How Do You Test Run an Android App on a Computer?

Let’s say you’ve been developing an Android app for some time and you’ve reached the stage where you want to test out your application to start working on optimizing it for all devices, making sure it works, and to begin ironing out any bugs.

It’s an exciting time, but you need to make sure you’ve got the software to help you test your app to its full capabilities. After all, if you’re not able to test thoroughly, you’re not going to be able to test your app effectively, and you could jeopardize the success of your business.

Today, we’re going to help you out with everything you need to know. We’ll detail how you can accurately test an Android app on your computer, ensuring you’re able to optimize your app and ultimately launch it to the public.

Introducing Emulation

The first thing you’ll need to do is to set up your computer in order to run the emulation software. Emulation software is basically a program that creates the framework for an Android app to run. The app will then interact in the same way with your computer than it would an actual Android device

The benefits of using emulation software include the fact you won’t have to go and buy a ton of different Android devices to test whether your application is going to work on them. Instead, you can simply load up the settings for multiple Android devices to see how it works across the board.

Emulation Software

If you’re using Android Studio to develop and code your Android app, you can use the emulation software built into the studio. It may be tempting to use other third-party emulation tools, such as BlueStacks, but these programs won’t provide you with the log details you need in order to see if everything is working properly behind the scenes.

Using Android Studio, you’ll be able to run your application in a Java Virtual Machine, or by running the built-in emulator simply by running a line of code. Simply open your Java app file, press CTRL + Shift + T and then click the Create New Test.

Follow the onscreen instructions, and you’ll be able to test the functionality of your app and receive all the real-time logging details so you can make sure everything is running smoothly. You can find out more information on how to use this by visiting the official Android Studio website.

Using an Online Emulator

The second option you have instead of downloading and running software on your computer is to use an online android emulator. These services are much easier to use because you can simply upload your file, and have it tested using official services that are dedicated to completing this task.

Using a service like this means there’s far less room for error when you’re setting up your framework, meaning the results will be much more accurate, and you’ll be able to develop your app to the highest quality consistently.

Summary

As you can see, there are multiple ways you can test your Android app on your computer, whether that’s locally or using the internet and a cloud-based service. Simply try both and find which one works best for you for the best results.