Closed. This question does not meet Stack Overflow guidelines. It is not currently accepting answers.
This question does not appear to be about a specific programming problem, a software algorithm, or software tools primarily used by programmers. If you believe the question would be on-topic on another Stack Exchange site, you can leave a comment to explain where the question may be able to be answered.
Closed 6 years ago.
Improve this question
Im developing an Android app and I would like to test it on a real device so that I'd like to get a phone, on which a different version of Android can be installed, upgraded and downgraded.
Which phone can run most of Android versions? How should I choose it ?
Thank you.
[This answer applies to official Google releases of the Android software, not to alternate distros like Cyanogen.]
There are very few devices that even support more than one or two versions of the Android system. Carriers and OEMs seem reluctant to upgrade devices at all, and when devices do receive major upgrades, they rarely get more than one.
Of course, Android is open source, so you can build whatever version you want, right? Not really. Although the base OS is open source, OEMs have no obligation to release the actual source used to build the kernel and userland for any particular device. With a closed-source device, upgrading is out of the question. The best you can hope for is a downgrade, if you can find the right binaries.
As one commenter noted, Nexus devices are in general a good choice. They are usually supported for at least three OS revisions, and can be upgraded and downgraded easily. With few exceptions, they run 100% open source software.
If you're willing to get your hands dirty, the device that supports the most versions is the Panda board, which for many years was the standard test board for the Android Open Source Project. It was recently replaced by the HiKey board, which is more powerful and less expensive. If you don't mind building a device out of raw components, the combination of a HiKey and a Panda will cost less than a single Nexus device and likely remain valid for years to come.
I recommend you to go with the emulators but if you want a real device you should test on a Nexus device, but even nexus devices can't cover all the platforms
You can find most of the Android official versions here
Also you can find custom ROMs for different phones here
Note
Even if you flash ROMs on some devices, you still might get into different issues on different platforms because Android is customized by each phone manufacturers. For example, the Android that runs on the Nexus devices is the official Google version, but is different than the one that runs on a Samsung, HTC, Sony, etc.
Related
Closed. This question does not meet Stack Overflow guidelines. It is not currently accepting answers.
This question does not appear to be about a specific programming problem, a software algorithm, or software tools primarily used by programmers. If you believe the question would be on-topic on another Stack Exchange site, you can leave a comment to explain where the question may be able to be answered.
Closed 8 years ago.
Improve this question
I've recently ran into an error with an Android app I'm developing. It requires me to have a device with an exact version of Android installed. (specifically 4.1.1 or 4.1.2) I've been looking around for the exact answer to my question and so far I have found nothing useful.
Can you install ANY stock version of Android on ANY android device? Or are their restrictions/compatibility issues that limit your options?
My original plan was to use fastboot to flash 4.1.2 factory image onto my Nexus 7 (2013 Edition). However, I discovered that google doesn't provide an image that goes back to 4.1.2 for this device. Does this mean it isn't possible or is there another way to accomplish this (shy of purchasing a device that can).
It requires me to have a device with an exact version of Android installed. (specifically 4.1.1 or 4.1.2)
Why?
Moreover, what is "an exact version of Android"? Samsung's 4.1.2 is different than HTC's 4.1.2, which is different than LG's 4.1.2, which is different than Motorola's 4.1.2, etc. Android is open source; device manufacturers and ROM modders can and do tweak the innards. Whether those differences matter for your situation, I cannot say, because you have not explained what your specific problem is.
Can you install ANY stock version of Android on ANY android device?
No.
Or are their restrictions/compatibility issues that limit your options?
Drivers, for one.
However, I discovered that google doesn't provide an image that goes back to 4.1.2 for this device.
Among other reasons, that device never had 4.1.2 on it. It initially shipped with Android 4.3 (or some patchlevel of 4.3).
TL;DR: No.
Longer answer: Android OS consists of several different "layers" (or "facets" is a better word?). These include, but are not limited to...
Linux kernel, under GPL
Android Open Source Project, under Apache/MIT
Hardware drivers, mix of open source and proprietary
Proprietary Google apps (Google Play, Gmail, Google Maps, etc.), proprietary
In order for a specific version of Android to be built for a particular device, the OEM has to potentially license specific drivers for some of the hardware components, like for example camera or Bluetooth chip used in the phone. These licenses cost money, and since most OEMs operate on very thin margins, they don't bother to license these for distribution in any other form than as part of a whole system package. This precludes the OEM from offering a download version of these apps and drivers so you could build your own version of the Android Open Source Project for their devices.
At the same time, a big part of releasing a device is going through Google's certification process (part of the Google license). This is time, effort, and money costly process, so OEMs try to minimize the number of system images they produce that need to go through it. This typically is done only for the version of Android the device is shipping with, and maybe one or two versions after that, if the device is incredibly successful, and there are millions of it sold, and the OEM feels generously and is willing to update the OS. Most OEMs couldn't care less though.
In addition, the device also has to go through carrier certification, which is yet another time, effort, and money consuming process. This is an additional incentive for the OEM to not care about producing additional system images, since Google and carriers are the only ones that really continue to monetize the user, and anything done past the device sale is a sunk cost for the OEM.
Specifics: In particular, the issue with the Nexus 7 is that Google has never produced 4.1 system images for it. And in general, Google has never produced backported images for any of their development devices.
Closed. This question does not meet Stack Overflow guidelines. It is not currently accepting answers.
We don’t allow questions seeking recommendations for books, tools, software libraries, and more. You can edit the question so it can be answered with facts and citations.
Closed 2 years ago.
Improve this question
Is there any emulator, which tests the APK, for all kind of android devices. There is one called YouWave, but it is not good.
What I want is, one emulator, when the APK file is loaded, performs automatic testing like UI interface, performance, etc, and provide a report for the same. Saying that for this combination your APK does not works correctly.
This might not be the answer to your question but just from my
experience I would like to share that the best practice would be to
get as much real devices as you can. Obviously devices costs but
that's how you can be sure about it.
As also suggested above you can give a try to bluestacks as would get the wifi and system tools easily connected to you i.e. better in performance then the native emulator provided by Android.
With that the best thing would be to get your app tested on some devices of different Classes.
By classes above I mean ,
Different resolutions
Screen sizes
Android versions
Or, these days some testing organizations are also there who have got a number of devices and they do the testing for you on real devices hence you won't need to pay for a device , its just a suggestion or you can suggest to someone.
--Edit--
I recently have gone through Genymotion and I have found it better then any other emulators,
http://www.genymotion.com/
--Update - Nov 2020--
Bluestacks has improved a lot lately and is free to use for most of the features. I have tried testing multiple instances of the app and it worked like charm by emulating two phones, sharing data via links etc.
Use manymo.com. This is an Online emulator for android.
Take a look at:
http://www.neotys.com/product/mobile-load-testing.html
http://www.perfectomobile.com/portal/cms/services/android
http://www.t-plan.com/robot/
Meanwhile, if you don't find a solution, here you have some common android virtual device configurations, so you can easily configure yourself different devices in the AVD:
HTC Evo 4G
Google/HTC Nexus One
Motorola Droid
T-Mobile/HTC G1
Archos 5 Internet Tablet
If you want the application to work perfectly in all kind of android devices, then the answer is "NO".
As Prateek suggested in his answer, you will have to get your app tested on some real devices of different Classes.
If you don't have the resources to do the testing yourself, go for getting help from someone who have got a number of devices and tests the Apk file on real devices.
to test online, use appetize and upload your apk. very easy. they will send a link to test.
The android SDK comes with a UI tester that allows for automated UI tests, full details can be found on the android developer site:
http://developer.android.com/tools/testing/testing_ui.html
You can test buttons, rotating the screen and get detailed information, it sounds as if it's perfectly capable of meeting your requirements
Andyroid will do exactly what you need:
Provides seamless sync between desktop and mobile devices.
Connects Win/Mac with Android apps for launching, push notifications and storage.
Enables app download from any desktop browser direct to Andy OS.
Ensures most up to date Android OS at all times.
Brings your favorite communication and entertainment mobile apps to the desktop.
Closed. This question is off-topic. It is not currently accepting answers.
Want to improve this question? Update the question so it's on-topic for Stack Overflow.
Closed 10 years ago.
Improve this question
I want to buy a phone for android development and testing. I know that Galaxy Nexus has good reputation among developers what about new nexus 4?
In Nexus 4 my minimum OS version will be 4.1.2 or 4.2. If I wanted to test previous versions would I need another phone?
If I upgraded nexus 4 to next OS verson (for example android 5.0) I would be able to downgrade it to 4.1. How complicated is to flash ROM on Nexus series?
Overall, using the most recent version of Android for development is the way to go. (E.g.: Pre-honeycomb versions stored raster data of images/bitmaps in native memory, thus the Memory Analyzer Tool, when you searched for memory leaks not showed the actual size of a bitmap leaked, just a few hundreds of bytes.)
On the other hand, vendors are customizing their phones, they have different drivers for example the camera. So testing only on one phone, in some situations might not be enough... I'd advise to have an older phone (with low available memory, pre-honeycomb os), and a newer one...
You should integrate ACRA, or other crash reporter tool, that enables you to track your product out in the wild. Bugsense or similar solutions provide you a nice Web interface, where you can see the different Exceptions that occured in your code for users...
If you don't have access to an actual phone, TestDroid from bitbar.com can provide a solution, as they have a cloud of different android phones (>100) where you can execute your test cases...
As for downgrading, I don't know if that is supported...
But the latest phone you can get. Longevity is better that way. You can test for other phones on the in-built emulators.
Here are some links to help you out:
https://developer.android.com/tools/testing/testing_android.html
https://developer.android.com/tools/testing/index.html
http://www.vogella.com/articles/AndroidTesting/article.html
Closed. This question is off-topic. It is not currently accepting answers.
Want to improve this question? Update the question so it's on-topic for Stack Overflow.
Closed 10 years ago.
Improve this question
I am building Android apps and have an HTC Desire with running 2.1 of Android.
How do I upgrade, or even downgrade, OS on the phone to test the app on real devices as well.
You need to install another (older or newer) firmware. In my opinion that doesn't make much sense though - if you want to re-install a firmware over and over again, that's quite time-consuming, only in order to test your app for different versions.
Better to get an (maybe used - then cheaper) G1 phone with 1.6 on it to do tests with an older Android version. That's what I'm doing to test for older devices.
With the SDK, you can select OS from 1.1 to 2.2.
In many cases, that should be enough.
If you really need real hardware, please consider DevPhone1(Google version HTC Dream) or DevPhone2(Google version HTC Magic).
DevPhone1 supports 1.1 to 1.6 by Google. Other guys support 2.0 to 2.2
DevPhone2 supports 1.5 and 1.6 by Google. Other guys support 2.0 to 2.2.
I am a Software Developer seeking to break into Android, so I am not developing yet. Nevetheless, it would seem to me that you ought to listen to the previous advice given to you. However, as a Developer, it seems as though you should be or should have been using the Android 1.6 compiler on your PC and then running the finished application on your Android 2.1 OS. In other words, you have it the wrong way around! Developers know that if you want backwards compatibility, then one should use the oldest development software possible, otherwise, you can run into a whole world of problems!
Closed. This question does not meet Stack Overflow guidelines. It is not currently accepting answers.
We don’t allow questions seeking recommendations for books, tools, software libraries, and more. You can edit the question so it can be answered with facts and citations.
Closed 3 years ago.
Improve this question
I'm looking to get a device (phone, tablet, etc.) for developing Android applications. I know I can use the emulator to get me started, but I feel like that will only get me so far along. I'm looking for something reasonably priced, and I don't want a phone contract, data plan, etc. Anyone have any suggestions?
I would recommend either a Nexus One or ADP2 ( you can get via Market once you sign in as developer. ). Other option is ebay. All attendees of google i/o got moto droid as a gift. And several devices are on ebay, priced around 350-400.
I wouldn't buy G1 for a reason i think it close to end of life. I'd also avoid devices alternative homes and ui ( blur, touchwiz, sense ). You want to clean google experience phone.
Advantage of Nexus of Dev phone - you'll have engineered bootloader, which let you to install custom roms and you can get root access which among other things allow you to use awesome tool hierarchyviewer ( from SDK ) on the device .
As a registered Android developer you can get an unlocked phone for $399. However, I am sure if you keep an eye on ebay you can find something that will suit your needs at a cheaper price. I see a bunch of Motorola Droids listed for a little over $300.
While the Nexus One and ADP2 are great because you can load custom builds of Android on them, that doesn't really sound like what you are most interested in. In fact, doing so will preclude you from running the Market application. For application development, you really just need any phone that lets you load non-market applications over ADB. You may want to consider getting a phone that has a keyboard to ensure that it works properly for your application. Finally, take into consideration which version of Android you are targeting. Newer phones run newer versions of Android.
If you plan developing something that might take an advantage of a hardware keyboard, get Motorola Droid/Milestone or a G1 (which you can turn into ADP1). I'm using the latter as my apps are targeted at 1.5+. Nexus One is the other option.