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=== Connecting Android device ===
== Using the Android SDK ==
 
NixOS uses the androidenv package for building android SDKs and manually creating emulators without the use of Android Studio. Example android sdk is <code>androidenv.androidPkgs.androidsdk</code>. They also include all of the SDK tools such as sdkmanager and avdmanager needed to create emulators.
 
{{Note|<code><small>androidenv.androidPkgs_9_0</small></code> has been replaced with <code><u><small>androidenv.androidPkgs</small></u></code> in nixos 24.11, see [https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2411.section.md#backward-incompatibilities-sec-release-2411-incompatibilities backward-incompatibilities-sec-release-2411-incompatibilities], so all the <code><small>androidPkgs</small></code> references below will be androidPkgs_9_0 if you are still using 24.05 or below.}}
 
The first link provides a guide for creating a custom android SDK, using a predefined SDK, and how to nixify an emulator. The second link is an extra guide that might have some helpful tips for improving your workflow.
# [https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#android Official Android SDK guide from NixOS.org]
# [https://sandervanderburg.blogspot.de/2014/02/reproducing-android-app-deployments-or.html  Reproducing Android app deployments]
 
When creating emulators with Nix's emulateApp function as mentioned in the first link, your IDE should now be able to recognize the emulator but you won't be able to run the code. To run it, view the first link on how to run the apk file in the emulator.
 
To run emulateApp, build it with <code>nix-build fileName.nix</code>. It'll build in the folder <code>result</code>. run it with <code>./result/bin/run-test-emulator</code>
 
== Creating emulators without Nix ==
If you don't want to nixify your emulators, you can use Android Studio and set up emulators there like a regular system.
 
Using <code>sdkmanager</code> and <code>avdmanager</code> from the Android SDK may not work given how Nix stores its files. You can use them from the Android Studio GUI.
 
When using machine images from the SDK, you will need to run them with <code>steam-run</code>, and possibly pass extra flags, e.g.:
 
<code>steam-run ~/Android/Sdk/emulator/emulator -feature -Vulkan @Pixel_5_API_33</code>
 
=== hardware acceleration ===
 
NOTE: Whether this here is effective needs more research and confirmation. My colleague and I have seen the emulator using around 800% CPU. So far, the following has improved that on my side.
 
See also the [https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/41703 nixpkgs issue] where people tried to trace issues.
 
Add your user to the <code>kvm</code> group:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=nix>
{
  users.users.<your-user>.extraGroups = [ "kvm" ];
}
</syntaxhighlight>
 
== adb setup ==
 
To enable <code>adb</code> in NixOS for unprivileged users
add these lines to your <code>configuration.nix</code>.
This is mandatory for all further interactions with your android device.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=nix>
{
  programs.adb.enable = true;
  users.users.<your-user>.extraGroups = [ "adbusers" ];
}
</syntaxhighlight>
 
This will add [https://github.com/M0Rf30/android-udev-rules additional udev rules] for unprivileged access as well as add adb to your <code>$PATH</code>.
 
Alternatively, if you don't want to install adb globally but do want to configure the udev rules, you can:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=nix>
{
  services.udev.packages = [
    pkgs.android-udev-rules
  ];
}
</syntaxhighlight>
 
=== Use Older Platform Version ===
If you would like to get older platform version, you can write the following.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=nix>
{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {
  config.android_sdk.accept_license = true;
  overlays = [
    (self: super: {
      androidPkgs_8_0 = super.androidenv.composeAndroidPackages {
        platformVersions = [ "26" ];
        abiVersions = [ "x86" "x86_64"];
      };
    })
  ];
} }:
 
(pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {
  name = "android-sdk-env";
  targetPkgs = pkgs: (with pkgs;
    [
      androidPkgs_8_0.androidsdk
      glibc
    ]);
  runScript = "bash";
}).env
 
</syntaxhighlight>
 
== Interaction with your Android device ==
 
=== adb shell on device ===
 
First open a nix-shell with the platform tools and connect your device:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=console>
<syntaxhighlight lang=console>
$ nix-shell -p androidenv.platformTools
$ # For nixos < 19.03
$ # nix-shell -p androidenv.platformTools
$ # for nixos <= 24.05
$ nix-shell -p androidenv.androidPkgs_9_0.platform-tools
$ # For nixos >= 24.11
$ nix-shell -p androidenv.androidPkgs.platform-tools
% adb devices
List of devices attached
* daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
* daemon started successfully
BH90272JCU unauthorized
</syntaxhighlight>
 
Troubleshooting: [https://stackoverflow.com/a/28211161 no device is listed]
 
A popup appears on your phone to allow your computer access to it. After allowing, you can:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=console>
% adb devices
List of devices attached
BH90272JCU device
% adb shell
</syntaxhighlight>
 
You can also connect to an already-running adb server:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=console>
$ nix-shell -p androidenv.androidPkgs.platform-tools
% adb connect 192.168.1.10
% adb connect 192.168.1.10
% adb shell
% adb shell
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>


=== Building Android apps using Nix ===
=== Transferring files from/to an Android device ===
 
There are two main methods for newer devices:
* <code>adb push</code> and <code>adb pull</code>: see above.
* via [[MTP]], see [[MTP|the corresponding page]]
 
== Android Development ==
 
=== Android Studio ===
 
To develop apps using [https://developer.android.com/studio/ Android Studio], install it to your system.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
environment.systemPackages = [
  pkgs.android-studio
]
</syntaxhighlight>
 
By default, Android Studio has a FHS environment and by using <code>pkgs.android-studio-full</code> you get the predefined Android SDK composition including (as of nixos-unstable on 2024-11-02) platforms 28-34, an emulator, many system images and the NDK.
 
Notice: to install Android Studio, you have to indicate accepting the EULA. If you don't, the rebuild fails and prints the EULA. The simplest way to acknowledge it is to add this line to your config: <syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
nixpkgs.config.android_sdk.accept_license = true;
</syntaxhighlight>
 
To use the Android Emulator, you need to enable KVM virtualization (in your BIOS) and make sure your user has permission to use KVM (add yourself to the <code>kvm</code> group).
 
=== gradlew ===
 
It's possible to create a build environment (shell.nix) to use with gradlew as a FHS environment:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang=nix>
{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {config.android_sdk.accept_license = true;} }:
 
(pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {
  name = "android-sdk-env";
  targetPkgs = pkgs: (with pkgs;
    [
      androidenv.androidPkgs.androidsdk
      glibc
    ]);
  runScript = "bash";
}).env
</syntaxhighlight>


Some software (for example Tinc VPN) have Android client which can be built together with the NixOS version, in the same derivation, sharing the same configuration options.
As an alternative, it's often enough to override just the aapt2 binary for the gradle build process:


...
<syntaxhighlight lang=nix>
{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {config.android_sdk.accept_license = true;} }:


=== Android Studio on NixOS ===
let
<syntaxhighlight lang=console>
  androidSdk = pkgs.androidenv.androidPkgs.androidsdk;
$ nix-shell -p android-studio --run android-studio
in
pkgs.mkShell {
  buildInputs = with pkgs; [
    androidSdk
    glibc
  ];
  # override the aapt2 that gradle uses with the nix-shipped version
  GRADLE_OPTS = "-Dorg.gradle.project.android.aapt2FromMavenOverride=${androidSdk}/libexec/android-sdk/build-tools/28.0.3/aapt2";
}
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>
See the [https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#android  androidenv documentation] for full examples.


=== Building Android on NixOS ===
=== Building Android on NixOS ===


It's possible to use nix-shell with buildFHSUserEnv to set up an environment in which it's viable to build Android without huge amounts of editing. This is an example shell.nix file.
It's possible to use nix-shell with buildFHSEnv to set up an environment in which it's viable to build Android without huge amounts of editing. This is an example shell.nix file.
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }:
{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }:
   
   
let fhs = pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {
let fhs = pkgs.buildFHSEnv {
   name = "android-env";
   name = "android-env";
   targetPkgs = pkgs: with pkgs;
   targetPkgs = pkgs: with pkgs;
     [ git
     [
      git
       gitRepo
       gitRepo
       gnupg
       gnupg
Line 35: Line 211:
       gnumake
       gnumake
       nettools
       nettools
       androidenv.platformTools
       androidenv.androidPkgs.platform-tools
       jdk
       jdk
       schedtool
       schedtool
       utillinux
       util-linux
       m4
       m4
       gperf
       gperf
Line 48: Line 224:
       flex
       flex
       lzop
       lzop
      python3
     ];
     ];
   multiPkgs = pkgs: with pkgs;
   multiPkgs = pkgs: with pkgs;
     [ zlib
     [ zlib
      ncurses5
     ];
     ];
   runScript = "bash";
   runScript = "bash";
   profile = ''
   profile = ''
    export ALLOW_NINJA_ENV=true
     export USE_CCACHE=1
     export USE_CCACHE=1
     export ANDROID_JAVA_HOME=${pkgs.jdk.home}
     export ANDROID_JAVA_HOME=${pkgs.jdk.home}sdkmanager install avd
    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib:/usr/lib32
   '';
   '';
};
};
Line 66: Line 246:
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>


[https://nixos.org/nix-dev/2015-April/016881.html Source]
=== Android Debug Bridge ===
 
Run <code>nix-shell -p usbutils --run "lsusb"</code> on your terminal to get the list of USB devices connected to your computer. Sample output:<pre>
...
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 007: ID 0fce:320d Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB Xperia 5 III
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
...
</pre>
 
<code>ID 0fce:320d</code> can be seen as: <code>idVendor = 0fce</code> and <code>idProduct = 320d</code>.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
{
  programs.adb.enable = true;
  services.udev.extraRules =
    let
      # nix-shell -p usbutils --run "lsusb"
      idVendor = "0fce"; # Change according to the guide above
      idProduct = "320d"; # Change according to the guide above
    in
    ''
      SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="${idVendor}", MODE="[]", GROUP="adbusers", TAG+="uaccess"
      SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="${idVendor}", ATTR{idProduct}=="${idProduct}", SYMLINK+="android_adb"
      SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="${idVendor}", ATTR{idProduct}=="${idProduct}", SYMLINK+="android_fastboot"
    '';
 
  # add user to adbusers group
  users.users.myUser = {
  isNormalUser = true;
  extraGroups = [ "adbusers" ];
  };
}
</syntaxhighlight>
 
# [https://nixos.org/nix-dev/2015-April/016881.html more information on that snippet]
# [https://gist.github.com/Nadrieril/d006c0d9784ba7eff0b092796d78eb2a A shell.nix to build LineageOS]
# [https://github.com/danielfullmer/robotnix robotnix], building aosp roms (e.g. LineageOS) with nix.
# [https://github.com/mrVanDalo/LineagoOS-build LineageOS build setup using terranix and hcloud], based on the [https://gist.github.com/Nadrieril/d006c0d9784ba7eff0b092796d78eb2a shell.nix to build LineageOS]. Useful if you are in a rush and don't have to much CPU power on your hand.
# [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Android_Debug_Bridge Archlinux Wiki to Android_Debug_Bridge]


== Using the nixpkgs androidenv ==
[[Category:Development]]
User Sander van der Burg created two awesome blog posts as well as a number of test cases usable as examples on how to use the nixpkgs androidenv and the emulator provideded:
# [https://sandervanderburg.blogspot.de/2012/11/building-android-applications-with-nix.html  Building Android applications with the Nix package manager ]
# [https://sandervanderburg.blogspot.de/2012/11/building-android-applications-with-nix.html  Reproducing Android app deployments (or playing Angry Birds on NixOS)]
# [https://github.com/svanderburg/nix-androidenvtests A set of androidenv test cases]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/Android"