Theory
You need a workbench first
You cannot build FestConnect Mobile in a text editor and a browser like you did the web version. Android development needs a proper workbench: something to compile Java, a place to write and design the app, the Android platform libraries, and a phone to test on (real or fake).
That is four pieces: the JDK, Android Studio, the SDK (via its Manager), and the emulator. Setting them up once is the price of entry, and a common short-answer exam question.
Theory
Tools, bench, materials, test rig
A carpenter needs a saw (the JDK that cuts your Java into runnable form), a workbench with every tool at hand (Android Studio), a store of raw materials for different jobs (the SDK's platform versions), and a test rig to try the piece before delivery (the emulator). Miss any one and the work stalls. Android development assembles exactly this kit.
Follow along
Setting up the Android toolchain
- Install the JDK the Java Development Kit compiles your Java code. Modern Android Studio bundles one, but Java is the language underneath.
- Install Android Studio the official IDE: editor, visual layout designer, Gradle build system, debugger, and emulator, all in one.
- Open the SDK Manager inside Studio (Settings > SDK Manager): download an Android platform, e.g. API 34 (Android 14), plus SDK build-tools and platform-tools.
- Enable virtualization the emulator runs a virtual phone; turn on hardware acceleration (Intel HAXM / AVD hypervisor) so it is not painfully slow.
- Create an AVD and run make a virtual device (next lesson) and press Run to launch the app on it.
Think first
What does each piece do?
Match the job to the tool: (a) turns your Java into runnable bytecode, (b) downloads Android 14's libraries, (c) lets you test without a physical phone. Name the tool for each.
Show the answer
(a) the JDK compiles your Java. (b) the SDK Manager downloads a platform version like Android 14 (API 34) and its tools. (c) the emulator runs a virtual phone so you can test without real hardware. Android Studio is the IDE that ties all three together (it hosts the editor, invokes the JDK/SDK to build, and launches the emulator). Knowing which tool owns which job is the whole point of this setup lesson.
Quiz
What is the Android SDK Manager used for?
- Downloading and updating Android platform versions (API levels) and build tools
- Writing the Java source code of your app
- Charging the physical test phone
- Compiling C++ kernel drivers for the device
Show the answer
Downloading and updating Android platform versions (API levels) and build tools
The SDK Manager installs and updates the Android platforms (API levels like 34) plus SDK build-tools and platform-tools your project needs (A). Writing code is done in the Studio editor, not the SDK Manager (B). It has nothing to do with charging hardware (C), and you do not compile kernel drivers as an app developer (D). Think of the SDK Manager as the store where you pick which Android versions to build against.
Watch out
Setup traps
1. Confusing SDK and JDK: the JDK is Java's compiler/runtime; the Android SDK is the platform libraries and tools. Both are needed; they are not the same thing.
2. 'Android Studio is the language': no, it is the IDE. The language is Java (or Kotlin).
3. Slow emulator: usually virtualization/hardware acceleration is off, or too high an API image was chosen for the machine. Enable acceleration.
Theory
Next: build the virtual phone
The toolchain is ready, but the emulator needs an actual virtual device definition to run: which screen size, which Android version, how much RAM. That is the AVD (Android Virtual Device), and creating one is the next lesson, the last step before you finally create the FestConnect project and see 'Hello' on a screen.
Summary
Key takeaways
- Android development needs four pieces: JDK, Android Studio, the SDK, and the emulator.
- JDK compiles Java; Android Studio is the official IDE (editor, designer, build, debugger, emulator).
- The SDK Manager downloads Android platform versions (API levels) and build/platform tools.
- The emulator runs a virtual phone to test apps without real hardware (enable virtualization for speed).
- JDK is not the SDK, and Android Studio is the IDE, not the language.
- Memory hook: saw (JDK), bench (Studio), materials (SDK), test rig (emulator).