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How to develop Android app completely using python? [closed]

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I would like to develop a (rather simple) android app to be distributed via Play Store. I would like to do so completely in python. However, the online research hasn't quite enlightened me: most comments are either outdated (>1 year old, and I feel there might be better integration of python since then) or they talk about running python in android (e.g. here).
Therefore, I'm looking for information regarding the questions:
is it feasible to develop an App completely in python - and what are the tools to do so? (Is e.g. Kivy recommendable?)
if so: what are the best software environments to implement this? (I unsuccessfully tried using Android Studio but couldn't figure out a way to run python code there.)
I'm quite new to app development and would highly appreciate any leads of doing this in python rather than in Jave etc., which I don't know yet.

To answer your first question: yes it is feasible to develop an android application in pure python, in order to achieve this I suggest you use BeeWare, which is just a suite of python tools, that work together very well and they enable you to develop platform native applications in python.
checkout this video by the creator of BeeWare that perfectly explains and demonstrates it's application
How it works
Android's preferred language of implementation is Java - so if you want to write an Android application in Python, you need to have a way to run your Python code on a Java Virtual Machine. This is what VOC does. VOC is a transpiler - it takes Python source code, compiles it to CPython Bytecode, and then transpiles that bytecode into Java-compatible bytecode. The end result is that your Python source code files are compiled directly to a Java .class file, which can be packaged into an Android application.
VOC also allows you to access native Java objects as if they were Python objects, implement Java interfaces with Python classes, and subclass Java classes with Python classes. Using this, you can write an Android application directly against the native Android APIs.
Once you've written your native Android application, you can use Briefcase to package your Python code as an Android application.
Briefcase is a tool for converting a Python project into a standalone native application. You can package projects for:
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone/iPad
Android
AppleTV
tvOS.
You can check This native Android Tic Tac Toe app written in Python, using the BeeWare suite. on GitHub
in addition to the BeeWare tools, you'll need to have a JDK and Android SDK installed to test run your application.
and to answer your second question: a good environment can be anything you are comfortable with be it a text editor and a command line, or an IDE, if you're looking for a good python IDE I would suggest you try Pycharm, it has a community edition which is free, and it has a similar environment as android studio, due to to the fact that were made by the same company.
I hope this has been helpful

You could try BeeWare - as described on their website:
Write your apps in Python and release them on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Web, and tvOS using rich, native user interfaces. One codebase. Multiple apps.
Gives you want you want now to write Android Apps in Python, plus has the advantage that you won't need to learn yet another framework in future if you end up also wanting to do something on one of the other listed platforms.
Here's the Tutorial for Android Apps.

Android, Python !
When I saw these two keywords together in your question, Kivy is the one which came to my mind first.
Before coming to native Android development in Java using Android Studio, I had tried Kivy. It just awesome. Here are a few advantage I could find out.
Simple to use
With a python basics, you won't have trouble learning it.
Good community
It's well documented and has a great, active community.
Cross platform.
You can develop thing for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and even Raspberry Pi with this single framework.
Open source.
It is a free software
At least few of it's (Cross platform) competitors want you to pay a fee if you want a commercial license.
Accelerated graphics support
Kivy's graphics engine build over OpenGL ES 2 makes it suitable for softwares which require fast graphics rendering such as games.
Now coming into the next part of question, you can't use Android Studio IDE for Kivy. Here is a detailed guide for setting up the development environment.

There are two primary contenders for python apps on Android
Chaquopy
https://chaquo.com/chaquopy/
This integrates with the Android build system, it provides a Python API for all android features. To quote the site "The complete Android API and user interface toolkit are directly at your disposal."
Beeware (Toga widget toolkit)
https://pybee.org/
This provides a multi target transpiler, supports many targets such as Android and iOS. It uses a generic widget toolkit (toga) that maps to the host interface calls.
Which One?
Both are active projects and their github accounts shows a fair amount of recent activity.
Beeware Toga like all widget libraries is good for getting the basics out to multiple platforms. If you have basic designs, and a desire to expand to other platforms this should work out well for you.
On the other hand, Chaquopy is a much more precise in its mapping of the python API to Android. It also allows you to mix in Java, useful if you want to use existing code from other resources. If you have strict design targets, and predominantly want to target Android this is a much better resource.

Start making IOS app from Android app

I've been working hard to finish making my Android app, and now it's time to make an IOS version too.
I've noticed that Mac computer is needed to start with IOS apps, so I came into few questions since I don't have any Mac device in my home:
1) What is the most affordable developement enviroment for IOS developement?
2) Is there any tool or guide for Android --> IOS?
3) What is Xamarin? Does it allow to build apps for android & IOS together? and how effective it will be since I already made my Android app via Android Studio?
Looking for answers,
Thanks in advance.
I did not find answer to this questions in the web. what I found is 5 years old aged irrelevant answers.

congratulations for your new app.
1) You can have a look for OS X servers http://www.macincloud.com but in the long term I think it would be time and money saving to just buy a second hand Mac computer or a Mac Mini for 500 dollars or so.
2) They use different syntax and different APIs, so you won't be able to reuse most of your knowledge, I'd recommend you to have a look to the iTunes University Stanford videos.
3) Xamarin is a mobile cross platform framework, the main advantage is that your code is converted into native one, so the final touch uses real native components. In that case you have to use C# for the development and, of course, redo the whole project.

Tips to shift from App Inventor to Eclipse

I am very good with AppInventor to build Android apps. I have good knowledge of C++ and little knowledge of Java and GUI building in Java. Suggest me how should I shift from App Inventor to Eclipse to build Android apps? Which path should I follow? Is building in Eclipse similar to building in AppInventor like defining different components and then handling their events? Or is it much more than that? Please guide me.

There is also the AppInventor to Java Bridge project at java.appinventor.org, details see below
About:
The AppInventor to Java Bridge project is an addition to
AppInventor that creates a Java written version of the application
from an existing application created through AppInventor. After
creating an application through AppInventor,the user can download a
version of the application that is written in Java, which uses the
JavaBridge* library .
What Our Application Can Do:
Create an Android project in JavaBridge using AppInventor
Applications that use texting, internet and/or sound are supported
Limitations:
- Location aware applications not yet supported
- Nested lists are not yet supported, and will produce incorrect code
UPDATE: the newest version of that tool can be found here: java.appinventor.org

Definitely you should check out the "ALTERNATE Java Bridge". The regular one, built originally by the app inventor team has long since been abandoned. Another programmer picked up the torch and has steadily been using, and improving the bridge for some time. I have been using it myself for 2 years and it is fantastic.
The google project is at: https://code.google.com/p/alternate-java-bridge-library/
and the google discussion group is at : http://groups.google.com/group/alternate-java-bridge-library-discussion
I would just go to the google project site above and ready the tutorial. It is very easy to get started, and he is really good about answering questions for newbies (and i can assist with that as well).

You could take a look at the App Inventor Java Bridge. Check out the link for lots of information, also see here...
The Google App Inventor Java Bridge The App Inventor Java Bridge helps
make a transition from developing Android applications with App
Inventor for Android, to developing with Java and the Android SDK. It
lets you incorporate App Inventor components into apps that you create
in Java with the standard Android SDK tools. If you’ve been using App
Inventor and know some Java, then the Java Bridge is a good way to get
started with the SDK, because building with App Inventor components
hides many of the complexities of the Android framework. As you gain
experience, you can switch over to regular SDK development and create
apps that harness the full power of Android.
Here another link:
http://code.google.com/p/apptomarket/ and you also find videos about the Java Bridge on Youtube, for example this one

Is developing an application for Android using Lua only possible?

So I read this article on Mobile Orchard and, as I'm planning on having my first steps in Android development, it got me thinking: is it possible to develop for Android in Lua only? I Googled the topic but found no definitive answer. I know Java is the "base style" for Android but for the coding newbie which I am (elementary Python, basic C++), Lua seems somehow clearer and more friendly. Then here goes my question: can one develop an Android app using Lua only? If so, could you please show me some directions to move from here?

I've been developing a mobile application in Lua to control robots remotely from iOS and Android phones. The app is in pure Lua and runs on top of Mosync platform using MobileLua. There is still some plumbing required, but it's not too complex.
I also have a debugger and a Lua IDE (ZeroBraneStudio) that support debugging of Lua scripts running remotely (including MobileLua scripts running on Android or iOS devices). I provide a demo app you can use as a client to run simple scripts and check remote debugging in action.
[Update] If you are interested in more game oriented options, there are several available: (1) already mentioned Corona SDK, (2) Moai, and (3) Gideros Mobile. There is also Marmalade Quick and Cocos2d-x Lua bindings (for example, quick-cocos2d-x). All these toolkits/frameworks allow to develop in Lua.
Here is a detailed comparison of Moai vs. Corona.

I know this is an older question, but just to correct some misinformation (in the comments) for people who come later, Corona SDK (as of spring 2013) has a Starter Edition which is free -- no splash screen or anything. The main difference between it and the "Pro" version is you can't do in-app purchases in the Starter Edition. But you can use it to create apps for sale, etc. No expiration date on it or anything.
And in answer to the original question, learning Java may allow you to write Android apps, but if you then also want to target iOS you don't have any great options. By choosing something that's cross-platform from the beginning you can target Android or iOS or both. Lua (in any of the flavors already mentioned) is a great base language to learn for mobile development.

The question is what kind of app do you want to build and what skills do you have. If you are already familiar with JavaScript there is Phonegap/Cordova. If you are building games there are a number of frameworks for 2D and 3D which use Lua. Some are free, others have licensing fees but are worth it if it provides a solution to your problem. All have pros and cons. For example I'm not sure if I would want to build an RSS reader in a game framework. Java is just another language, I would recommend just learning Java and the Android framework to start and knowing what is there before adding another application specific framework layer on top.

Corona SDK allows you to write iOS and Android apps in Lua. Its very easy to learn, but its not free.
Edit:
I saw you posted that you found Corona just after I sent my post...

You can try http://scormpool.com/luastudio
Develop and run code on your device including iOS, Android, Mac, Win.
Exporter can help you to make standalone app on listed above platforms.

This may not be useful to the OP, however for other people interested in using lua to write their apps, I'd share my thoughts. So to answer the question:
Yes, you can use only lua to write apps for android using LuaJava from the kepler project (though I don't believe its being maintained anymore). You can create and manipulate Java objects seemlessly, and interact with the Android APIs through lua. You can even create UI elements dynamically using just lua. However, a small amount of java bootstrap code is needed to start the lua VM from your app. The AndroLua project is a great place to start for Android. The creator has done a lot of work making lua work with Android and packaging it all into an app. From experience I can say it works great! However, I would in no way recommend this to a beginner, as it requires a lot of knowledge about java and lua to make things work, meaning more work not less.
For AndroLua, just clone the repo and use that as a base for your own app. Last time I used it, I just imported it into android-studio, and after fixing a few problems with my own setup, had it compiling and running on my device.

If only pure Lua then the answer is no.. unless you want to use a lot of libraries
If you want to make little Android app/games then use a game engine, learning is a step by step process, don't dive straight into the hard part.

Android development toolkits

Was wondering if anyone knew of some third party android development toolkits.
I have found Basic4Android.
Was wondering what other options are available.Language does not matter.
Thanks

Qt for Android (Alpha version) got launched last week.
Motorola has a custom dev environment built on top of eclipse (MOTODEV). It is not Motorola specific and you can use it for regular development. I have been playing around with it for a week and it is much more convenient than the standard Android Eclipse plugin.
EDIT: Forgot to mention there is AppInventor (currently in Beta) which is a drag and drop development environment from Google. It is a useful tool if you want to get a feel for development or you are developing just for your phone. It does not generate Java code (as yet) and there some restrictions on it like only single screen apps are supported. It has got a healthy community and lot of college students (in the U.S) seem to be using it.

MonoDroid is also another development stack for Android using C# and .NET API's. You can use Microsoft Visual Studio IDE to develop applications using MonoDroid.