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100% FOSS Android development workflow
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DWolf_19 lemmy.ml DWolf_19@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2024-07-11
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I'm not an Android developer, but I plan to learn this along with the Kotlin language. The Android Studio seems to have proprietary components and therefore marked as non-FOSS on Flathub store. The Android SDK specifically (at least builds provided by Google) is also seems to be licensed under non-FOSS license.

Android Studio is a powerful IDE with rich toolbox for Android development, but it feels like strong lock-in on closed technology even in case we have Android as a FOSS platform in face of AOSP.

I'm just curious to learn, is Android development can be setup to be 100% FOSS? What environment, toolchain, and editors like IntelliJ IDEA CE/VSCodium/Neovim we can possibly use to achieve this?

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nutbutter discuss.tchncs.de nutbutter@discuss.tchncs.de
Joined: 2023-07-11
#2 · Quote Reply

I have made flutter apps without Android Studio. You basically needed to download the SDK which is FOSS, and then tell your IDE where it is. This process may be a little tedious. Android Studio makes everything easy, like automatically downloading the SDK, setting up emulators etc. I jsed VSCodium back then.

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DWolf_19 lemmy.ml DWolf_19@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2024-07-11
#3 · Quote Reply

I have made flutter apps without Android Studio. You basically needed to download the SDK which is FOSS, and then tell your IDE where it is. This process may be a little tedious. Android Studio makes everything easy, like automatically downloading the SDK, setting up emulators etc. I jsed VSCodium back then.

Oh, that's interesting!

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piter9 lemmy.zip piter9@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2026-08-15
#4 · Quote Reply

You could use intelij idea open (you can find it on flathub, it is marked as FOSS) with the android plugin will give you a similar experience to Android Studio. It worked for me well and I think all things were FOSS.

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DWolf_19 lemmy.ml DWolf_19@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2024-07-11
#5 · Quote Reply

You could use intelij idea open (you can find it on flathub, it is marked as FOSS) with the android plugin will give you a similar experience to Android Studio. It worked for me well and I think all things were FOSS.

Thanks! It worth exploring

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IanTwenty piefed.social IanTwenty@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-10-17
#6 · Quote Reply

I tried with neovim plus SDK, had to give up due to lack of decent LSPs I think, they were all old, unmaintained. Android Studio really sucks all the oxygen out of the room.

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pr06lefs lemmy.ml pr06lefs@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2023-07-21
#7 · Quote Reply

I build a Tauri app without Android Studio, with 'cargo tauri android build'. you still need the android SDK.

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apparia discuss.tchncs.de apparia@discuss.tchncs.de
Joined: 2026-02-06
#8 · (edited) Quote Reply

I've also just started learning Android dev, avoiding Android Studio. So far I've followed this blog and have a Java "Hello World" app building out of a makefile (without even Gradle!), but using the Google SDK and build tools.

I believe the build tools are FOSS, but I didn't know that about the SDK; just searching now Replicant has some links to FOSS SDK-related things but that page hasn't been updated in 2 years and nothing seems very easy. Would be interested to hear if you manage to get a FOSS version working.

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apparia discuss.tchncs.de apparia@discuss.tchncs.de
Joined: 2026-02-06
#9 · (edited) Quote Reply

I have made flutter apps without Android Studio. You basically needed to download the SDK which is FOSS, and then tell your IDE where it is. This process may be a little tedious. Android Studio makes everything easy, like automatically downloading the SDK, setting up emulators etc. I jsed VSCodium back then.

Flutter is just a UI framework, it still depends on the Android SDK.

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