Android Overview

Bini.js builds native Android applications on top of Tauri v2. Your React app runs inside a native Android WebView with full access to system APIs, permissions, and platform features.

Requirements

Building Android apps requires the same toolchain on every desktop OS. See the section for your OS below for exact setup steps.

Add the required Rust targets with rustup:

$ rustup target add aarch64-linux-android
$ rustup target add armv7-linux-androideabi
$ rustup target add i686-linux-android
$ rustup target add x86_64-linux-android

Windows

Android apps can be built natively on Windows - Tauri's Android toolchain runs locally on all three desktop OSes.

Step 1: Install the tools

• Node.js 20.19.0 or higher
• Java JDK 17 - Download (Eclipse Temurin), then set JAVA_HOME
• Android Studio - Download. Install the SDK, Build Tools, and NDK.
• Set ANDROID_HOME to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk
• Rust via rustup, then add the Android targets (see Requirements)

Step 2: Create the project

Create the Project

Create a new Bini.js project targeting Android and install its dependencies:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest my-app --platform android
$ cd my-app
$ npm install

Or use the interactive prompt and select Android:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest

? Select target platform:
Web Application
Windows Desktop
Linux Desktop
macOS Desktop
> Android
iOS
 
↑↓ navigate • ⏎ select

Step 3: Develop and build

Run android to launch on an emulator or connected device, then android:build to produce a release APK/AAB:

$ npm run android

$ npm run android:build

macOS

Android apps can be built natively on macOS - Tauri's Android toolchain runs locally on all three desktop OSes.

Step 1: Install the tools

• Node.js 20.19.0 or higher
• Java JDK 17 - Download (Eclipse Temurin), then set JAVA_HOME
• Android Studio - Download. Install the SDK, Build Tools, and NDK.
• Set ANDROID_HOME to ~/Library/Android/sdk
• Rust via rustup, then add the Android targets (see Requirements)

Step 2: Create the project

Create the Project

Create a new Bini.js project targeting Android and install its dependencies:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest my-app --platform android
$ cd my-app
$ npm install

Or use the interactive prompt and select Android:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest

? Select target platform:
Web Application
Windows Desktop
Linux Desktop
macOS Desktop
> Android
iOS
 
↑↓ navigate • ⏎ select

Step 3: Develop and build

Run android to launch on an emulator or connected device, then android:build to produce a release APK/AAB:

$ npm run android

$ npm run android:build

Linux

Android apps can be built natively on Linux - Tauri's Android toolchain runs locally on all three desktop OSes.

Step 1: Install the tools

• Node.js 20.19.0 or higher
• Java JDK 17 - Download (Eclipse Temurin), then set JAVA_HOME
• Android Studio - Download. Install the SDK, Build Tools, and NDK.
• Set ANDROID_HOME to ~/Android/Sdk
• Rust via rustup, then add the Android targets (see Requirements)

Step 2: Create the project

Create the Project

Create a new Bini.js project targeting Android and install its dependencies:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest my-app --platform android
$ cd my-app
$ npm install

Or use the interactive prompt and select Android:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest

? Select target platform:
Web Application
Windows Desktop
Linux Desktop
macOS Desktop
> Android
iOS
 
↑↓ navigate • ⏎ select

Step 3: Develop and build

Run android to launch on an emulator or connected device, then android:build to produce a release APK/AAB:

$ npm run android

$ npm run android:build

Development

Run your Android app on an emulator or a connected device. This works the same on every desktop OS:

$ npm run android

This launches your app with:

• Hot reload for frontend changes
• Native Android integration
• Auto-wired native APIs via bini-native
• Devtools for debugging

Setting Up an Emulator

1. Open Android Studio
2. Go to AVD Manager
3. Create a virtual device
4. Start the emulator
5. Run npm run android

Building

Build a release APK or AAB for distribution:

$ npm run android:build

The build outputs land in src-tauri/gen/android/app/build/outputs/:

Code Signing

Configure keystore signing at scaffold time or later. Create a keystore.properties file inside src-tauri/gen/android/:

storeFile=my-keystore.keystore
storePassword=your-keystore-password
keyAlias=my-key-alias
keyPassword=your-key-password

Or pass --sign at scaffold time to set signing up automatically:

$ npx create-bini-app@latest my-app --platform android --sign

Deployment

npm run deploy pushes your project source to GitHub - it does not build a signed APK or submit to the Play Store:

$ npm run deploy

Deployment Flow

1. Build your release APK/AAB with npm run android:build
2. Run npm run deploy to push source to GitHub
3. Upload the APK/AAB to the Google Play Console manually