Android Emulator allows you to emulate Android devices on Windows, macOS or Linux machines. The Android Emulator runs the Android operating system in a virtual machine called an AVD. The AVD contains the full Android software stack and it runs as if it were on a physical device. Below is the diagram of the Android Emulator's high-level architecture.

Prerequisites

• Android Studio 4 or newer installed
• Android SDK 29 and Android Tools installed
• Find <ANDROID_SDK_ROOT>, usually it's in one of the following directories, depending on the machine's OS:
  • Windows: <User>/AppData/Local/Android/sdk.
  • Linux: ~/Android/Sdk.
  • macOS: ~/Library/Android/sdk.
• Extract sdk-repo-linux-system-images-eng.zip archive from the version you choose to <ANDROID_SDK_ROOT>/system-images/android-29/android-automotive
• You should have following folder structure: <ANDROID_SDK_ROOT>/system-images/android-29/android-automotive/x86
• Remember to keep correct ABI names across apps, paths and configuration files like x86 or x86_64.

Step-by-step guide to start emulator with AVD Manager

For AVD management in Qt Creator see Managing AVD in Qt Creator.

1. Start AVD Manager, select Create Virtual Device

   

2. Choose a existing hardware profile, import or create new one

   

   

3. Select a system image

   

4. Verify a emulator configuration

   

5. Start emulator