# Installing the Android SDK

# Overview

This guide describes where to obtain and how to install the Google Android SDK and associated packages.

# Compatibility and Download

Titanium requires the Android SDK Tools to be installed in order to allow you to develop Android applications.

⚠️ Warning

Remember that JDK (Oracle or OpenJDK) is a prerequisite for Android development and should be installed first. You need at least JDK 11 installed. See Installing Oracle JDK for instructions.

Use "Android Studio" from the Android Studio and SDK tools (opens new window) to install the SDK and tools.

# Required Android Packages

As of Titanium 9.0.0, the build system will automatically download the Android SDK platforms and tools needed. Make sure to install Android SDK Tools (Obsolete) (uncheck "Hide Obsolete Packages" in the SDK Tools page), Android SDK Platform-tools and Android SDK Build-tools.

Take caution before upgrading these packages, as changes to the way they work has broken the Titanium toolchain a number of times in the past. Although these problems are often beyond our control, we always do our utmost to fix them as soon as we are made aware of them.

With this in mind, it's important to only upgrade these packages between major projects, so that you have time to fix any problems that may result. Always consult the Android Tools Release Notes (opens new window) and Known Issues (opens new window) first, and refer to our Installation Troubleshooting guide to check whether there are any further actions that need to be taken to make the Titanium and the Android SDK compatible.

# Android SDK / Target Android platform

Each Titanium SDK supports building against a specific range of Android versions, as shown in the following table, and requires at least one of these versions to be installed. If you specify a android:targetSDKVersion in the tiapp.xml file of your project, you must specify one within the target min and max values. The minimum Android/SDK version column indicates the minimum version of Android that a device can run, which a Titanium application supports.

For a list of supported version please refer to the Titanium Compatibility Matrix.

Most mobile device manufacturers have been licensed to use Google's enhanced API, which provides support for Maps and other functionality. If this is the case for your target devices, you will need to install the relevant Google packages, listed as Google APIs by Google Inc., Android API x... by the Android SDK Manager tool. In Studio, choose the SDKs with the naming format "Google APIs x.x" to use the enhanced APIs, or those without the "Google APIs" prefix otherwise.

Android SDK packages can be installed using the Android SDK Manager tool. See Installing the Android SDK for detailed instructions.

The default Android SDK can be configured using Studio's Preferences, and then selected per-project using the Run Configurations.

# Android Native Add-on Module Development on macOS

The Xcode command line tools are required to develop native Android add-on modules on macOS.

See Installing the iOS SDK: Installing Command Line Tools for detailed instructions.

# Installation

# macOS

Note that the typical filesystem location of this software can be found in the macOS Software Locations section of these guides.

# Installing Android SDK Tools on macOS

Point a browser towards Android Studio and SDK tools (opens new window).
Click Download Android Studio.
Once the .dmg file has downloaded, the Android Studio installer should pop up. Drag the Android Studio icon to the Applications folder.

# Windows

Note that the typical filesystem location of this software can be found in the Windows Software Locations section of these guides.

# Installing Android SDK Tools on Windows

Point a browser towards Android Studio and SDK tools (opens new window).
Click Download Android Studio.
Once the .exe file has downloaded, double-click on the executable file to start the install process.
Click the Next > button in the Android Studio Setup window.
Select the components you wish to install. By default, you should install both Android Studio and Android Virtual Device. Click the Next > button.
Choose the install location and click Next > button.
Click the Install button.
Once installation is complete, click Next > button.
Click the Finish button.
Launch Android Studio so it can download any necessary components for your version of Windows.
Click the Finish button once Android Studio has finished downloading components.

Refer to the Windows Software Locations section, and add the path of the Android SDK Tools directory to your system's PATH.

Then proceed to the Installing Android Packages with Android SDK Manager section.

# Installing Android Packages with Android SDK Manager

The Android SDK Tools package that has been installed contains the Android SDK Manager that is used to install the rest of the Android SDK packages.

Launching the Android SDK Manager differs depending on the platform.

On macOS, go to Launchpad and click on Android Studio
On Windows, double-click on the Android Studio icon. Note: You may get prompted to run as an administrator. If so, from the Windows Start Menu and select Run as administrator. Enter the Administrator password.

In the Android SDK Manager, you will see different versions of the following items listed:

Android SDK Tools (mandatory) - includes the Android SDK Manager and Android Virtual Device Manager (android executable)
Android SDK Platform Tools (mandatory) - includes Android Debug Bridge, (adb executable)
SDK Platform - provides the libraries for building for a specific version of the Android OS that uses the standard Google APIs.
Google APIs by Google Inc - provides the libraries for building for a specific version of Android that uses the enhanced Google APIs (includes maps support).
System Image - For Android API versions 14 and above, the emulator system images are packaged separately from the SDK Platform package. Two versions of the system images are provided – "x86 Atom" and "x86 Atom_64" which are 32-bit and 64-bit system images respectively.

To install Android SDK on macOS:

Open Android Studio.
Go to Tools > SDK Manager.
Under Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Android SDK, you will see a list of SDK Platforms to choose from. Select the SDK(s) you wish to use and click OK button.
Android Studio will confirm your selection. Click OK button.
Once the requested components have been installed, click Finish button.

To install Android SDK on Windows:

Open Android Studio.
In the Welcome to Android Studio window, click on Configure > SDK Manager.
Under Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Android SDK, you will see a list of SDK Platforms to choose from. Select the SDK(s) you wish to use and click OK button.
Android Studio will confirm your selection. Click OK button.
Click the Accept radio button and click the Next button.
Once the requested components have been installed, click Finish button.

To create an AVD via Android Studio:

Open Android Studio.
In the menu, go to Tools > AVD Manager.
Click the Create Virtual Device... button.
Select the category of virtual device you want to use.
Select the device and click the Next button.
Select the System Image you want to use in the virtual device and click the Next button.
Android Studio will provide a name for you automatically based on the virtual device and system image you selected. Confirm you selections and click the Finish button.

Refer to the Titanium Compatibility Matrix for the latest list of required packages.

# Installing x86 Emulator Packages

In the Android SDK Manager, under the SDK Platforms tab, you can find "Intel x86 Atom" and "Intel x86 Atom_64" system images. These are 32-bit and 64-bit emulator images of that platform's API Level and will run faster in the emulator compared to the ARM emulator images.

Extra software may be required to take advantage of the x86 emulator – see Configuring Virtual Machine Acceleration (opens new window) in the Android Tools documentation.

# Configuring the CLI

To use the Android SDK with the Titanium CLI, the path to the SDK must be set in the Titanium CLI configuration settings. Run the following command and replace /Users/appc/sdk/android-sdk/ with the path to your Android SDK:

titanium config android.sdk /Users/appc/sdk/android-sdk/

← Overview Installing the iOS SDK →