However, the way Instant Run applies your updates will vary depending on the nature of those updates and some updates are easier to apply than others: In the best case scenario, your app won’t even need to restart - your code changes will appear in the running instance of your app, as if by magic. Instant Run promises to make sitting around and waiting for the emulator to re-install your app a thing of the past. Instant Run iconĬlick either of these buttons and Android Studio will push your updated code or resources to the instance of your app that’s already running in the AVD, without requiring a full reinstall. However, the next time you make changes to your project, you’ll notice a small, yellow thunderbolt icon appears within the ‘Run’ and ‘Debug’ buttons. The first time you hit ‘Run’ or ‘Debug’ with Instant Run enabled, Android Studio launches the emulator, loads your chosen AVD, and pushes your APK normally. If that sounds familiar, then you’re going to love Instant Run. If you’ve ever installed a work-in-progress project on an AVD, made some changes to that project, and then tried to push those changes to the AVD no doubt you’ve been left tapping your foot while the AVD re-installs and re-launches your project from scratch. The Android team have recently made some huge improvements to Android Studio, including the addition of Instant Run. Make use of Android Studio’s ‘Instant Run’ Note, since Android Studio is now the recommended development environment for Android, all of these tips are geared towards Android Studio, although some of them will be applicable to Eclipse users, too. In this article, I’m going to share 6 tips and tricks for supercharging the Android SDK’s built-in emulator.

The good news is, the emulator doesn’t have to leave you tearing your hair out. The emulator has improved in recent years, so it’s nowhere near as slow as it used to be, but testing on the emulator can still be a frustrating experience, particularly if you need to keep switching between multiple Android Virtual Devices (AVDs).

A seriously long time.ĭespite this drawback, the emulator is still the best way to test how your app translates across multiple hardware and software configurations-so there’s no getting away from the fact: sooner or later you’re going to have to boot up the emulator. Better get comfortable, because the emulator takes a long time to load. However, the emulator does have one massive flaw, which becomes glaringly obvious the first time you launch it. It gives you the ability to test your Android projects across more devices than you could ever realistically hope to get your hands on. The emulator is one of the most powerful tools in the Android developer’s arsenal.

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