8521. Setting up Android Development Environment on Mac
Android Studio, Genymotion, and JDK

Introduce how to setup Android development environment on Mac.

1. Development of Android

In order to develop Android applications, you must have the following software installed on your system:

  • Java Development Kit (JDK)
  • Android Studio
  • Genymotion(Emulator, it is optional)

2. Installing JDK on Mac

2.1 Downloading Oracle JDK

Download the latest version of JDK from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html. Select JDK, in the next page, accept the license and choose ‘jdk-8u151-macosx-x64.dmg’ to download.

2.2 Installing JDK

After downloading finish, double click on the installer. Follow the wizard to install JDK. image
Finally, JDK is installed to /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_151.jdk/.

2.3 Checking Java Version

$ java -version

You should be able to see the java information like below.

java version "1.8.0_151"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_151-b12)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.151-b12, mixed mode)

3. Installing Android Studio

3.1 Downloading Android Studio for Mac

Go to https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html, download Android Studio for Mac, eg. ‘android-studio-ide-171.4408382-mac.dmg’.

3.2 Installing Android Studio

The installation is very simple. Just double-click on the installer file, and drag Android Studio to Applications folder. image

3.3 Configuration of Android Studio

The first time when Android Studio is launched, you need to follow the setup wizard to download components for Android Studio. image
Choose ‘Standard’ for install type. image
Select the ‘Default’ theme. image
Confirm the settings. image
Click ‘Finish’ to start downloading the components. image
It takes few minutes to finish. image

3.4 Launching Android Studio

In the welcome window, choose to create a new project or open an existing project. image
Here, I open one existing Android project on my Mac. image

4. Installing Android SDK and Tools

In Android Studio, Tools -> Android -> SDK Manager. Select the SDKs and Tools you want to install, click ‘OK’ and confirm. image
image
Accept the license agreement and click ‘Next’. image
SDK Manager starts to download and install components. image

5. Creating Virtual Devices

In Android Studio, Tools -> Android -> AVD Manager. Click ‘Create Virtual Device’ button. image
Select ‘Phone’ and ‘Nexus 5X’, Next. image
Click ‘Download’ of ‘API 27’. image
Accept the license agreement. image
Start to download the image. image
Image is downloaded, click ‘Next’. image
Confirm the AVD. image
The new virtual device is now in AVD Manger. image
In Android Studio, start running app through menu Run -> Run ‘app’. Choose the virtual device ‘Nexus 5X API27’ we just created. image
The Android app is running in the emulator. image

6. Installing Genymotion

6.1 Creating Genymotion Account

Go to https://www.genymotion.com/account/create/, create an account on Genymotion.

6.2 Downloading and Installing Genymotion

Go to https://www.genymotion.com/download/, download Genymotion for Mac, eg. ‘genymotion-2.11.0.dmg’. Double click on the installer file, and move Genymotion and Genymotion Shell to Applications folder. image

6.3 Launching Genymotion

Login with the account created in previous step, select free personal use license.

6.4 Adding Virtual Device

Click ‘Add’ button, choose Google Nexus 5X as device model, and select the proper API version. image
Click Next to confirm the device settings. image
Create another virtual device for Google Nexus 9. image
Click Next to confirm the device settings. image
Now, we have two virtual devices, one is for phone, another is for pad. image

6.5 Starting Virtual Device

Click the Start button to launch the virtual device. It’s running now. image

6.6 Choosing Genymotion Virtual Device in Android Studio

In Android, run the app. We can now select the virtual device created by Genymotion. image
Click OK. App from Android Studio is deployed to Genymotion virtual devices. You can start testing now. image

7. References