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Please review the following information to ensure ** the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.3 requirements ** will be met: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.html. ** ****************************************************************************/ /*! \previouspage creator-deployment.html \page creator-deploying-android.html \nextpage creator-deployment-embedded-linux.html \title Deploying Applications to Android Devices On Android, applications are distributed in specially structured types of ZIP packages called Application Packages (APK) or Android App Bundles (AAB). APK files can be downloaded to and executed on a device, whereas AAB is intended to be interpreted by the Google Play store and is used to generate APK files. \l{Qt for Android} has binaries for armv7a, arm64-v8a, x86, and x86-64. To support several different ABIs in your application, build an AAB that contains binaries for each of the ABIs. The Google Play store uses the AAB to generate optimized APK packages for the devices issuing the download request and automatically signs them with your publisher key. \QC supports the following methods of deployment for Android applications: \list \li As a stand-alone, distributable application package (APK). \li Since Qt 5.14.0, as an app bundle (AAB), intended for distribution in the Google Play store. \endlist \note Since \QC 4.12, Ministro is not supported. To specify settings for application packages, select \uicontrol Projects > \uicontrol {Build Android APK} > \uicontrol Details. \if defined(qtcreator) For more information about options that you have for running applications, see \l {Specifying Run Settings for Android Devices}. \endif \section1 Packaging Applications Because bundling applications as APK packages is not trivial, Qt 5 provides a deployment tool called \c androiddeployqt. When you deploy an application using a \uicontrol {Qt for Android Kit}, \QC uses the \c androiddeployqt tool to create the necessary files and to bundle them into an APK: \list \li Java files, which serve as the entry point into your application and that automatically load Qt and execute the native code in your application. \li AndroidManifest.xml, which provides meta-information about your application. \li Other XML files, which specify the dependencies of your application. \li Resource files. \li Libraries and QML files, which can be included in the project depending on the deployment method that you select. \li Gradle wrappers that are needed to download and use Gradle. \li Gradle script that is needed by Java IDEs, such as Android Studio. It allows the user to extend the Java part without copying our Java sources. It also allows the IDEs to provide code completion, syntax highlighting, and so on. \endlist The Gradle wrappers and scripts are bundled only if you use Gradle to build the application packages. For more information, see \l{Connecting Android Devices}. To view the packages that the \c androiddeployqt tool created, select the \uicontrol {Open package location after build} check box. The packages are deployed on the connected Android devices. To switch the device used as a default device for the selected kit, select \uicontrol Projects > \uicontrol Run > \uicontrol {Deploy to Android device} > \uicontrol {Reset Default Devices}. The setting applies until you restart \QC. For more information, see \l{Selecting Android Devices}. For more information about the \c androiddeployqt tool, see \l{Deploying an Application on Android}. \section2 Specifying Settings for Packages You can specify settings for the \c androiddeployqt tool in \QC and in the project .pro file. To specify settings in \QC, select \uicontrol Projects > \uicontrol Build > \uicontrol {Build Android APK} > \uicontrol Details. \image qtcreator-android-deploy-configurations.png "Deploy configurations" The anddroiddeployqt tool uses the information in the project .pro file to create APKs. For more information about the qmake variables that you can set in the .pro file to tailor the APK, see \l{Deploying an Application on Android}. You can view information about what the anddroiddeployqt tool is doing in the \uicontrol {Compile Output} pane. To view additional information, select the \uicontrol {Verbose output} check box. \section3 Selecting API Level In the \uicontrol {Android build SDK} field, you can select the API level to use for building the application. Usually, you should select the newest API level available. \note For Qt 5.12.0 to 5.12.5 and Qt 5.13.0 to 5.13.1, Android build SDK 28 should be used. For recent versions than the latter, build SDK 29, or the most recent should be used. This field does not specify the minimum supported API level nor the target API level, which you can specify in the Android manifest. See \l{Editing Manifest Files}. For more information about Android API levels, see \l{http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#ApiLevels} {What is API Level?}. \section3 Building AABs For testing the application locally, use the APK format, because the package can be uploaded directly to the device and run. For distribution to the Google Play store, create an AAB by selecting the \uicontrol {Build .aab (Android App Bundle)} check box. When building with CMake, you can select the ABIs to build the application for in the \uicontrol CMake settings: \image qtcreator-android-cmake-settings.png "CMake settings for building AABs" When building with qmake, you can select the ABIs in the \uicontrol ABIs field in the \uicontrol {Build Steps}: \image qtcreator-android-build-steps.png "Android Build Steps" \section3 Signing Android Packages To publish your application, you must sign it by using a \e {public-private key pair} that consists of a \e certificate and a corresponding \e {private key} and is identified by an \e alias. The key pair is used to verify that the future versions of your application are actually created by you. \warning Keep the key pair in a safe place and take back up copies, because you cannot update the application if you lose the key pair. You can use \QC to generate a keystore and a \e {self-signed} certificate. The generated certificate has the structure of an X.509 v3 digital certificate. It contains information about the version, serial number, and validity period of the certificate, the ID of the algorithm that is used to encrypt the data, the organization that issued the certificate, and the \e subject (owner) of the certificate. In case of a self-signed certificate, the issuer and owner of the certificate are the same. In addition, the certificate contains information about the algorithm that is used to sign the certificate, as well as the signature of the certificate. The keystore is protected by a password. In addition, you can protect each alias with its individual password. When you sign an Android application, you must select a keystore that contains certificates and a certificate alias from the keystore. The public key (certificate) for the alias is embedded into the APK during signing. To create a keystore and a self-signed certificate: \list 1 \li In the \uicontrol Keystore field, select \uicontrol Create to create a new keystore that contains one key pair in the \uicontrol {Create a Keystore and a Certificate} dialog: \image qtcreator-android-certificate.png \li In the \uicontrol Keystore group, enter a password to protect the keystore. \li In the \uicontrol Certificate group, specify the key size and validity period of the certificate. You can specify a separate password to protect the key pair or use the keystore password. \li In the \uicontrol {Certificate Distinguished Names} group, enter information about yourself and your company or organization that identifies the issuer and the owner of the key pair. \li Select \uicontrol Save. \li In the \uicontrol {Keystore File Name} dialog, enter a name for the keystore and select a location for it. \li In the \uicontrol Keystore dialog, enter the keystore password to create the key pair in the keystore. \endlist To sign an Android package by using a key pair, set the \uicontrol {Sign package} group settings described in \l{Specifying Settings for Packages}: \list 1 \li In the \uicontrol Keystore field, select \uicontrol Choose to select an existing keystore. \li In the \uicontrol {Certificate alias} field, select an alias from the list of key pairs that the keystore contains. \li Select the \uicontrol {Sign package} check box to use the alias to sign the Android package. \endlist \section3 Adding External Libraries \QC automatically detects which Qt libraries the application uses and adds them as dependencies. If the application needs external libraries, specify them in \uicontrol Projects > \uicontrol Build > \uicontrol {Build Android APK} > \uicontrol {Additional Libraries} field. The libraries are copied into your application's library folder and loaded on startup. To add OpenSSL libraries, select \uicontrol {Include prebuilt OpenSSL libraries} in the \uicontrol {Additional Libraries} group. This will add the OpenSSL include project defined in \l{Specifying Android Device Settings}{device settings} in \uicontrol {Android OpenSSL} group. This can be used for QMake and CMake projects. Otherwise, you can manually add the paths to the required \c libssl.so and \c libcrypto.so libraries to the \uicontrol {Additional Libraries} field. \section1 Editing Manifest Files You can use the qmake variables to specify all the settings you need for the \c androiddeployqt tool and you do not need an Android manifest file unless you need to specify Android specific settings like the application's icon. Also, the manifest file is needed if you want to publish the package in the Play Store. You can create an Android manifest file and edit it in \QC. Select \uicontrol Projects > \uicontrol Build > \uicontrol {Build Android APK} > \uicontrol {Create Templates} to create the file and to open it in the Android Manifest Editor. \image qtcreator-android-manifest-editor.png "Android Manifest Editor" \list 1 \li In the \uicontrol {Package name} field, enter a package name for the application. The application is launched by an automatically generated Java launcher that is packaged with the application into an Android package (.apk). For more information, see \l{http://developer.android.com/guide/components/fundamentals.html} {Android Application Fundamentals}. \li You can specify an internal version number for the package in the \uicontrol {Version code} field. It is used to determine whether one version of the application is more recent than another. In the \uicontrol {Version name} field, specify the version number that is shown to users. \li In the \uicontrol {Minimum required SDK} field, select the minimum API level required to run the application. The minimum supported API level for \QC is android-9. However, Qt versions might have different minimum API levels, and therefore \QC does not allow you to select an API level that the Qt version specified for the kit does not support. \li In the \uicontrol {Target SDK} field, select the targeted API level of the application. This affects the activation of some compatibility features in the OS. The value used by the \c androiddeployqt tool by default is 14, which means that the overflow button in the system navigation bar will not be enabled by default. \li In the \uicontrol Application group, you can set the application's name. You can also give an activity a name and select the activity to run. \li The \uicontrol {Style extraction} combo box sets the used method that Qt uses to extract style information. It has the following values: \list \li \uicontrol Default or \uicontrol Full: Use this when working with Qt Widgets or Qt Quick Controls 1. \note This method uses some Android non-SDK interfaces, that are being restricted by Google starting from Android 9.0 (API 28). \li \uicontrol minimal: Use this when working with Qt Quick Controls 2 with no Qt Widgets or Qt Quick Controls 1. This is faster than \uicontrol full or \uicontrol default. \li \uicontrol none: Use this if you're not working with Qt Widgets, or Qt Quick Controls 1 or 2 in your project. \endlist \li In \uicontrol {Application icon}, select an icon. Click the \uicontrol {Master icon} button to select an icon with the highest resolution, then, it will resize and set the three icon fields for low, medium, and high DPI icons as needed. \li In the \uicontrol Permissions field, you can specify the permissions that your application needs. Starting from Android 6.0 (API 23), permissions have to be requested at runtime (see \l{QtAndroid::requestPermissionsSync()} or \l{QtAndroid::requestPermissions()}). For lower Android API levels, users are asked to grant the permissions when they install the application. Android OS then grants the application access to the appropriate data and features. \li Select the \uicontrol {Include default permissions for Qt modules} and \uicontrol {Include default features for Qt modules} check boxes to add the permissions needed by Qt libraries. This can be android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE for QtCore, or android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION for QtLocation. \li To add a permission, select it from the list, and then click \uicontrol Add. \endlist On the top header, select the \uicontrol {XML Source} tab to edit the file in XML format. */