Getting an android app onto VIM4

Hello all,

I have been placed on an android project using the VIM4. We are developing an app on windows using Android Studio to run on the VIM4, which is running Android OS. I have pretty much no Android development experience.

If I am understanding correctly, developed apps can be transferred through the Google store which is not supported on VIM4.

I understand you can also “Sideload” with an APK. Does this need to be cross compiled or anything?

Any help or direction would be great. Please don’t assume I know much when answering.

Thanks,
Aaron

  1. Google store → it’s possible
  • Latest VIM4 android supports Gapps, I guess that includes Google Play store.
  1. Sideload → You don’t need “cross compile” for all android devices, except NDK.
  • Android uses JVM. And you can use VIM4 as an ordinary Android device.
  • Android NDK requires cross compile, which means, if your codes are written in C or C++, the Android SDK will do cross compile automatically. Of course, all of your Java and Kotlin codes are executed on JVM.
  • For more details about this, please read Run apps on a hardware device  |  Android Developers

Thanks for the reply @windchaser Hopefully I dont have too many questions when I go to implement but it is a C++ program I am trying to bring over. So the first course would probably try Google store and if that isnt supported maybe try an APK?

Thanks again

Sideloading is waaaay quicker, especially in your development phase…Using Google Play will have a lot of additional steps just to get it out there, and updating the version to a new one won’t be as fast as just copying the new APK to a thumb drive and inserting that into the VIM4…At least that’s my opinion :wink:

That is much appreciated; I will start with that!