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A Brief History Of Emulators

Before you embark on developing your Android app, you’ll need an Android device to install the app and see what it looks like. Imagine having the power to test and refine your creations on many Android devices without having to buy a single one. That’s where Android emulators come into play. Emulators are your ticket to a more flexible, efficient, cost-effective app development experience.

Understanding Emulator Categories

Emulators are categorized according to device type. Device categories represent predefined configurations that simulate various screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware characteristics. These categories help you test your Android apps on a diverse range of virtual devices to ensure compatibility and responsiveness across different form factors.

Creating Your First Emulator

The device manager in Android Studio is the tool you’ll use to create emulators. Find the device manager icon on the far right toolbar of Android Studio. Click the Device Manager icon to open the device manager window. (You can also use the Android Studio menu under View ▸ Tool Windows ▸ Device Manager to open the window.)

Device Manager
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Virtual Device Configuration Screen
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Choosing A Device Definition

The list of devices contains columns that display the size, resolution, and density that each configuration will come with. One of the columns you should be aware of is the Play Store column. If you see a Google Play icon in the column, it means that the AVD will have the Google Play Store app configured and access to Google Play services. This will be important to know when you need an emulator with Google Play services capability. If you can’t find a device configuration that fits your needs, you can import hardware profiles, create a new custom hardware profile, or clone an existing profile directly from this screen.

Virtual Device Configuration Screen
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Selecting A System Image

The system image window displays a list of system images grouped by tabs. System images are composed of an API Level, ABI, and Target. The API Level refers to the Android operating system version. The target refers to the Google APIs and Google Play Services available for that image. ABI stands for Application Binary Interface. In simpler terms, ABI is the architecture of the processor.

Downloading A System Image

Android Studio doesn’t have a default system image, so when you create your first emulator, you won’t have any system images downloaded. Identify which system images are downloaded and ready for use by looking for a download icon next to the release name and by the color of the release name. If the system image is not downloaded, it will have a download icon next to the release name, and the font color will be grey (disabled). If the system image is downloaded and ready to use, there will be no download icon, and the font color will be solid black.

Downloading System Image
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System Image Downloaded
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Verifying The Configuration

The final step in the emulator creation process is verifying the selected hardware and system image and giving it a name. Leave the default name for now. The default name gives you a clear description of the type of emulator you created. It will be listed in the device manager window after the emulator is created. If the hardware and system image are incorrect, you can navigate to the previous screen and make the necessary changes.

Verify Configuration
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Device Manager With Emulator
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Running The Emulator

Now that your emulator is created, you’re ready to run it. In the device manager window, find the emulator you just created with the name Pixel 7 API 34. Click the Play icon to start the emulator.

Emulator Running
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Managing the Emulator

Switch back to the device manager to see how to stop and manage the emulator. Notice that the start icon has changed to a stop icon.

Emulator Stop Icon
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Emulator Context Menu
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Edit Emulator
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