Android Mobile Application Development

Go Up to Types of Multi-Device Applications You Can Create

The FireMonkey framework and RAD Studio provide the tools you need to develop applications that target the Android platform. Using FireMonkey you can create an Android application and deploy it to Android devices.

File > New > Multi-Device Application - Delphi
File > New > Multi-Device Application - C++Builder

The procedure that you use for developing Android apps in RAD Studio is generally the same as the procedure for developing iOS apps in RAD Studio. One significant difference is that Android development does not require PAServer and connection profiles, both of which are required for iOS development. Both iOS and Android require that the SDK Manager must be pointed to an SDK for the target platform.

Comparison of Development Requirements for iOS and Android Platforms
iOS Requirements	Android Requirements
Joining the Apple Developer Program	Android developer site is open to everyone
Acquire a developer certificate	Create a keystore file
Create and install a Provisioning profile	Does not apply.
Create a connection profile	Does not apply.
Install PAServer on the Mac	Does not apply.
Run PAServer on the Mac	Does not apply.
Connect to iOS device by USB connection	Install the USB driver for your Android device and connect to your Android device by USB connection.
Add an iOS Device SDK	Add an Android SDK
Does not apply.	Verify or set the Uses Permissions needed for your Android application

Hardware Requirements

See FireMonkey Platform Prerequisites for a list of system requirements for your development PC, as well as Android device requirements (prerequisites that Android devices must match to support FireMonkey applications).

Supported Android Devices

A multitude of Android devices exist on the market, but we have tested and officially support a short list of Android devices, most of which run the Jelly Bean operating system (4.1/4.2). For a list of supported devices, see Android Devices Supported for Application Development.

The list also specifies some older Android devices that can be used with RAD Studio if you implement an AVD (Android Virtual Device) for them.

Preparing Your Android Development Environment

Here are the steps you need to perform in order to prepare your development system (PC) and your Android device for application development with RAD Studio:

1. Install RAD Studio. This also installs the Android development tools.

   Important: If you chose not to install the Android development tools (JDK/SDK/NDK) during the RAD Studio installation, you need to install the Android development tools.

2. On your development system, install the USB driver for your Android device.
3. On your Android device, enable USB debugging
4. In the IDE, set up your development environment. This includes the following steps:
   • Configure your system to detect your Android device
   • Set the platform target

For more information, see Creating an Android App and Steps in Creating Multi-Device Applications.

Developing Your Application

To create a new multi-device application in RAD Studio, select either:

• File > New > Multi-Device Application - Delphi
• File > New > Multi-Device Application - C++Builder

Then select one of the types of multi-device applications, and click OK.

For information about the available choices, see Types of Multi-Device Applications You Can Create. Android is the default target platform in new multi-device applications.

You can use both the FireMonkey framework and the Run-Time Library to develop your multi-device application. See Creating an Android App.

The fastest way to get started with Android application development is to follow the tutorial: Mobile Tutorials: Mobile Application Development (iOS and Android).

Running Your Application

After you enable USB debugging on your Android device, you can run your applications on your Android device. If RAD Studio does not detect your Android device automatically, see Configuring Your System to Detect Your Android Device.

If your application requires special Android features, such as Internet access or Bluetooth, you need to enable the required Uses Permissions in the appropriate project configuration of your application.

Note: RAD Studio configures new Android applications to require certain typical permissions by default; you should disable permissions that your application does not need.

Deploying Your Final Android Application

Before each release of your Android application, you should check that every setting is properly configured. See Preparing an Android Application for Deployment.

After your Android application is ready for final deployment, you can proceed to build and deploy your application:

• To create a signed Android package that you can upload to application stores such as Google Play, see Deploying Your Signed Android Application.
• To create an unsigned Android package that you can upload to certain application stores directly or that you can sign manually using third-party tools, see Deploying Your Unsigned Android Application.

Most application stores only require that you provide a signed package of your application and provide some metadata. The following topics provide steps to upload your application to some well-known Android application stores:

• Submitting Your Android App to Google Play
• Submitting Your Android App to the Amazon Appstore

Android Topics

• Prepare Your Development Environment (Android):
  • Android Devices Supported for Application Development
  • Installing the Android Development Tools
  • Adding an Android SDK
  • Enabling USB Debugging on an Android Device
  • Configuring Your System to Detect Your Android Device
• Write Your Android App:
  • Creating an Android App
    • Using the Google Play In-app Billing Service
    • Using the AdMob Service
    • First Steps with Google Glass
    • Using 9-patch Images in Android
• Run Your Android App:
  • Running Your Android Application on an Android Device
  • Running and Debugging Your Android Application On a Remote Android Device
• Deploy Your Android App:
  • Preparing an Android Application for Deployment
  • Creating a Keystore File
    • Adding a Certificate to a Keystore File
  • Deploying Your Signed Android Application
  • Deploying Your Unsigned Android Application
  • Submitting Your Android App to Google Play
  • Submitting Your Android App to the Amazon Appstore
• Troubleshoot Your Android App:
  • No Android Targets Listed on the Project Manager
  • Cannot Run on an Android Device
  • Cannot Deploy an Application for Android

See Also

• FireMonkey Platform Prerequisites
• Rules for Naming Multi-Device Projects and Files
• Wizards for Creating FireMonkey Multi-Device Applications and Components
• Multi-Device Application Templates
• DCCAARM.EXE, the Delphi Compiler for Android
• BCCAARM.EXE, the C++ Compiler for Android
• Automatic Reference Counting in C++
• Differences between Windows and Mac OS X
• iOS Mobile Application Development
• Mobile Tutorials: Mobile Application Development (iOS and Android)
• Mobile Code Snippets
• http://developer.android.com/index.html