The Android Emulator is designed to make app testing easier for you. It enables you to test apps on various devices and at different API levels. And you can do all these without using any physical device. The Emulator provides almost all the capabilities of a physical Android device. Google has recently released new capabilities of the Android Emulator that make app development and testing even easier for you.
Earlier updates of the Android Emulator introduced location and battery extended control, among other features. These two features enable you to quickly test scenarios that create challenges on a physical device. The location control lets you test your app’s reaction to movement along a route. Using the battery control, you can test the impact of things like charge levels without using the physical device’s battery status.
New Capabilities of the Android Emulator
The improvements in Android Emulator make Android app development and testing even easier and better. Here are the most striking new features.
Form Factors for Foldable Phones
Using the latest version of Android Emulator (v 30.0.23+), you can easily test apps for foldable phones. You can find it in the Android Studio Canary release channel. The new version features a new 3D foldable device rendering. This makes it easier to visualize how you look on a foldable Android device.
The expanded control enables you to set the precise angle of each fold or the overall posture of the device. You can also use these capabilities to ensure the app looks perfect on foldable devices. It also allows you to create custom user experiences leveraging the form factor.
This update uses the flexibility of the Android Emulator and connects directly with the WindowManager, a recent addition to Android Jetpack. The WindowManger enables the developers to create consistent experiences responsive to different postures of a foldable device. Using these controls in your Android app development project, you can easily set the WindowManager’s DeviceState and test the app’s response.
Expanded Foldable Hardware Profiles
With this update, Google is also expanding two initial foldable hardware profiles. These profiles feature horizontal folds a dual display along with Android Studio 4.2. Until these updates are available, you can customize the virtual device by using ‘config.ini.file’. This enables you to emulate any foldable device available on the market. You can find a virtual device’s ‘config.ini.file’ by right-clicking the device on the Android Virtual Device Manager in Android Studio.
Foldables are one of the many form factors supported by the Android Emulator. Other virtual devices like Android Auto, Android TV, and WearOS also enable you to build alternative form factors.
5G Support
The new Android Emulator enables you to develop 5G app experiences. You can do this purchasing hardware or having access to a physical 5G network. You just need to download and create a virtual device with one of the Android 11 Beta 2+ system images. Then run it with the latest version of the Android Emulator. It’s available in the Android Studio canary release channel.
The latest version of the Android Emulator integrates a 5G network setting with the Android 11 operating system. It enables functionalities like 5G detection, metering, and bandwidth estimation, among others. Using these, you can seamlessly develop and test against this API surface.
Wrapping up
Google built the Android Emulator to create a realistic virtual device that enables developers to test their app on every device configuration without using a real device. The tech giant said it is committed to continually upgrade the Emulator for making enhancing your app testing capabilities. You can use a host of device form factors for Android app development and testing. Besides, the Android Compatibility Test Suite compliant system guides all your development projects.
At Android Developer, a mobile app development company, we keep a close watch on every single update and improvement related to the Android platform. Clients from around the world hire Android developers from us to build feature-rich solutions. A cocktail of innovative thinking and tech enthusiasm gives us a competitive edge.
FAQs
Q. What is an Android Emulator?
The Android Emulator is a tool that creates virtual Android devices on your computer. It enables test your application on a variety of devices and Android API levels without using a physical device. The Android Emulator provides almost all the capabilities of a physical Android device.
Q. What is Android Studio used for?
Android Studio provides a unified Android app development environment. You can use Android Studio to build apps for Android phones, tablets, Android Wear, Android TV, etc. Structured code modules allow you to divide your project into units of functionality.
Q. How much does it cost to build an Android app?
The development cost for an Android mobile app depends on what kind of app you need. Costs are lower for an app with a basic design and simpler features. If you need a high-performance app with more advanced features, the cost will be comparatively higher. Android Developer India offers competitive pricing for every kind of app.
