Android TV template #

Template for an Android TV (Leanback) app.

Prerequisites #

• JDK 17+
• Android SDK (platform android-28, build-tools 34.0.0)

Build #

Direct (gradlew) #

./gradlew assembleDebug

APK output: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Nix flake #

nix develop
# or enter a subshell: nix develop --command ./gradlew assembleDebug

The flake provides JDK 17, Gradle, and the Android SDK (platform 28 & 34, build-tools 34.0.0) with ANDROID_SDK_ROOT and ANDROID_HOME set automatically. No extra environment variables or --impure needed — the flake already accepts the Android SDK license and allows unfree packages via nixpkgs.config.

Testing on a device/emulator #

# Install APK
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

# Run Leanback emulator (if not already running)
# Use an AVD with target "Android TV (Android 9)" — API 28

Docker build #

docker build -t android-tv-builder .
docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/output:/output android-tv-builder

APK is written to ./output/app-debug.apk.

CI #

Every push/PR to main triggers a GitHub Actions workflow that builds the APK and uploads it as a build artifact.

Project structure #

app/
├── build.gradle
└── src/main/
    ├── AndroidManifest.xml         # Uses LEANBACK_LAUNCHER category
    ├── java/…/MainActivity.java    # Single activity entry point
    └── res/
        ├── layout/activity_main.xml
        ├── values/styles.xml
        └── mipmap-anydpi-v26/      # Adaptive icons

The manifest declares android.intent.category.LEANBACK_LAUNCHER — this is what makes it an Android TV app on compatible devices and the Play Store.