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In-car apps

Android emulator

About

The Volvo Cars XC40 Recharge and EX30 emulators for Android Studio let you build and test your app for Android Automotive OS. These emulators offer a preview of the same controls and context you would find inside a real car. Integrate fully with Google apps and services like Google Assistant for voice control, Google Maps for navigation and Google Play for access to other apps.

Getting started

Begin by following the steps below to get you a local copy on your machine for development and testing purpose.

Prerequisites

Install the latest version of Android Studio on your machine. Download Android Studio here.

1. Add emulator to Android Studio

  • In Android Studio, select Tools > SDK Manager
  • Click the SDK Update Sites tab
  • Click Add
  • Enter the following:
    • Name: Volvo System Image
    • URL: https://developer.volvocars.com/sdk/volvo-sys-img.xml
  • Click OK
  • Switch to the SDK Platforms tab
  • Enable the Show Package Details checkbox
  • Enable the emulators you would like to install:
    • The XC40 Recharge emulator is available under Android 11.0 (R) as Volvo XC40
    • The EX30 emulator is available under Android 12L ("Sv2") as Volvo EX30 x86_64 System Image
  • Click OK

2. Create Android Virtual Device

Create an Android Virtual Device (AVD) by using the Volvo Cars XC40 Recharge or EX30 emulator.

  • Restart Android Studio before creating an AVD
  • In Android Studio, select Tools > AVD Manager
  • Click on the “+” icon in the Device Manager window to create a device
  • Select Automotive from the menu on the left
  • Choose Volvo XC40 or Volvo EX30
  • Click Next
  • Select the appropriate system image (this is typically pre-selected in Android Studio):
    • Volvo XC40: Android R system image - Api Level 30, Android 11.0
    • EX30: API 32 "Sv2", Android 12L
  • Click Next
  • Click Finish

Note: If you do not see the car, then restart Android Studio. It will appear when you open device manager again.

3. Build your application

Once the above steps are complete, you can begin building applications. For more help getting started, visit our media sample project or Google's car sample projects on GitHub.

Known issues

The home button on the skin of the emulator does not work due to a defect in the Android Open Source Project, which is expected to be fixed in an upcoming release. To work around this issue, you can navigate home using the home button in the emulator console (attached to the emulator window).

Disclaimer

Note: The emulator system images for Automotive are currently in beta since the emulator doesn’t support Bluetooth and the system image has a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) related Common Type System (CTS) test failure.

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