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Running Android App in Standalone Emulator (Without Android Studio)

Author: Matthew Raymer
Last Updated: 2025-10-12 06:50:00 UTC
Version: 1.0.0

Overview

This guide demonstrates how to run the DailyNotification plugin test app in a standalone Android emulator without using Android Studio. This method is useful for development, CI/CD pipelines, and resource-constrained environments.

Prerequisites

Required Software

Android SDK with command line tools
Android Emulator (emulator command)
ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
Gradle (via Gradle Wrapper)
Node.js and npm (for TypeScript compilation)

System Requirements

RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
Storage: 2GB free space for emulator
OS: Linux, macOS, or Windows with WSL

Step-by-Step Process

1. Check Available Emulators

# List available Android Virtual Devices (AVDs)
emulator -list-avds

# Example output:
# Pixel8_API34

2. Start the Emulator

# Start emulator in background (recommended)
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -no-snapshot-load &

# Alternative: Start in foreground
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34

Flags Explained:

-avd Pixel8_API34 - Specifies the AVD to use
-no-snapshot-load - Forces fresh boot (recommended for testing)
& - Runs in background (optional)

3. Wait for Emulator to Boot

# Wait for emulator to be ready
adb wait-for-device

# Verify emulator is running
adb devices

# Example output:
# List of devices attached
# emulator-5554   device

4. Build the Plugin and Test App

# Navigate to project directory
cd /path/to/daily-notification-plugin

# Build TypeScript and native code
./scripts/build-native.sh --platform android

What this does:

Compiles TypeScript to JavaScript
Builds Android native code
Creates plugin AAR files
Builds test app APK

5. Build Debug APK (Required for Installation)

# Navigate to Android directory
cd android

# Build debug version (includes debug signing)
./gradlew :app:assembleDebug

Why Debug APK:

Debug signing - Automatically signed for installation
No certificates needed - Uses default debug keystore
Faster builds - No optimization, faster compilation

6. Install APK on Emulator

# Install the debug APK
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

# Alternative: Install with replacement
adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Installation Options:

adb install - Install new app
adb install -r - Replace existing app
adb install -t - Allow test APKs

7. Launch the App

# Launch the app
adb shell am start -n com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity

# Alternative: Launch with specific intent
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity

8. Monitor App Logs

# View all logs
adb logcat

# Filter for specific tags
adb logcat -s "Capacitor" "DailyNotification" "Console"

# View logs for specific process
adb logcat --pid=<PID>

# Clear logs and view new ones
adb logcat -c && adb logcat

Complete Command Sequence

Quick Start (Copy-Paste Ready)

# 1. Start emulator
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -no-snapshot-load &

# 2. Wait for emulator
adb wait-for-device

# 3. Build everything
./scripts/build-native.sh --platform android

# 4. Build debug APK
cd android && ./gradlew :app:assembleDebug

# 5. Install APK
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

# 6. Launch app
adb shell am start -n com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity

# 7. Monitor logs
adb logcat -s "Capacitor" "DailyNotification" "Console"

Alternative Methods

Method 1: Using Capacitor CLI

# Build and run in one command
npx cap run android

# This will:
# - Build the plugin
# - Sync web assets
# - Build and install APK
# - Launch the app

Method 2: Direct Gradle Commands

# Build and install directly
cd android
./gradlew :app:assembleDebug
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
adb shell am start -n com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity

Method 3: Using Monkey (Alternative Launch)

# Install and launch with Monkey
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
adb shell monkey -p com.timesafari.dailynotification -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Emulator Won't Start

# Check available AVDs
emulator -list-avds

# Check emulator process
ps aux | grep emulator

# Kill existing emulator
pkill -f emulator

# Start with verbose logging
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -verbose

ADB Connection Issues

# Check ADB connection
adb devices

# Restart ADB server
adb kill-server
adb start-server

# Check ADB version
adb version

APK Installation Fails

# Check if app is already installed
adb shell pm list packages | grep timesafari

# Uninstall existing app
adb uninstall com.timesafari.dailynotification

# Install with force
adb install -r -t app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Build Failures

# Clean build
cd android && ./gradlew clean

# Rebuild
./gradlew :app:assembleDebug

# Check Gradle daemon
./gradlew --status

Performance Optimization

Emulator Performance

# Start with hardware acceleration
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -accel on

# Start with specific RAM allocation
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -memory 2048

# Start with GPU acceleration
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -gpu host

Build Performance

# Enable Gradle daemon
echo "org.gradle.daemon=true" >> ~/.gradle/gradle.properties

# Increase memory
echo "org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4g" >> ~/.gradle/gradle.properties

# Enable parallel builds
echo "org.gradle.parallel=true" >> ~/.gradle/gradle.properties

Expected Results

Successful App Launch

When the app launches successfully, you should see:

# ADB output
Starting: Intent { cmp=com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity }

# Logcat output
D Capacitor: Starting BridgeActivity
D Capacitor: Registering plugin instance: CapacitorCookies
D Capacitor: Registering plugin instance: WebView
D Capacitor: Registering plugin instance: CapacitorHttp
D Capacitor: Loading app at https://localhost
D Capacitor: App started
D Capacitor: App resumed
I Capacitor/Console: Script loading...
I Capacitor/Console: Creating mock DailyNotification plugin...
I Capacitor/Console: Functions attached to window: [object Object]

App Interface

The app should display:

Title: "🔔 DailyNotification Plugin Test"
Three buttons: "Test Plugin", "Configure Plugin", "Check Status"
Status area: Shows test results and plugin status

Benefits of Standalone Approach

Advantages

✅ No Android Studio - Pure command line workflow
✅ Faster startup - No IDE overhead
✅ CI/CD friendly - Works in automated environments
✅ Resource efficient - Lower memory usage
✅ Scriptable - Can be automated
✅ Remote development - Works over SSH

Use Cases

Development - Quick testing and iteration
CI/CD pipelines - Automated testing
Remote development - SSH-based development
Resource-constrained environments - Low-spec machines
Team environments - Shared development servers

Integration with Development Workflow

Daily Development

# Quick test cycle
./scripts/build-native.sh --platform android
cd android && ./gradlew :app:assembleDebug
adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
adb shell am start -n com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity

Automated Testing

# CI/CD pipeline
emulator -avd Pixel8_API34 -no-snapshot-load &
adb wait-for-device
./scripts/build-native.sh --platform android
cd android && ./gradlew :app:assembleDebug
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
adb shell am start -n com.timesafari.dailynotification/.MainActivity
# Run tests...

Next Steps

Testing the App

Click "Test Plugin" - Tests the mock plugin implementation
Click "Configure Plugin" - Tests plugin configuration
Click "Check Status" - Tests plugin status retrieval
Monitor logs - Check for any errors or issues

Development Workflow

Make changes - Edit plugin code or test app
Rebuild - Run the build commands
Reinstall - Install updated APK
Test - Launch and test functionality
Iterate - Repeat as needed

This method provides a complete standalone Android development environment without requiring Android Studio! 🎉

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