
    SDK Manager checks that all the necessary SDK packages have been installed.
    If packages are missing or updates are needed, the SDK Manager offers to
    add or remove those packages. Before taking action, it prompts
    you to accept the changes it is about to make. In addition, it prompts you to
    accept Google licenses, as necessary.

    To view the installed Android SDK packages, select \uicontrol Tools >
    \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Devices > \uicontrol Android >
    \uicontrol {SDK Manager}.

    \image qtcreator-android-sdk-manager.png "Android SDK Manager"

    To filter the packages, select \uicontrol Available, \uicontrol Installed,
    or \uicontrol All in \uicontrol {Show Packages}.

    To update the installed Android SDK packages, select
    \uicontrol {Update Installed}. Select the packages to update, and then
    select \uicontrol Apply.

    To specify advanced sdkmanager settings, select
    \uicontrol {Advanced Options} and enter arguments in the
    \uicontrol {SDK Manager arguments} field. The available arguments are listed
    and described in \uicontrol {Available arguments}.

    To manage packages installed from Android SDK Tools version 25.2.5, or
    earlier, you can use the native Android SDK Manager. The \QC SDK Manager and
    the native SDK Manager are mutually exclusive, because they are used for
    different Android SDK Tools versions. If you have the native SDK Manager
    installed, you can open it by selecting \uicontrol {Native SDK Manager}.

    \section1 Managing Android Virtual Devices (AVD)

    A list of AVDs is shown under \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options >
    \uicontrol Devices > \uicontrol Android > \uicontrol {AVD Manager}. This
    works only with a valid \uicontrol {SDK Tools} path being set. The value in
    \uicontrol {System/data partition size} is used to set the emulator's system
    partition size upon execution with \uicontrol {Start}.

    \image qtcreator-android-avd-manager.png "Android NDK and SDK checks"

    \section1 Creating a New AVD

    To create new virtual devices, select \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options >
    \uicontrol Devices > \uicontrol Android > \uicontrol {AVD Manager} > \uicontrol {Add}.

    In the \uicontrol {Create new AVD} dialog, you can create a new custom AVD
    by setting the name, device type, skin, architecture, API level, and SD card
    size. You need to have a valid \uicontrol {System Image} installed
    before using this dialog, either from \QC's \uicontrol {SDK Manager} tab or
    from Android Studio.

    For more advanced options for creating a new AVD, use the command-line tool
    \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/avdmanager.html}{avdmanager},
    or use Android Studio's native AVD Manager's UI.

    \image qtcreator-android-create-avd.png "Android NDK and SDK checks"

    \section1 Selecting Android Devices

    When you deploy an application to an Android device with Android
    version 4.2 (API 16) or later, the \uicontrol {Select Android Device} dialog
    opens. It lists the devices that are connected to the development PC, as
    well as AVDs, and their status. You can select devices or AVDs from the
    \uicontrol {Compatible Devices} list for deployment.

    If \QC determines that a device is not ready for deployment, it places the
    device in the \uicontrol {Incompatible Devices} list, with information about the
    issue. For example, you might need to authorize the connection on the
    device. After you authorize the connection on the device, select
    \uicontrol {Refresh Device List}. The device is moved to the
    \uicontrol {Compatible Devices} list and you can select it for deployment.

    Other reasons for showing a device in \uicontrol {Incompatible Devices} are
    that the Android version on the device is too old or that the tool chain
    used for building does not match the Android architecture on the device
    (for example, you cannot deploy an ARM build on an x86 device).

    \image qtcreator-android-select-devices.png "Select Android Devices dialog"

    To \l{Creating a New AVD}{create a new AVD}, select \uicontrol {Create Android Virtual Device}.

    To set a device as the default device for a particular Android architecture
    for the current project, select the \uicontrol {Always use this device for architecture}
    check box. The \uicontrol {Select Android Devices} dialog will not appear
    until you switch to another project or restart \QC.

    \section1 Using the Android Emulator

    To run your application on the Android Emulator, you must have an Android
    virtual device (AVD). For more information about creating a new one, see
    \l{Creating a New AVD}. If you run an application without a device connected to the
    development PC and without an AVD specified, \QC asks you to add an AVD.

    For Android SDK Tools 25.2.5, or earlier, select \uicontrol {Native AVD Manager}
    to manage AVDs.

    \note The Android Emulator has a bug that prevents it from starting on some
    systems. If the Android Emulator does not start, you can try starting it
    manually by running the following commands:

    \badcode
    cd <ANDROID_SDK>/emulator
    ./emulator -avd <AVD_NAME>
    \endcode

    For more information, see \l{https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-commandline}
    {Start the emulator from the command line}.

    \section1 Debugging on Android Devices

    Select a \l{glossary-build-config}{debug build configuration} to build
    the application for debugging.

    \note \QC cannot debug applications on Android devices if Android Studio is
    running. If the following message is displayed in the \uicontrol Output
    pane, close Android Studio and try again:

    \badcode
    Ignoring second debugger -accepting and dropping.
    \endcode
*/