Installing Android Studio, emulator and virtual devices (AVD)

The easiest way to install the Android SDK command line tools and emulator and configure a virtual device is via the Android Studio. There is also the option to just install the Android SDK or even just the SDK command line tools but there are some pitfalls, which is why we decided to focus on Android Studio.

If you have not already installed Android Studio, the following steps are necessary:

Android Studio installation

  • Download Android Studio from https://developer.android.com/studio. The installation will need about 3 GB on your hard disk.
  • Just install it in the standard way with default settings and allow it to get started afterwards.
  • In the setup wizard you can go with the proposed settings.
  • During installation you will be asked for a change in command line settings which you may want to accept.
  • Installation is finished.

Android Studio virtual device configuration

  • As we just want to use the Android Studio to configure our virtual device, we choose »Virtual Device Manager« from the menu (sometimes indicated by the vertical dots top right). Otherwise, you can find the Device Manager in the Tools menu.

    Figure 16.1:  Android studio start screen
  • Here we can select »Create device...«.

    Figure 16.2:  Android studio virtual device creation screen
  • Select an appropriate virtual device. It is recommended to go for smaller screen sizes to both spare memory and allow the virtual device to fully fit on your screen.

    Figure 16.3:  Android studio screen to chose a device definition
  • Now select the System Image representing the Android version. Press the respective "Download" link to start the component installer. Then you can also proceed with "Next".

    Figure 16.4:  Android studio screen to download and select the system image
  • Finally press "Finish" on the last configuration dialog.

    Figure 16.5:  Android studio screen to finish the AVD configuration procedure
  • Now you have a first configured virtual device ready for QF-Test to use.

    Figure 16.6:  Android studio screen showing available AVDs