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Android - Tools and Software

This page lists every piece of software you need installed on your development machine before you can build and run the DevApp. Most of what you need comes bundled with a single download — Android Studio — so for many users this section is shorter than it looks.

Not an engineer?

Some teams assign a non-engineer (a project manager or IT staff member) to handle the initial machine setup before handing it off to a developer. This page is written so that you can complete every step without prior Android experience. Each tool below includes a download link and an explanation of what it does.

Required software​

The following four items are required on every developer machine. The first one (Android Studio) installs most of them automatically.

1. Android Studio (required)​

What it is: The official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Android. This is the application your developers will spend most of their time in. It is also the easiest way to install the Android SDK, Gradle, and a Java Development Kit (JDK) in one step.

Download: https://developer.android.com/studio

Install guide: https://developer.android.com/studio/install

What it includes (so you don't need to install these separately):

  • The Android SDK — the libraries used to build Android apps.
  • The Android Emulator — a virtual Android phone you can run on your computer.
  • A bundled JetBrains Runtime (JBR) 21 — recent Android Studio releases ship with JBR 21, which matches the DevApp's Java 21 target. You do not need to install a JDK separately for IDE-based builds. See Java Versions for details.
  • Gradle — the build tool the project uses (downloaded automatically the first time you open the project).
Recommended version

Install the latest stable release of Android Studio. The DevApp does not require a specific Android Studio version — only a JDK 21 build environment, which the latest release provides.

2. Java Development Kit (JDK) 21 (required, but usually automatic)​

What it is: The Java toolchain used to compile the project. The DevApp targets Java version 21.

Most users do not need to install this manually. Recent Android Studio releases bundle JBR 21, which Gradle uses by default to compile the DevApp. On machines without Android Studio — or if Gradle cannot find a compatible JDK — the project's Foojay toolchain resolver automatically downloads JDK 21 from Adoptium the first time you build.

You only need to install a JDK 21 manually if:

  • You build from the command line on a machine where Android Studio is not installed.
  • Your organization requires a specific approved JDK distribution and blocks Foojay's automatic download.
  • You manage multiple Android projects that require different Java versions and want to control them yourself with jenv.

If you need a standalone install:

DevApp targets JDK 21

The DevApp's build.gradle declares javaVersion = JavaVersion.VERSION_21. If you override Gradle's toolchain to use a different JDK (for example, 17 or 23), you may see compile or runtime errors. Stick with 21.

3. Git (required)​

What it is: The version-control tool used to clone the DevApp repository from Q2's GitLab server.

Already installed? macOS and most Linux distributions include Git by default. To check, open a terminal and run git --version. If you get a version number, you're done.

If you need to install it: https://git-scm.com/downloads

4. A way to run the app (required)​

You need either a physical Android device or the Android Emulator (bundled with Android Studio) to run the DevApp.

Option A — Physical device:

  • Any Android phone or tablet running Android 7.0 (API 24) or newer.
  • Enable USB debugging in the device's developer settings.

Option B — Emulator:

  • Comes with Android Studio. Create one from Tools → Device Manager → Create Device.
  • Choose any device profile and a recent Android system image.

Most developers use both — the emulator for fast iteration, a real device for verifying features that depend on real hardware (camera, biometrics, push notifications).

Optional tools​

These are not required, but many Q2 developers find them useful.

jenv — manage multiple Java versions​

If your machine is used for multiple Android (or non-Android Java) projects that require different JDK versions, jenv lets you switch between them per project. If you only work on the DevApp, you do not need this.

https://www.jenv.be/

See Java Versions for a full setup walkthrough.

Command-line Git client (GitHub Desktop, GitKraken, etc.)​

Android Studio has built-in Git integration that handles all common workflows. A separate Git client is purely a matter of preference.

Verifying your installation​

After installing the items above, confirm everything is in place by running these commands in a terminal:

# Confirm Git is available
git --version

# Confirm a JDK is on your PATH (only needed if building from the command line)
java -version

When the project is opened in Android Studio for the first time, Android Studio will download Gradle automatically — no manual install required.

What's next​

Software installed? Move on to Network and Firewall to confirm your network can reach the hosts Gradle and Android Studio need to download dependencies.