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Android notes

The Android SDK is needed for building and developing the OpenGL worker (gles-worker).

The Android SDK and NDK are needed for building and developing the Vulkan worker (vulkan-worker).

See the developer documentation on how to build the workers.

Installing the Android SDK and NDK

You can download and install the Android SDK (with Android Studio or stand-alone) from https://developer.android.com/studio/#downloads. You can then use Android Studio or the SDK manager to install missing packages and the Android NDK.

Alternatively, you can install the exact configuration of the Android SDK and NDK that we use from the command line by following our continuous integration scripts for the SDK and NDK; these scripts install the development kits to the current directory, so you should run them from e.g. ${HOME}/android-sdk and ${HOME}/android-ndk, respectively. You may need to set some environment variables (e.g. export ANDROID_HOST_PLATFORM=linux) as hinted in the scripts. On Windows, you can use the Git Bash shell.

Ensure that the ANDROID_HOME=/path/to/android-sdk and ANDROID_NDK_HOME=/path/to/android-ndk environment variables are set. If using IntelliJ and/or Android Studio, you may need to open your IDE from the terminal depending on how you set the environment variables.

You should also add the android-sdk/platform-tools directory to your path so that you can use adb. The Vulkan worker requires that adb is on your path.

Android networking: connecting Android apps to the server

There are two main ways to connect the gles worker Android app to the server.

Tip: Recall that you must exit the gles worker app using the back button, otherwise it will restart.

Using the hostname or IP address of the server

The most straightforward approach can be used if the Android device and server are on the same network, and can "see" each other. This does not always work on university, public, or corporate networks, as communication is often blocked. However, this approach should work, for example, if you are at home with both your desktop/laptop and Android phone/tablet connected to your router via WiFi and/or ethernet cable.

  • Open the GraphicsFuzz app on your device.
  • Enter the hostname of your desktop/laptop, plus the port on which the server application is listening (8080 by default).

E.g. paul-laptop:8080

  • Alternatively, you can use the IP address of your desktop/laptop:

E.g. 192.168.0.4:8080

Using USB via adb reverse

You may alternatively connect the device to the machine running the server using a USB cable. In this case, you will need to have access to the adb tool on your desktop/laptop (one approach is to install the Android SDK, as described above), and you will need to enable USB debugging in the developer settings on the Android device (described below in useful device settings). Then:

  • Connect the Android device via USB to the desktop/laptop running the server.
  • Ensure you unlock the phone/tablet (e.g. by using your finger print, entering a PIN code, or just by swiping the lockscreen), so you can see the "Allow USB debugging?" pop-up window.
  • Tap the "Always allow from this computer" button option, and press "OK" to allow USB debugging.
  • From a terminal on your desktop/laptop, execute adb devices and ensure the device shows up.
  • Assuming the server is listening on port 8080, execute adb reverse tcp:8080 tcp:8080.
  • Now open the gles-worker app and use the default server address: localhost:8080

Tip: To change the server address, you must uninstall and reinstall the app, as described below.

Warning: if the app initially cannot connect to the server then it will complain that the worker name is invalid because it cannot contact the server to validate the worker name. Thus, note the following:

  • We recommend that you execute adb reverse before starting the gles-worker app for the first time.
  • If the app cannot connect to the server then a dialogue will continue to show, making it impossible to exit the app. If you forget to execute adb reverse tcp:8080 tcp:8080 then doing this may fix the issue. Otherwise, to close the app, use adb install gles-worker-android-debug.apk to reinstall the app (which stops the currently running instance), or adb uninstall com.graphicsfuzz.glesworker to uninstall the app, as described below.

Installing and uninstalling apps via adb

Once you have adb on your path, you can install apps using:

adb install -g -r myapp.apk

-g grants the app its requested permissions.

-r replaces the application if it is already installed.

Multiple devices plugged at the same time

If you have more than one device connected, you will have to tell adb which device to target with the option -s <device-id> on every command (e.g. adb -s <device-id> logcat).

Use adb devices -l to get the device id alongside the model name of plugged devices.

Useful device settings

  • On an Android device, open Settings, About device, and keep tapping Build number until developer settings are enabled. The build number might be under a further Software information option.
  • In developer settings, enable USB debugging and Stay awake to make sure the phone does not goes to sleep while it is plugged in.
  • In security settings (which might be under Lock screen and security), enable installing apps from unknown sources.
  • You can download and install graphicsfuzz APKs directly on the phone from the releases page.
  • In IntelliJ, open Android Monitor to view log output. Enter com.graphicsfuzz. in the search text box and select No filters in the drop down. This will ensure you see output from all processes; our worker uses three processes on Android.
  • Press the back button on the device to exit the gles-worker app on Android. Pressing home or other buttons won't work, as the app tries to stay in the foreground.