# Android build — developer setup This doc captures the toolchain install + build invocation for the Android target. Steps are runnable on a fresh Debian 13 (trixie) box; later sections document what's known to compile, what's stubbed, and the next milestones. > **Status (2026-05-07):** First working APK at `fb8b2ac`. 54 MB > debug-signed `ferrous-solitaire.apk` for `x86_64-linux-android`. Has > NOT yet been verified to launch on a device or emulator — that's > the next milestone. --- ## 1. Toolchain install (Debian 13 / trixie) Run as one block. Will pull ~15-20 GB of disk between APT, the SDK, the NDK, the system image, and Rust target sysroots. Requires sudo. ```bash # 1. JDK 21 (Android tooling needs JDK 17+; Debian 13 default is 21). sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jdk-headless unzip wget # 2. SDK directory + Google's cmdline-tools bootstrap. export ANDROID_HOME="$HOME/Android/Sdk" mkdir -p "$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools" wget -O /tmp/cmdline-tools.zip \ https://dl.google.com/android/repository/commandlinetools-linux-11076708_latest.zip unzip -q /tmp/cmdline-tools.zip -d "$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools" mv "$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/cmdline-tools" "$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest" rm /tmp/cmdline-tools.zip # 3. Persist env vars. { echo '' echo '# Android dev' echo 'export ANDROID_HOME="$HOME/Android/Sdk"' echo 'export ANDROID_NDK_HOME="$ANDROID_HOME/ndk/26.3.11579264"' echo 'export JAVA_HOME="$(dirname $(dirname $(readlink -f $(which java))))"' echo 'export PATH="$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator"' } >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc # 4. Accept SDK licences (interactive prompts answered by `yes |`). yes | sdkmanager --licenses # 5. Platform packages — ~5 GB. sdkmanager \ "platform-tools" \ "platforms;android-34" \ "build-tools;34.0.0" \ "ndk;26.3.11579264" \ "emulator" \ "system-images;android-34;google_apis;x86_64" # 6. AVD for testing (one-time). echo no | avdmanager create avd \ -n bevy_test \ -k "system-images;android-34;google_apis;x86_64" \ -d pixel_7 # 7. Rust cross-compile targets. rustup target add \ aarch64-linux-android \ armv7-linux-androideabi \ x86_64-linux-android \ i686-linux-android # 8. cargo-apk. cargo install cargo-apk ``` Sanity: ```bash java --version | head -1 # openjdk 21.0.x adb --version | head -1 # 35.x or higher sdkmanager --list_installed | head # build-tools, emulator, ndk, platforms, system-images avdmanager list avd | head # bevy_test rustup target list --installed | grep android # 4 targets cargo apk --help | head -5 ``` If `sdkmanager --version` errors with `JAVA_HOME is not set`, the env section in step 3 didn't apply to your shell — `source ~/.bashrc` again or open a new terminal. ### Optional: emulator runtime libs The Android emulator is dynamically linked against X11/GL/audio. If `emulator -list-avds` works but `emulator -avd bevy_test` complains about `libX11.so.6`, install: ```bash sudo apt install -y \ libx11-6 libxcursor1 libxrandr2 libxi6 libxinerama1 libxxf86vm1 \ libgl1 libnss3 libpulse0 libxcomposite1 ``` Headless emulator launch: ```bash emulator -avd bevy_test -no-window -gpu swiftshader_indirect & adb wait-for-device && adb devices # Stop later: # adb -s emulator-5554 emu kill ``` Headless + software rendering is fine for "does it boot" smoke tests but useless for perf measurement — use a physical Pixel-class device over USB for real numbers. --- ## 2. Build the APK ```bash cargo apk build -p solitaire_app --target x86_64-linux-android ``` Output: ``` target/debug/apk/ferrous-solitaire.apk ``` Targets shipped via `[package.metadata.android].build_targets` in `solitaire_app/Cargo.toml`: | Target | Use | |--------|-----| | `aarch64-linux-android` | Real phones (modern 64-bit ARM) | | `armv7-linux-androideabi` | Older 32-bit ARM phones | | `x86_64-linux-android` | The `bevy_test` AVD on this dev box | Build any of them with `--target `. ### Known cosmetic warning After the APK is signed cargo-apk panics with: ``` thread 'main' panicked: Bin is not compatible with Cdylib ``` This happens AFTER the APK is on disk and signed. cargo-apk tries to also wrap the desktop `[[bin]]` target alongside the `[lib]`. The APK is valid — the panic is cosmetic. **Always use `--lib`**, which is the canonical build command (see `CLAUDE.md §15.1`): ```bash cargo apk build -p solitaire_app --lib ``` Root cause: upstream cargo-apk bug — it does not skip `[[bin]]` targets when building for Android. No in-repo fix is possible; `--lib` is the accepted workaround. --- ## 3. Install + run Physical device: ```bash adb devices # confirm connection adb install target/debug/apk/ferrous-solitaire.apk adb shell am start -n com.ferrousapp.solitaire/android.app.NativeActivity adb logcat | grep -iE "RustStdoutStderr|solitaire|panic" ``` Emulator: ```bash emulator -avd bevy_test -no-window -gpu swiftshader_indirect & adb wait-for-device adb install target/debug/apk/ferrous-solitaire.apk # ... same start + logcat steps as above. ``` If `adb install` errors with `INSTALL_FAILED_NO_MATCHING_ABIS`, the emulator is x86_64 but the APK was built for arm — rebuild with the `x86_64-linux-android` target, or add an x86_64 system image to the AVD. --- ## 4. What's wired vs. what's stubbed The first build pass (commit `fb8b2ac`) gates four desktop-only crates / call sites so the workspace cross-compiles. Each gate is documented at its call site. | Surface | Desktop | Android | |---------|---------|---------| | Bevy windowing | x11 + wayland | `android-native-activity` (NativeActivity glue) | | Clipboard ("Copy share link") | `arboard` writes URL | Toast surfaces the URL inline | | OS keychain (JWT tokens) | `keyring` v4 → Secret Service / Keychain / Credential Store | Stub returning `KeychainUnavailable`; sync requires fresh login each launch | | App entry point | `bin` target → `solitaire_app::run()` | `cdylib` target loaded by NativeActivity | What's NOT yet ported / not yet measured: - `dirs::data_dir()` returns `None` on Android. Callers in `solitaire_data/src/storage.rs`, `progress.rs`, `replay.rs`, `achievements.rs`, `settings.rs` all need an Android-aware helper (likely `/data/data/com.ferrousapp.solitaire/files`). - Touch UX pass — hit-target sizes, modal scaling on small screens, app lifecycle (suspend / resume), font scaling. - Android Keystore via JNI for `auth_tokens`. - JNI ClipboardManager for share links. - Google Play Games sign-in (the `solitaire_gpgs` crate referenced in older docs doesn't yet exist). --- ## 5. Iteration loop ```bash # Edit code… cargo build -p solitaire_app # desktop sanity cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings # gate cargo test --workspace # gate cargo apk build -p solitaire_app --target x86_64-linux-android --lib adb install -r target/debug/apk/ferrous-solitaire.apk # `-r` reinstalls adb logcat -c && adb shell am start -n com.ferrousapp.solitaire/android.app.NativeActivity adb logcat | grep -iE "RustStdoutStderr|solitaire" ``` `adb logcat` is the canonical way to see Bevy / Rust panic output — they end up in the `RustStdoutStderr` tag.