Android Studio

The official IDE for Android app development

What is Android Studio?

Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for the Android platform, based on IntelliJ IDEA. It includes everything needed to develop Android apps:

  • Smart code editor
  • Android device emulator
  • Profiling and debugging tools
  • Gradle-based build system
  • Code templates for different devices

System Requirements

🖥️ Windows

  • Microsoft Windows 8/10/11 (64-bit)
  • 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended)
  • 4 GB disk space (8 GB for IDE + SDK)
  • Minimum resolution 1280x800

🍎 macOS

  • macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or higher
  • 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended)
  • 4 GB disk space (8 GB for IDE + SDK)
  • Minimum resolution 1280x800

🐧 Linux

  • Any 64-bit Linux distribution
  • GNU C Library (glibc) 2.31 or later
  • 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended)
  • 4 GB disk space

Installing Android Studio

Step 1: Download Android Studio

Visit the official Android Studio and download the version for your operating system.

Step 2: Run the installer

Run the downloaded file and follow the installation wizard:

  • Windows: .exe (includes Android SDK)
  • macOS: .dmg (drag to Applications)
  • Linux: .tar.gz (extract and run)

Step 3: Initial configuration

On first launch, Android Studio will guide you through:

  • Downloading additional components of the SDK
  • Configuring the Android Virtual Device (AVD)
  • Theme selection (Light/Dark)

Step 4: Verify installation

Create a new "Empty Activity" project and run it in the emulator to verify everything works correctly.

Configuring the SDK Android

SDK Manager

Access the SDK Manager from: Tools → SDK Manager or by clicking the SDK icon in the toolbar.

Essential components to install:

  • Android SDK Platform (most recent version)
  • Android SDK Build-Tools
  • Android Emulator
  • Android SDK Platform-Tools
  • Google Play services (if needed)

Location of the SDK

By default, the SDK is installed at:

Windows: C:\Users\[usuario]\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk
macOS: /Users/[usuario]/Library/Android/sdk
Linux: /home/[usuario]/Android/Sdk

Environment Variable Configuration

Why configure the PATH?

By adding the paths of the SDK Android to the PATH, you can run commands like adb, fastboot, and other tools from any terminal.

Important paths to add:

  • Android SDK Platform-Tools: [sdk_path]/platform-tools
  • Android SDK Tools: [sdk_path]/tools
  • Android SDK Build-Tools: [sdk_path]/build-tools/[version]

Configuration on Windows

Step 1: Open environment variables

  • Press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl and press Enter
  • Click "Environment Variables"
  • On "System Variables", look for "Path" and click "Edit"

Step 2: Add paths for the SDK Android

Click "New" and add the following paths:

Paths for Windows:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk\platform-tools
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk\tools
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk\build-tools\[versión_actual]

Step 3: Create the variable ANDROID_HOME (Optional)

On "System Variables", click "New":

Name: ANDROID_HOME
Value: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk

Configuration on macOS

Step 1: Find the path of the SDK

On Android Studio, go to File → Project Structure → SDK Location to see the path of the SDK.

Step 2: Edit the profile file

Open Terminal and edit your profile file:

For zsh (macOS Catalina and later):

nano ~/.zshrc

For bash (macOS prior to Catalina):

nano ~/.bash_profile

Step 3: Add paths to the PATH

Add these lines to the end of the file:

export ANDROID_HOME=/Users/$USER/Library/Android/sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator

Step 4: Apply changes

# For zshsource ~/.zshrc

# For bashsource ~/.bash_profile

Configuration on Linux

Step 1: Find the path of the SDK

By default, the SDK is installed at /home/[usuario]/Android/Sdk/

Step 2: Edit the profile file

Open Terminal and edit your profile file:

nano ~/.bashrc

Step 3: Add paths to the PATH

Add these lines to the end of the file:

export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Android/Sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator

Step 4: Apply changes

source ~/.bashrc

Emulator Configuration (AVD)

AVD Manager

Access the AVD Manager from: Tools → AVD Manager or by clicking the emulator icon in the toolbar.

Create a new virtual device

  1. Click "Create Virtual Device"
  2. Select a category (Phone, Tablet, etc.)
  3. Choose a device model
  4. Select a system image (download if needed)
  5. Configure the name and advanced options

Emulator recommendations

  • Use x86_64 images for better performance
  • Allocate at least 2 GB RAM
  • Enable "Use Host GPU" for graphics acceleration
  • For development, use Android API 30 or higher

Verifying the Installation

Verify command-line tools

Open a new terminal and run:

# Check ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
adb version

# Verify Android SDK
sdkmanager --list

# Check environment variablesecho $ANDROID_HOME
echo $PATH

Test with a sample project

  1. Open Android Studio
  2. Create a new "Empty Activity"
  3. Select language Java or Kotlin
  4. Run the app on the emulator or a physical device

Configuration for Development with Flutter

Integration with Flutter

If you use Flutter, Android Studio is the recommended IDE. Configure:

Required extensions

  • Flutter plugin - Support for Flutter
  • Dart plugin - Support for the Dart

Install plugins

  1. Go to File → Settings → Plugins (Windows/Linux) or Android Studio → Preferences → Plugins (macOS)
  2. Find "Flutter" and click Install
  3. Restart Android Studio

Verify the configuration of Flutter

flutter doctor

Common Troubleshooting

Slow emulator

If the emulator is running very slowly:

  • Check that virtualization is enabled in BIOS
  • Use x86_64 with HAXM (Intel) or Hyper-V (Windows)
  • Reduce the RAM allocated to the emulator
  • Close other resource-intensive applications

Issues with Gradle

If there are build errors with Gradle:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Clean the project: Build → Clean Project
  • Rebuild the project: Build → Rebuild Project
  • Delete the folder .gradle and sync again

ADB doesn't detect devices

Common issues with ADB and solutions

Physical device not detected
  • Enable "Developer Options" on the device
  • Turn on "USB Debugging"
  • Install manufacturer-specific USB drivers (Windows)
  • Try a different USB cable
Restart the service ADB
adb kill-server
adb start-server
adb devices
Check the connection USB
  • Try different ports USB
  • On Linux, you may need to configure udev rules
  • On Windows, check Device Manager
Permission issues (Linux/macOS)
# Add the user to the group plugdev
sudo usermod -aG plugdev $USER

# Or grant specific permissions to the devicelsusb  # Identify the devicesudo chmod 666 /dev/bus/usb/XXX/YYY

First Flutter Application Android

1. Create a new project

Select File → New → New Project and choose a template (Empty Activity recommended to get started).

2. Configure project

  • Name: Name of your application
  • Package name: Unique identifier (com.ejemplo.miapp)
  • Save location: Where to save the project
  • Language: Java or Kotlin
  • Minimum SDK: API 21 (Android 5.0) or higher

3. Run the application

Click the "Run" (▶️) button or press Shift + F10 to run on the emulator or connected device.

4. Explore the project structure

Get familiar with the main folders:

  • app/src/main/java/ - Source code
  • app/src/main/res/ - Resources (layouts, strings, images)
  • app/build.gradle - Build configuration

Additional Resources

📚 Official Documentation

🎓 Tutorials and Courses

👨‍💻 Community